Delirium poses a significant burden on our healthcare, with patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) at an increased risk for developing this disorder. In addition, the ICU environment poses unique challenges in the assessment of delirium. It is paramount that the healthcare provider has an understanding of delirium in ICU, and monitors for it vigilantly. There have been various scoring systems developed to assist in this regard. However, the most commonly used and validated tools for the assessment of delirium are the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). Biomarkers of delirium are emerging as tools to diagnose delirium, stratify severity, monitor progress, and predict outcomes, potentially changing the way we approach delirium in the future.

While beta thalassaemia is not a common disorder with an estimated 100 000 severely affected individuals worldwide, improved survival rates and increased global migration means an increased frequency of such patients being seen for various surgeries. The different aspects of this disorder have wide-ranging implications for anaesthesia. Thus, for safe anaesthetic care, the anaesthetist needs to have a good understanding of beta thalassaemia. Presented here is a case report of a 32-year-old gentleman with beta thalassaemia major presenting for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and splenectomy, followed by a discussion of the literature.