The temporal relationship between early postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction in older patients: a prospective cohort study

Postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction are frequent phenomena in older patients; however, few studies have examined the temporal relationship between these two conditions in the early postoperative period. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) coexist after major noncardiac surgery.

This was a prospective cohort study of patients who were ≥ 65 yr of age undergoing noncardiac surgery. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and for two days postoperatively for delirium and POCD. Delirium was determined using the Confusion Assessment Method, and POCD was measured by three cognitive tests addressing changes in executive function, memory, attention, and concentration. For each postoperative day, patients' neurologic status was categorized into three mutually exclusive categories: delirium, POCD, or neither condition.

Four hundred sixty-one patients aged ≥ 65 yr of age were studied, and 421 patients with complete postoperative cognitive testing were reported. Eighty percent of patients experienced either delirium or POCD on the first day after surgery. Seventy percent of patients who had delirium on the first postoperative day also had delirium on the second postoperative day. Sixty-three percent of patients who had POCD on postoperative day one continued to have POCD on the next day. Sixteen percent of patients with delirium on day one were non-delirious on day two but met criteria for POCD on day two. Conversely, 15% of patients with POCD on day one became delirious on day two. Only 13% of patients did not experience delirium or POCD on either day after surgery.

Eighty percent of surgical patients experienced some form of cognitive dysfunction the day after surgery, and few recovered by the second day after surgery.