Postoperative Delirium

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the music intervention in preventing postoperative delirium (POD) in older patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. The primary question is: Among older adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery, does offering a structured perioperative music intervention in addition to standard care reduce the incidence of POD within the first five postoperative days compared with standard care alone? The secondary questions are: Does perioperative music intervention reduce preoperative anxiety (PA) among older patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and does the level of PA moderate the effect of the music intervention on POD? Researchers will compare music intervention to routine care to see if music intervention can reduce PA and prevent POD. Participants will listen to music before and after surgery, be assessed for PA and POD, and participate in an interview about participants' perspectives on the music intervention.

Postoperative delirium is a frequent complication after cardiac surgery. This prospective observational study will evaluate whether cerebral blood flow velocity measured by transcranial Doppler before and during elective heart valve surgery is associated with delirium during the first five postoperative days. Bispectral index, near-infrared spectroscopy, and arterial blood gas data will also be recorded. Delirium will be assessed daily by an independent evaluator who is blinded to the intraoperative measurements and artificial intelligence predictions, using CAM-ICU for mechanically ventilated patients or the Turkish 3D-CAM for patients on the ward. The study will also compare zero-shot delirium risk predictions from five general-purpose large language models (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and Kimi) with the blinded clinical assessments. The models will not be trained on data from the study cohort.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of different postoperative analgesic approaches on postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

The goal of this observational study is to learn the how to determine the mean arterial pressure(MAP) or blood pressure level to be maintained during non-cardiac surgery for optimal brain health in patients above the age of 60 undergoing major non-cardiac surgery. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Is there a way to tailor the blood pressure to be maintained in such patients during surgery for optimal brain health using non-invasive monitors that check the brains electrical activity, the electroencephalogram(EEG) monitor, and the brain's blood oxygen levels, the cerebral oximetry(CO) monitor? * How much does this optimal blood pressure level vary between patients? Participants will be asked to: * Complete a questionnaire at the time they enroll into the study, as well as a daily questionnaire to help determine their level of thinking and brain health. This questionnaire will be administered by a member of the study team. * They will also have an EEG and CO monitoring sticker placed on their foreheads. This will be connected to a monitor that will collect this data just before, during, and after their surgery. The data collected through these monitors will help us with our study goals.

The purpose of this study is to compare remimazolam- and propofol-based anesthesia for their effects on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients undergoing aortic arch surgery. These procedures involve a substantial risk of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury, which may contribute to postoperative cognitive decline. Although experimental studies have suggested potential neuroprotective effects of remimazolam, clinical evidence in patients undergoing high-risk aortic arch surgery remains limited. This prospective, randomized controlled trial will compare the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction between patients receiving remimazolam- or propofol-based anesthesia. In addition, changes in circulating neuroinflammatory and neuronal injury biomarkers will be evaluated to explore the potential mechanisms underlying any neuroprotective effect of remimazolam. The findings may provide clinical evidence to guide anesthetic selection and improve neurological outcomes in patients undergoing aortic arch surgery.

The Sleep Optimization for Brain Health Outcomes in Older Surgical Patients (SLEEP-BOOST) is a pilot randomized, controlled, singled-blinded (participant) trial in major orthopedic joint surgery patients that will build on a previously clinically tested cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) mobile application paired with a wearable device (wrist actigraphy).

