Electroencephalography-based monitoring of delirium in the ICU: what are the opportunities?

Up to 80% of patients experience delirium during their ICU stay [1,2]. The most sensitive screenings tool for delirium in a research setting is the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), but the low sensitivity of the CAM-ICU in daily practice (47%) hampers early detection of delirium and thereby delays treatment [3,4]. Therefore, there is a need for an objective tool for continuous delirium monitoring. Diagnosis of delirium can also be conducted using electroencephalography (EEG) [5]. EEG with a limited number of electrodes and automatic processing may be a more sensitive approach for delirium monitoring. The aim of this systematic review is to explore opportunities for automatic detection of delirium by summarizing EEG characteristics of delirium.