Low Dose Risperidone Prophylaxis for The Prevention of Delirium in The Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial

Background Delirium is common among patients in intensive care units. Antipsychotics have been shown to reduce the incidence of delirium in post-operative patients. We set out to compare the efficacy of risperidone to placebo in preventing delirium in critically ill patients admitted to a medical ICU. Methods This double-blind, randomised controlled trial compared prophylactic low-dose risperidone to placebo in critically ill patients. Patients were screened daily for delirium using a validated screening tool (CAM-ICU), and the incidence of delirium was compared between groups. Results Forty-five patients were recruited. Baseline demographic characteristics, diagnosis and severity of illness were not statistically significantly different between groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of delirium, adverse events or complications. Conclusion In this study, low-dose risperidone did not prevent the incidence of delirium. As delirium is a heterogeneous syndrome, a single intervention may not be effective across subtypes and aetiologies (ISRCTN17375500) Key Message Prophylactic risperidone did not reduce the incidence of delirium in ICU patients in this small study. As delirium is a heterogeneous syndrome, a single intervention may not be effective across subtypes and aetiologies.