Furthermore, this model of widespread immune dysregulation causing vascular dysfunction may also explain the clinical observation in our cohort that many mediators associated with delirium are at the same time associated with respiratory parameters, either mechanical ventilation (IL-21, IL-22 and IL-1α) or the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (CXCL13). Here, CXCL13 is linked to delirium.