A Practical Guide to Postoperative Delirium

In conclusion, delirium is a common postoperative complication that especially impacts the elderly population. It contributes to a significant increase in morbidity, mortality, length of inpatient stay, and medical costs. Even with preventive efforts, many patients will develop postoperative delirium. While the gold standard treatment is to correct the underlying disorder, many therapies ranging from the use of antipsychotics to patient comfort measures are used to decrease the severity and duration of postoperative delirium. The most practical approach for physicians is continuous vigilance for the emergence of postoperative delirium. Movement toward increased use of multidisciplinary inpatient ward teams, early psychiatric consultation during postoperative delirium, larger clinical trials of prophylactic medications, and future research on delirium's pathogenesis will decrease complications of this common clinical problem.