DELIRIUM AS A MANIFESTATION OF SUBRACNOIDAL HEMORRHAGE: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Objective: The article is a literature review about delirium in a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage, considering that it is important to recognize this disorder in patients with SAH as it is a condition that needs early identification and diagnosis, as well as adequate management avoiding to result in worst prognosis to the patient, being, therefore, a topic of great importance for the neurosurgeon and neurointensivist. Material and methods: This paper is a literature review using the following bases: PubMed, Scielo and Cochrane, using the terms: Delirium, Agitation e Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Papers from 2000 to 2019 were selected, resulting in a total of 11 articles that met the inclusion criteria taking into account their citations, the respective impacts and content according to the theme. Results and conclusion: Delirium can be a form to presentation of subarachnoid hemorrhage, which can lead to longer hospital stays, greater complications and worse prognosis. Sometimes this neurocognitive disorder is not identified in patients with SAH and is often confused with other disorders such as anxiety, depression and dementia. Its early diagnosis leads to a better quality of life for the patient and can be done by several algorithms such as CAM, Nu-DESC and RASS, the latter being the most effective in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Adequate management should be carried out based on the identification of the cause, with symptomatic treatment and environmental control. Having in mind that it is a condition that needs to be identified early for a better prognosis, it is of paramount importance that neurosurgeons and neurointensivists know how to diagnose patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.