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ANESTHESIA ALERT
Christopher J. Jankowski, MD
Prevent Post-Op Delirium and Dysfunction
Elderly patients are at risk any time they undergo surgery.
T
he population is aging,
and elderly
patients have surgery at a higher rate
than their younger
counterparts. Postoperative delirium is
among the most
DELIRIOUS Delirium after emergence from anesthesia is
common in elderly patients.
common complications in this group of surgical patients.
Although there's debate over whether a surgical procedure with
anesthesia triggers long-term cognitive decline, post-operative delirium may persist for months and can be associated with delayed discharge, increased morbidity and mortality, and higher costs.
Here's a look at how post-op delirium develops, the factors that put
patients at risk and what you can do to ameliorate it.
From delirium to dysfunction
There are 2 forms of post-op central nervous system dysfunction: cognitive decline and delirium. Cognitive decline isn't a formally recognized diagnosis, but can be defined essentially as a disturbance of
consciousness that develops over a short period of time (hours to
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