Not all patients in the ICU who appear agitated or distressed have delirium; their altered mental status could have several other causes that need to be identified. Fortunately, these conditions are often treatable and reversible if diagnosed promptly, according to speakers at the 2025 Critical Care Congress, in Orlando, Fla.
“We are trying to get people to move away from just a syndromic diagnosis” of an altered mental status in the ICU, such as delirium or