P10 - Is Limited-Lead EEG an Option for Delirium Monitoring?

Purpose: Delirium increases the risk for long-term cognitive decline and mortality. This exploratory study evaluates the use of a limited lead EEG device for objective identification of delirium with the aim of early initiation of treatment.

Background: Current assessment for delirium is completed using a bedside clinical screening tool. Unfortunately, due to challenges with bedside screening, only 20% of delirious patients are accurately identified. Full EEG monitoring is the true gold standard for delirium detection but is not a feasible option. This study aims to address this practice gap by evaluating use of a nurse friendly limited lead EEG device for delirium identification in the ICU.

Methodology: Pragmatic sampling of critically ill older adults requiring mechanical ventilation (n=20) was used in this prospective observational study to evaluate differences in EEG waveforms of delirious patients versus those without delirium. EEG waves are compared for changes in rate and frequency of awake to sleep waves.

Results: Analyses includes EEG spectral wave analysis using MatLAB. Inferential statistics conducted using SPSS v24. Findings will be used to determine additional research on the effectiveness of EEG-based delirium detection.