Montelukast and Delirium Risk During Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Stay: Findings from a Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Delirium is a common and serious complication in critically ill patients, leading to worse outcomes.
• Montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, is known to have potential neuropsychiatric side effects.
• Limited data exists on montelukast's safety profile in critically ill adult populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between montelukast administration during ICU stays and delirium development.
• To evaluate the safety of montelukast use in critically ill adult patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study was conducted with adult ICU patients admitted for respiratory symptoms.
• Patients were categorized based on montelukast exposure during their ICU stay.
• Propensity score matching was employed to control for baseline differences between groups.

Main Results:

• Montelukast use was significantly associated with a higher incidence of delirium (OR 4.66).
• Mixed delirium was the most common subtype in the montelukast group.
• No significant differences were observed in delirium duration, recurrence, delirium-free days, ventilator-free days, length of stay, or mortality.

Conclusions:

• Montelukast use during ICU admission is associated with an increased incidence of delirium.
• Further prospective randomized studies are required to validate these findings.