Delirium, a medical condition characterized by acute confusion, disorientation, or other mental health disruptions that affect thinking and behavior, affects nearly 7 million hospitalized Americans annually. While this condition can occur at any age, it mainly affects individuals 65 years or older and is often misdiagnosed as dementia.
As stated in an article originally published by Kaiser Health News and shared by Next Avenue, “while delirium and dementia can coexist, they are distinctly different illnesses. Dementia develops gradually and worsens progressively, while delirium occurs suddenly and typically fluctuates during the course of a day.” Particularly susceptible patients are those on ventilators or being heavily sedated in intensive care units, as well as those recovering from surgery.
“After an older adult undergoes anesthesia, they can often experience postoperative delirium,” explained Lee A. Fleisher, MD, chair of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at Penn, in a recent Penn Medicine News Blog on postoperative delirium and the uncertainties of anesthesia. “Patients in this state may hallucinate, they may forget why they are in the hospital, or have difficulty communicating or understanding what is going on around them.”
However, delirium can also result from something as simple and easily treated as a urinary tract infection.
According to research published in 2009 and referenced by Next Avenue, an estimated 40% of delirium cases are actually preventable; yet, the underlying cause is still unknown.
With all of this in mind, health care professionals, government agencies, and related nonprofit organizations gathered at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Brain Health Summit to discuss, among other topics, the postoperative risks of delirium and delayed cognitive recovery and whether or not they are significant enough to include in consent and patient education materials. They also considered ways to reduce the risks and to increase research funding.
The Penn Medicine News Blog says that “while the Summit provided some direction and tactics for industry leaders to act upon, there are still other options that can be explored and implemented to advance learning, protect patients, and uncover the uncertainties around anesthesia and postoperative delirium.”
“Encouraging patients to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly in the lead up to surgery, allowing patients to bring mementos and family photos to their hospital room after surgery, even asking families and caregivers to keep a close eye on small declines in patients’ cognitive function preoperatively – simple things like the patient not being as sharp as he or she once were – may help clinicians properly prepare for patient care, and may help patients readjust after surgery and avoid postoperative delirium,” Fleisher said. “While these have not been scientifically proven to help, we think that even the smallest measures may make a difference for patients who are coming out of anesthesia.”
To learn more about delirium and aging, join the Institute on Aging on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 for our Visiting Scholars Series lecture by Edward Marcantonio, MD, SM.
Dr. Marcantonio is the Section Chief for Research in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research concentrations focus on delirium and cognitive function.
For more information, visit: www.med.upenn.edu/aging/events
Photo credit: news.pennmedicine.org/blog