Does delirium cause long-term cognitive decline?

A new meta-analysis of 24 studies has revealed that delirium may be associated with long-term cognitive decline in both surgical and nonsurgical patients. The study, which has been published in JAMA Neurology, determined that a person who experiences an episode of delirium was more than twice as likely to show significant long-term cognitive decline than a person who did not experience delirium. Delirium is known to be one of the most common surgical complications observed in adults over the age of 65. It is also seen in patients with critical illnesses including sepsis, respiratory failure and more recently, some cases...