Delirium in elderly postoperative patients: A prospective cohort study

To describe the incidence, time in days and risk factors for postoperative delirium in elderly patients.

Prospective cohort study.

Patients over 65 years were daily screened with the 4A's Test and the Delirium Observation Screening Scale for postoperative delirium. A psychiatrist assessed according to the DSM-V. We performed descriptive and logistic regression analyses.

From 202 patients, 7.5% (N = 15) had a diagnosed postoperative delirium, whereby 73.3% (N = 11) developed the delirium during the first 48 hr after surgery. The median duration was 1 day. Patients over 80 years suffering from heart failure with surgical drains, bladder catheter, central venous catheter had higher odds for developing a postoperative delirium. The incidence of postoperative delirium in our sample was lower compared with other surgical and ortho-geriatric populations. Despite age, several modifiable postoperative factors were associated with the occurrence of postoperative delirium.