Surgery to remove plaque from the carotid artery in the neck requires the artery to be clamped for a period of time. In some patients this reduces blood flow to the brain enough to cause temporary symptoms, and a temporary plastic tube called a shunt has to be inserted to restore flow. When the operation is performed with the patient awake under a local anaesthetic block, doctors decide whether a shunt is needed by talking to the patient and testing the strength of the hand on the opposite side during clamping. This is called the awake neurological test. A device called a cerebral oximeter can measure the oxygen level in the front part of the brain continuously and without needles, using light shone through the forehead. It has been suggested as a way of detecting reduced brain blood flow during this operation, and would be particularly useful for patients who are asleep under general anaesthesia and cannot be tested. However, previous studies have often chosen their alarm level after looking at their own results, and have often allowed the operating team to see the oximeter readings, which makes the results appear better than they really are. In this study, 150 adults having planned carotid surgery under a local anaesthetic block will have a cerebral oximeter attached to the forehead throughout the operation. The screen will be covered so that neither the anaesthetist nor the surgeon can see the readings, and the decision to insert a shunt will be based only on the awake neurological test, exactly as it is now. The oxygen readings will be stored inside the device and examined only after the operation. The main question is how accurately a fall of 20% or more in brain oxygen level, a level chosen in advance from previous published research, identifies the patients whose awake test becomes abnormal during clamping. The second question is whether the total amount of low brain oxygen during clamping is related to confusion or stroke in the first three days after surgery, and to memory change one month later. Participants complete a short memory test before the operation and again at one month, using different versions of the test on each occasion.

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common and serious complication in elderly patients undergoing surgical repair for hip fractures, often triggered by acute pain, surgical stress, neuroinflammation, and opioid consumption. Although spinal anesthesia using bupivacaine is commonly performed, local anesthetics alone often require additional systemic rescue opioids for postoperative pain relief, which can further increase delirium risk. Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that has demonstrated neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and opioid-sparing effects. The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether adding intrathecal dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to hyperbaric bupivacaine during spinal anesthesia reduces the incidence and severity of postoperative delirium compared to hyperbaric bupivacaine alone in geriatric patients undergoing hip fracture surgeries. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: * Dexmedetomidine Group: Receives hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% (10 mg) combined with 5 µg dexmedetomidine intrathecally. * Control Group: Receives hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% (10 mg) combined with normal saline intrathecally. The primary outcome is the incidence of postoperative delirium evaluated using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) twice daily during the first 48 hours following surgery. Secondary assessments include the duration and severity of delirium episodes, spinal block characteristics, hemodynamic stability, postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesic consumption, sedation levels, adverse events, and total hospital length of stay.

Postoperative delirium is a common complication in older adults undergoing surgery. It is characterized by an acute and fluctuating disturbance of attention, awareness, and thinking. Delirium may be associated with prolonged hospital stay, loss of independence, cognitive decline, complications, and increased need for care. The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf has introduced a multicomponent care program to prevent postoperative delirium in patients aged 65 years and older. The program includes preoperative assessment of risk factors such as frailty, cognitive impairment, and malnutrition, as well as information for patients and relatives. Depending on the individual risk profile, preventive measures may include support with orientation, adequate hydration and nutrition, early mobilization, preservation of the sleep-wake cycle, use of glasses and hearing aids, avoidance of unnecessary room changes, and reduction of medications that may contribute to delirium. A specialized delirium team supports patients and clinical staff during the hospital stay. EvaDel is a prospective study evaluating how patient care and clinical outcomes change while this delirium prevention program is gradually implemented in routine clinical practice. Participants will be followed from before surgery until three months after the operation. The study will assess the occurrence of postoperative delirium, cognitive function, independence in everyday activities, postoperative complications, and the extent to which the preventive measures were successfully implemented. The study hypothesis is that a higher degree of implementation of the delirium prevention program will be associated with a lower rate of postoperative delirium and with better cognitive, functional, and clinical outcomes after surgery.

Delayed neurocognitive recovery is a common neurocognitive complication in older patients after surgery, especially those with preoperative neurocognitive decline. Transcranial photobiomodulation therapy is a novel neuromodulation technique using transcranial low-power light to modulate brain biological functions. This technique has been used to treat various neurological or psychiatric conditions, including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and major depression. This study is designed to explore whether using transcranial photobiomodulation therapy during the perioperative period can reduce the incidence of delayed neurocognitive recovery in older patients with pre-existing neurocognitive impairment.

The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of perioperative oral creatine supplementation and to explore its effects on cognitive function and physiological responses to surgery in older adults. Creatine is commonly used to enhance athletic performance, but it can also have positive effects on the brain. Since surgery can alter thinking, memory, and attention patterns in some patients, we will assess whether creatine affects these changes in older adults undergoing surgery.

