Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden and Other Risk Factors for In-Hospital Mortality for an Older Adult

Patient selection: >= 65 years of age admitted through the Emergency Department

Predictors of in-hospital mortality from multivariate analysis:

(1) anticholinergic cognitive burden (ACB) scale >= 3 (OR 3.1)

(2) Charlson Comorbidity Index (1.35 per point increment)

(3) heart rate (OR 1.04 per beat per minute increment)

(4) serum albumin (OR 0.36 per 1 g/dL increment)

(5) serum BUN (OR 1.01 per 1 mg/dL increment)

The risk of in hospital mortality increases with the number of risk factors present.

The anticholinergic cognitive burden was an important risk factor for mortality, while polypharmacy was not.