The incidence of postoperative delirium within seven days of surgery in a New Zealand national cohort was 1.9%, suggesting significant systemic under-reporting.
Cohort (n=2,249,910)
Yes
What is the incidence and what are the risk factors for postoperative delirium in adult surgical patients?
The incidence of postoperative delirium in New Zealand surgical patients is 1.9% based on national datasets, which likely reflects significant systemic under-reporting.
SummaryPerioperative neurocognitive disorders including postoperative delirium (POD) are common complications of anaesthesia and surgery, associated with morbidity, mortality and a large economic cost. Currently, limited data are available on the incidence of POD in the New Zealand population. The objective of this study was to utilise New Zealand national level datasets to identify the incidence of POD. Our primary outcome was defined as a diagnosis of delirium via ICD 9/10 coding within seven days of surgery. We also analysed demographic, anaesthetic and surgical characteristics. All adult patients undergoing any surgical intervention under sedation, regional, general or neuraxial anaesthesia were included, and patients who received surgical intervention under local anaesthetic infiltration alone were excluded. We reviewed ten years of patient admissions from 2007 to 2016. Our sample size was 2,249,910 patients. The incidence of POD was 1.9%, much lower than previously observed, potentially indicating significant under-reporting of POD in this national level database. With acknowledgement of the limitations of potential undercoding and under-reporting, we found that the incidence of POD was higher with increasing age, male sex, general anaesthesia, Māori ethnicity, increasing comorbidity, surgical severity and emergency surgery. A diagnosis of POD was associated with increased mortality and hospital length of stay. Our results highlight potential risk factors of POD and disparities in health outcomes in New Zealand. Additionally, these findings suggest systemic under-reporting of POD in national level datasets.
Xiang et al. (Wed,) conducted a cohort in Postoperative delirium (n=2,249,910). Surgery under sedation, regional, general or neuraxial anaesthesia was evaluated on Diagnosis of delirium via ICD 9/10 coding within seven days of surgery. The incidence of postoperative delirium within seven days of surgery in a New Zealand national cohort was 1.9%, suggesting significant systemic under-reporting.