Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help reduce patients' risk of postoperative delirium, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY ® 2024 annual meeting. Postoperative delirium is a serious complication associated with a risk for health problems and even death after surgery. Anesthesiologists use several methods to try to prevent this complication, and our research shows that a simple intervention such as giving patients an NSAID could be another very effective option.
" Steven M. Frank, M.D.
, co-author of the study and professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 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. In the study, researchers analyzed a large medical records database to identify patients who had surgery with anesthesia between 2014 and 2023. The researchers grouped patients by age (18-64 and 65 or older) and the medications they received -; acetaminophen only, salicylate NSAIDs (e.
g., aspirin) only, and non-salicylate NSAIDs (e.g.
, ibuprofen, ketorolac or celecoxib) only -; and compared their rates of delirium over a seven-day period a.
