Postoperative Delirium is Common in the Elderly Patient, Before and After their Surgical Event is Related to Increased Mortality and Prolongation of Hospital Stay

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate Delirium and the patient's state of consciousness as risk factors after a surgical event, establishing a prognosis for the patient's hospital process, determining the severity of the patient's condition. Method: From the registry of patients of the Neurology and Geriatrics services, patients over 65 years of age who meet the selection criteria and from the clinical record to their neurological risks (predisposition to delirium) will be selected, recording the variables: age, sex, weight, height, BMI and previous cognitive activity. The statistical program Excel for Windows will be used.Results: In this study, a total of 50 patients with a mean age of 70.8 (±7.1) years were included. By sex, 60.0% (30) were women and 40.0% were (20) men. The patients underwent gastrointestinal-abdominal (34%), orthopedic (26%), urological (16%), cardiovascular (12%) and other (12%) surgeries. DPO was detected in 22 (44.0%) patients, subsequently no significant differences by age and sex were found. The variables associated with DPO were duration of surgery (OR = 1.04 [95% CI 1.01-1.06, p = 0.004]) and the presence of elevated intraoperative glucose levels (OR = 1.02 [95% CI 1.00-1.04, p = 0.049]). Conclusions: DPO is a frequent complication in the elderly, which is why an opportune diagnosis and the implementation of prevention strategies are needed for this population. DPO is a frequent complication in the elderly, which is why an opportune diagnosis and the implementation of prevention strategies are needed for this population.