• David P Lowery, Keith Wesnes, and Clive G Ballard.
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. d_lowery_home@yahoo.co.uk
• Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2007 Jan 1;23(6):390-4.

BackgroundPreviously, key studies of the risk profile for post-surgical delirium have focused on general medical and non-elective patients, few have examined elective cohorts. Accurate prediction is imperative for clinical trials and prevention strategies.Aims/HypothesisOur hypothesis was that subtle pre-operative impairments of attention will be associated with risk of post-operative delirium.MethodA prospective study evaluating pre- and post-operative neuropsychological performance in older (> or =70) consecutive elective admissions for orthopaedic surgery, and free of dementia (n = 100) was initiated in a general medical hospital.ResultsPre-operative attentional deficits were closely associated with delirium. Patients who developed post-surgical delirium had significantly slower mean reaction times (p < or = 0.011) and greater variability of reaction time (p = 0.017). A 4- to 5-fold increased risk of delirium was observed for people one standard deviation above the sample means on these variables.ConclusionsThe present study describes a measurement of attentional performance which could form the basis of a neuropsychological marker of delirium.

27 keywords...

hide…