Immunological Analysis of Postoperative Delirium after Thoracic Aortic Surgery

Delirium is a recognized neurological complication following cardiac surgery and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including elevated mortality and prolonged hospitalization. While several clinical risk factors for post-cardiac surgery delirium have been identified, the pathophysiology related to the immune response remains unexamined. This study was conducted to investigate the immunological factors contributing to delirium in patients after thoracic aortic surgery.

We retrospectively evaluated 43 consecutive patients who underwent thoracic aortic surgery between July 2017 and June 2018. These patients were categorized into 2 groups: those with delirium and those without it. All clinical characteristics were compared between groups. Blood samples were collected and tested on the day of admission, as well as on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, and 30. Levels of helper T cells (CD4), cytotoxic T cells (CD8), B cells (CD19), natural killer cells (CD56+CD16++), and monocytes (CD14+CD16-) were measured using flow cytometry.

The median patient age was 71 years (interquartile range, 56.7 to 79.0 years), and 21 of the patients (48.8%) were male. Preoperatively, most immune cell counts did not differ significantly between groups. However, the patients with delirium exhibited significantly higher levels of interleukin-6 and lower levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) than those without delirium (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that lower TNF-α levels were associated with an increased risk of postoperative delirium (p<0.05).

Postoperative delirium may be linked to perioperative changes in immune cells and preoperative cytokine levels. Additional research is required to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying delirium.