Delirium in the intensive care setting and the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS): Drowsiness increases the risk and is subthreshold for delirium

Drowsiness increased the odds for developing delirium eightfold and caused more severe delirium, which was characterized by sleep-wake cycle and language abnormalities. Further, drowsiness by itself caused attentional impairment and language abnormalities, thus, with its disturbance in consciousness was subthreshold for delirium.