Delirium Risk Score in Elderly Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and/or Cervical Fracture

This study focuses on creating a tool to predict delirium in elderly individuals who have experienced cervical spinal cord injuries or fractures. Delirium is a neuropsychological disorder that affects a person's ability to interact with their environment due to cognitive impairment. The tool aims to help medical staff identify high-risk patients early, allowing for preventive measures to be implemented promptly upon admission, regardless of whether the patient receives surgical or conservative treatment. The developed risk score uses easily accessible patient data, such as age, pre-existing conditions, and injury characteristics, to assess the likelihood of developing delirium without needing lengthy patient interviews.

• 1
  The study identified six key factors that contribute to the risk of delirium: old age (≥80 years), hypoalbuminemia, cervical fracture, major organ injury, dependence on pre-injury mobility, and comorbid diabetes.
• 2
  A delirium risk score was created by assigning points to each of these factors, and the score's ability to predict delirium was evaluated, resulting in an area under the curve of 0.66 (p < 0.001).
• 3
  Using a risk score threshold of 2 points, the system showed a sensitivity of 78.4% and a specificity of 45.5% in predicting delirium, suggesting it can effectively identify a large proportion of patients at risk.