Risk Factors for Continuation of Atypical Antipsychotics at Hospital Discharge in Two Intensive Care Unit Cohorts

Introduction: Atypical antipsychotics are frequently initiated in the intensive care unit (ICU) to treat delirium. Many patients continue on these agents at hospital discharge despite a lack of data to support long-term use. Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to determine underlying risk factors for continuation of antipsychotics at hospital discharge in medical intensive care unit (MICU) and surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients when evaluated as separate cohorts. Methods: A single-center, retrospective study in patients newly initiated on quetiapine, risperidone, or olanzapine in a 22-bed mixed medical-surgical ICU admitted from January 2017 to July 2018. Results: A total of 78 (62.9%) MICU patients and 46 (37.1%) SICU patients met the inclusion criteria during this time frame. A total of 29 MICU patients (37.2%) were prescribed antipsychotics at hospital discharge compared to 25 SICU patients (54.3%), P = .063. The percentage of MICU patients prescribed antipsychotics at hospital discharge was significantly higher in patients ⩾60 years of age (22 [75.9%] vs 26 [53.1%], P = .045), with a history of dementia (5 [17.2%] vs 1 [2%], P = .015), admitted with hemorrhagic stroke (5 [17.2%] vs 2 [4.1%], P = .049), and initiated on risperidone (3 [10.3%] vs 0%, P = .022). The risk of pre-existing dementia remained significant in a multivariate logistic regression that controlled for confounding variables, odds ratio (OR) = 10 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-90.5, P = .040). The percentage of SICU patients prescribed antipsychotics at discharge was significantly higher in those with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; 8 [72.7%] vs 0%, P = .004) and initiated on quetiapine (19 [76%] vs 9 [42.9%], P = .022). Conclusion: Antipsychotics were commonly continued at hospital discharge in both MICU and SICU patients. Several risk factors for continuation of antipsychotics were identified in these two cohorts. Future efforts assessing the appropriateness of antipsychotics at transitions of care are warranted.