Incidence of postoperative delirium among patients who underwent head & neck surgery

Postoperative delirium is a state of confusion and cognitive impairment that can be observed after extensive surgery. This serious complication can lead to longer hospital stays and higher costs. As the global population ages, postoperative delirium has also become a concern for patients undergoing head and neck surgery. In this study, we investigated whether the preoperative recognition of cognitive impairment could help with the prediction of postoperative delirium among patients undergoing head and neck surgery.

We conducted a three-year prospective study in our clinic to analyze 46 patients who underwent surgeries lasting 6 h or longer. Mini-Mental State Examination scores, demographic data, medical history, surgical details and delirium assessments were examined to identify risk factors for postoperative delirium.

Our study revealed that 8.7% of the patients developed postoperative delirium. Longer surgery durations, lower serum sodium levels and lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores were risk factors for postoperative delirium.

Recognizing cognitive impairment and other potential risk factors during the preoperative period appears to play a critical role in reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium and its associated complications.