Establish a follow-up database for postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients, adopt a bidirectional cohort design to simultaneously analyze the associations between "preoperative exposure factors and postoperative delirium incidence" and "postoperative delirium and long-term adverse outcomes", and clarify the predictive factors and prognostic impacts of postoperative delirium.

Elderly patients undergoing transurethral resection are at increased risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and delirium, which are associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased morbidity, and decreased quality of life. Identifying patients who are more likely to develop postoperative cognitive dysfunction or delirium remains a practical challenge in daily clinical practice. Better recognition of these patients may help tailor perioperative care and improve outcomes. This prospective observational study aims to identify perioperative factors associated with POCD and delirium in elderly patients undergoing transurethral resection and to develop a clinically applicable risk prediction model. Cognitive function and delirium are assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Cognitive function and delirium will be evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). The results of this study may support clinicians in recognizing vulnerable patients earlier and may contribute to more individualized perioperative management.

This prospective, randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the perioperative use of lemborexant, an orexin receptor antagonist, for reducing postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia.

This multicenter, prospective, non-interventional observational study (ORTOPODCZ) investigates the association between preoperative cognitive impairment and postoperative delirium (POD) in older adults undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty in the Czech Republic. Postoperative delirium is a frequent and serious neurocognitive complication in senior surgical patients and is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and impaired functional and cognitive outcomes. Despite international recommendations, routine preoperative cognitive screening remains insufficiently implemented. The study evaluates the predictive value of the ALBA test, a brief cognitive screening tool, performed during the pre-anesthetic assessment. Postoperative delirium will be assessed using the validated CAM-ICU instrument for up to 72 hours after surgery. Secondary objectives include assessing the relationship between POD and frailty, polypharmacy, comorbidities, type of anesthesia, intraoperative hemodynamics, blood loss, vasoactive support, and postoperative complications. Approximately 300-400 participants aged ≥65 years will be enrolled across seven centers. No additional procedures, biological sampling, or deviations from standard clinical care are required. Data will be collected in REDCap and analyzed according to a predefined statistical analysis plan. The study aims to provide robust evidence supporting the integration of cognitive screening into routine preoperative evaluation and to describe feasibility and implementation requirements for the ALBA test in clinical practice.

After heart surgery, up to half of all patients may develop a state of sudden confusion called postoperative delirium. This condition can lead to longer time on a breathing machine, extended stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a slower overall recovery. Currently, doctors have no reliable way to predict delirium early enough to take preventive action. This study aims to build a computer-based early warning system. The system will combine continuous, real-time measurements of brain waves (EEG), the oxygen level in the brain, and heart and blood pressure function. It will also include information about each patient's health status. By analyzing all of these signals together, the model is designed to give an alert 1 to 6 hours before delirium might start, giving the care team a window of time to intervene. The study will take place in the ICU at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University. Adults between 18 and 80 years old who are admitted to the ICU after heart surgery will be invited to participate. All patients will receive the usual standard of care; the study does not test any new treatment. Participation means the investigators will continuously record the brain, oxygen, and heart signals that are already being monitored, and a researcher will regularly assess the patient's thinking and alertness with a simple bedside check.

This international, multicentre prospective cohort study will assess whether perioperative duration and magnitude of mean arterial pressure (MAP) outside of an individual's cerebral autoregulation (CA) limits using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) are associated with adverse neurological events. It is to investigate whether patients with a higher burden of cerebral haemodynamic insults have an increased incidence or poorer neurological outcomes. Associations between neurologic outcomes, neurobiomarkers and genetic tests will be explored.

Intraoperative hypothermia is common in patients having major surgery and the compliance with intraoperative temperature monitoring and management remains poor. Studies suggest that intraoperative hypothermia is an important risk factor of postoperative delirium, which is associated with worse early and long-term outcomes. Furthermore, perioperative hypothermia increases stress responses and provokes immune suppression, which might promote cancer recurrence and metastasis. In a recent trial, targeted temperature management reduced intraoperative hypothermia and emergence delirium. There was also a trend of reduced postoperative delirium, although not statistically significant. This trial is designed to test the hypothesis that intraoperative targeted temperature management may reduce postoperative delirium and improves progression-free survival in older patients recovering from major cancer surgery.

