tain a normal sleep
cycle and healthy diet,
and return to physical
activity as soon as
possible.
A greater under-
standing
The exact mecha-
nisms that cause post-
op delirium are still
unknown, but patients
with preexisting cogni-
tive dysfunction (both mild and severe), functional disability and sev-
eral comorbidities are more likely to experience severe forms of the
condition. Importantly, benzodiazepines, sometimes used to calm
patients before surgery, are shown to increase the risk of post-op
delirium.
In many ways, post-op delirium is a public health crisis as it has a
larger mortality and morbidity burden than we once thought. Tools are
available to aid in risk assessment and prevention. We now need to use
those tools and partner with our clinical care team, patients and their
families to reduce the debilitating symptoms of delirium and optimize
surgical recoveries.
OSM
Dr. Lindroth (hlindrot@iu.edu) is a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana School of
Medicine and the Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science in
Indianapolis specializing in delirium prevention in the perioperative setting.
A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 1 1
• REORIENT Encourage patients to bring their glasses, hearing aids and dentures
on the day of surgery so they can reorient themselves following surgery.
