Postoperative delirium: A preventable complication in the elderly surgical patient

Submitted: May 16, 2017
Accepted: May 16, 2017
Published: July 18, 2017
Abstract Views: 2690
PDF: 1498
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Postoperative delirium (POD) is an acute organic cerebral disturbance of consciousness and attention in combination with additional cognitive symptoms. It usually develops shortly after surgery and lasts for some hours up to some days. It worsens clinical outcomes, prolongs the hospital stay and leads to negative trajectories of cognitive, emotional and functional outcomes up to month if not years after surgery. There are several known predisposing and precipitating factors. Several of them are influenceable. Offering optimal and safe care for an elderly surgery patient requires a team based approach. Strategies for reducing POD incidence include early detection of risk factors, adaptation of surgical and anaesthesiologic techniques, avoiding certain drugs, optimisation of haemostasis, continuously monitoring of the patients’ cognitive status as well as early mobilization and careful management of eventual early signs of POD. If POD is prevented, it’s negative trajectories may be likewise anticipated. 

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite

Bettelli, Gabriella, and Bruno Neuner. 2017. “Postoperative Delirium: A Preventable Complication in the Elderly Surgical Patient”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 87 (2). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2017.842.

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.