In this study, the investigators want to examine the effects of intravenous anesthetic drugs and gases on cognitive functions in the postoperative period in individuals who will undergo surgery for obesity. The investigators believe that the anesthesia method we apply with inhalation gases is also as reliable method as total intravenous anesthesia for postoperative cognitive functions in these patients who undergoe sleeve gastrectomy. The anesthesia method applied intravenously and with inahalational gases have been applied safely for many years. Comparisons between these two anesthesia technics in obese individuals and for postoperative cognitive dysfunctions are limited. Studies on the examination of cognitive functions in postoperative patients have gained momentum with the use of neuropsychiatric tests performed on patients who have undergone cardiac surgery and these tests have also been performed on individuals who have undergone non-cardiac surgery. And yet, similar declines in cognitive functions have been observed. For these reasons, the effects of surgery itself and anesthesia methods on cognitive functions have been studied up to date. In this study, the investigators plan to evaluate patients who will undergo obesity surgery in both anesthesia methods by the recovery times from anesthesia and the residual effects of anesthesia, and after awakening they plan to evaluate their cognitive functions with neuropsychiatric tests that will be performed at certain intervals.

The results of this study have significant implications for clinical practice and guideline development. The current European guideline on postoperative Delirium prevention (ESAIC 2024) explicitly identifies a lack of large, adequately powered studies comparing different anesthetic techniques and is therefore currently unable to provide clear recommendations on the selection of an optimal technique. This study will close this knowledge gap and thus support future guideline recommendations. The results could show that a particular anesthetic technique (e.g., propofol) is associated with a significantly lower risk of postoperative delirium; if so, this would have immediate implications for modifying standard anesthesia protocols in hospitals. Furthermore, Delirium is a significant public health challenge in aging societies. With demographic aging, the number of older patients undergoing surgery is continuously increasing. The societal costs of Delirium are estimated at several billion euros per year in major industrialized nations. A reduction in the incidence of postoperative Delirium by just 10% through optimization of the anesthetic procedure would therefore have major health economic implications.

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common acute and transient form of brain dysfunction in elderly patients following surgery that can lead to serious adverse clinical outcomes and even death. Although existing studies have preliminarily investigated the effects of opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA) on POD, high-quality evidence on these effects for elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery remains limited. This study aims to investigate the effects of OFA on the development of POD in elderly patients following gastrointestinal surgery. This single-centre, prospective, randomized controlled trial will be conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, China. A total of 654 patients aged 65 years or older who are scheduled for elective gastrointestinal surgery will be randomly allocated to receive either opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA; dexmedetomidine, esmolol, and esketamine) or conventional opioid-based anaesthesia (OBA). The primary outcome is the incidence of POD 7 days after surgery. The secondary outcomes are all-cause mortality within 30 days after surgery, intraoperative haemodynamic changes, the 15-item quality of recovery (QoR-15) scores at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after surgery, complications during postoperative hospitalization, pain numerical rating scale (NRS) score at 72 h after surgery, incidence of nausea and vomiting at 72 h after surgery, morphine milligram equivalent for analgesics at 72 h after surgery, duration of anaesthesia (from induction to discontinuation), duration of surgery (from skin incision to the last suture), duration of post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) stay, and length of hospital stay. The results of this study may shed light on the effects of OFA on POD in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. The study is designed on the basis of the following key hypothesis: the use of opioid drugs for anaesthesia may increase the risk of POD through mechanisms such as blood-brain barrier destruction, neuroinflammatory responses, and central nervous system depression. Through the single-centre and prospective design of this randomized controlled trial, this study will directly analyse differences in the effects of OFA and conventional OBA on the incidence of POD, haemodynamic stability and long-term cognitive function in elderly patients.

Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) originally developed to predict outcomes in inflammatory and malignant conditions; we asked if it can effectively predict postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing hip surgery? NPS integrate markers such as albumin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio-all of which have been linked to adverse postoperative outcomes including POD.

Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common adverse neurologic complication that can occur in patients of any age. Its incidence varies across age groups and is substantially influenced by patient-related risk factors. POD occurs in 17%-61% of major surgical procedures. Several risk factors which contribute to the development of POD include age more than 60 years, pre-existing cognitive dysfunction, presence of comorbidities, sensorial deficits, malnutrition, polypharmacy, impaired physical mobility and frailty. Postoperative delirium has several wide ranging and adverse outcomes that are consistently associated with delirium such as mortality, increased length of hospital stay, and increased hospital costs. A recently devised tool for rapid assessment of delirium is the 4 A's test. It has now been validated for identifying delirium in the surgical population. The proposed prospective observational study will be conducted on 150 patients belonging to ASA Physical Status I-III of either sex, scheduled to undergo non-cardiac surgery under general anaesthesia (GA), requiring at least 24 hours of postoperative inpatient care. This prospective, observational study aims to evaluate the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of postoperative delirium in elderly patients more than 65 years of age undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Esketamine is frequently used during the perioperative period for supplemental analgesia. Small sample size trials showed that subanesthetic dose esketamine may decrease postoperative neurocognitive complications. However, conflicting results exist and optimal dose of esketamine remains to be determined. This dose-exploring pilot trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three different perioperative esketamine dosing regimens in older patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery. The primary purpose is to explore the optimal dosing strategy that produce maximal neurocognitive benefits with minimal adverse neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Basics (state of scientific knowledge): Delirium is an acute disturbance of consciousness and attention that develops over a short period of time and fluctuates in severity. It is accompanied by a deterioration in cognitive performance, such as memory deficits, disorientation, and speech and thinking disorders, which significantly exceed the degree of any pre-existing limitations . Surgery and intensive medical treatment are considered to be two of the triggers. In cardiac surgery, the incidence is reported to be between 10 and 50%, depending on the patient population. Delirium occurs approximately 3-4 days after surgery and lasts for several days. Relevant factors in the cardiac surgery population include age, duration of aortic clamping time or surgical technique, pre-existing conditions such as the extent of heart failure (EuroScore), diabetes mellitus, mental and cognitive impairments, or carotid stenosis. Both current studies and current recommendations emphasize prevention and the lack of successful treatment options. Preventive measures are primarily investigated in packages of measures. The study presented here aims to define risk populations and test the sensitivity and specificity of the MO-FA2-(TB) score for the development of delirium. Objectives of the study: Verification of the predictive score "MO-FA2-(TB)" for the development of postoperative delirium Recording of delirium and associated influencing factors and endpoints Categories examined in the score: Memory using a list of words that must be memorized and repeated after a few minutes Orientation by asking about the year, month, date, day of the week, city, and location Frailty using the ASA score Use of heart-lung machine Incision-suture time Study duration (for individual subjects): postoperative intensive care stay up to and including day 10 Study population Patients who have to undergo cardiac surgery with CPB Inclusion criteria: Elective cardiac surgery Heart valve surgery, bypass surgery with CPB Length of stay in ICU \> 48 hours Age ≥18 years Fluent German language skills Exclusion criteria: Age \<18 years Lack of capacity to give consent Emergency Readmission to intensive care unit OPCAB surgery, microsurgical procedure Recruitment: Information provided the day before surgery based on the surgical schedule If consent is given, score is recorded If ICU stay \>48 hours, treatment data is recorded, otherwise exclusion Data collection up to and including d10 Treatment data collected: Preoperative data, including ejection fraction, aids, abuse, scores collected ("4AT test" for rapid assessment of delirium and cognitive impairment, "MO-FA2-(TB)", "geriatric check" for identifying a geriatric patient) Intraoperative data, including duration of surgery, duration of heart-lung machine, acidosis Postoperative data in ICU, including delirium scores (ICDSC, CAM-ICU), days on ventilation, days of treatment, fluid intake, medication related to delirium, organ replacement therapy such as dialysis Number of cases: Approx. 100 patients Methodology Monocentric, observation