People who experience poor sleep in the month before surgery may be more likely to develop postoperative delirium, according to new research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY ® 2024 annual meeting. Postoperative delirium is a change in mental function that can cause confusion and occurs in up to 15% of surgical patients. In certain high-risk patients, such as those with hip fractures, the incidence can be even higher.
It is a significant complication in older adults. Pain, age, stress, anxiety and insomnia are known to contribute to the risk for postoperative delirium. The researchers believe this study is the first to assess sleep quality before surgery as it relates to postoperative delirium.
Good sleep quality before surgery is crucial for the recovery period. People may not get good sleep because they are nervous right before surgery, but it is really important to get the best sleep possible, especially for those over 65, who are at greater risk for postoperative delirium." Faegheh Miryousefiata, M.
D., MPH, lead author of the study and clinical researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Outcomes Research Consortium The study included 150 patients having general anesthesia for non-cardiac surgeries, mostly abdominal and gynecologic procedures, of more than two hours. The day before the surgery, the researchers had the patients assess their sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which evaluates sleep duration, disturbance, efficiency and over.