OBJECTIVES: Melatonin is an endogenous hormone, which regulates circadian rhythms and promotes sleep. In recent years, several randomised controlled trials examining the prophylactic use of melatonin to prevent delirium were published with conflicting findings. The primary aim of this review was to determine the effect of melatonin on the incidence of delirium in hospitalised patients.
DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL were systematically searched from their inception until December 2018.
REVIEW METHODS: All randomised clinical trials were included.
RESULTS: Sixteen trials (1634 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. Incidence of delirium was not significantly lower in patients who received melatonin, with an odd ratio, OR (95%Cl) of 0.55 (0.24-1.26); ρ = 0.16, certainty of evidence = low, trial sequential analysis = inconclusive. However, patients who randomised to melatonin had a significantly shorter length of stay in intensive care units, with a mean difference, MD (95%CI) of -1.84 days (-2.46, -1.21); ρ
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.