Acute confusional states in critically ill patients: a review.

Critical care patients become confused in the intensive care setting. Several dangers exist in acute confusional states. Confused patients jeopardize their own safety, are more likely to die than nonconfused patients and are more likely to become cognitively impaired and require institutionalization. This article reviews the literature about patients experiencing acute confusional states in the critical care setting including intensive care unit (ICU) psychosis, postcardiotomy delirium and confusion in the elderly.