Background:

delirium is a clinical diagnosis syndrome that affects a significant percentage of patients who undergo postoperative cardiac surgery, which may lead to negative consequences. Despite its high incidence, it is underdiagnosed. In Uruguay, there is no data on acute encephalic injury as a delirium in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery.

Methods:

a prospective, descriptive study with analytical elements was carried out. A cohort of 93 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery during the period from July 25, 2016 to September 27, 2016 was included. The analysis was made in two stages. The first stage was during the anesthetic awakening, with two possible outcomes: with delirium vs. without delirium. The second stage was during the hospitalization from the post-extubation period to hospital discharge: with delirium vs. without delirium. For the evaluation, the Ramsay sedation scale and the Confussion Assesment Method (CAM) scale were used. Statistical analysis was performed using a univariate analysis, Mann Whitney U Test and t Test.

Results:

the incidence of delirium on awakening was 51.6% and was related to longer intensive care unit (ICU) stay (82.3 ± 72.1 vs 54.5 ± 19.9 hours (p = 0.02)). The incidence of delirium during hospitalization from the post-extubation period to hospital discharge was 41.9%. This group of patients was more aged on average (with ages of 69.3 ± 10.1 vs 60.9 ± 10 years (p ? 0.001)), had a longer time in mechanical ventilation (11.47 ± 12.68 vs 7.49 ± 6.11 hours (p = 0.019)) and a longer ICU stay: (87.9 ± 78.3 vs 55.1 ± 20.7 hours (p = 0.003)). No significant differences were found in the other variables analyzed.

Conclusions

The cumulative incidence of delirium was 51.6% on awaking and 41.9% during hospitalization from the post-extubation period to hospital discharge. The presence of delirium on awakening was associated with longer ICU stay. In the second stage, the presence of delirium was associated with older age, longer time of mechanical ventilation and longer stay in ICU.

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