Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Novel risk markers and long-term outcomes of delirium: the successful aging after elective surgery (SAGES) study design and methods
Schmitt EM, Marcantonio ER, Alsop DC, Jones RN, Rogers SO, Fong TG, Metzger E, Inouye SK et al.. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2012-09-19
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives Delirium, a costly, life-threatening, and potentially preventable condition, is a common complication for older adults following major surgery. Although the basic epidemiology of delirium after surgery has been defined, the contribution of delirium to long term outcomes remains uncertain, and novel biomarkers from plasma and neuroimaging have yet to be examined. This program project was designed to contribute to our understanding of the complex multifactorial syndrome of delirium. Design Long term prospective cohort study. Setting Three academic medical centers (2 hospitals and 1 coordinating center). Participants Patients without recognized dementia (targeted cohort= 550 patients) age 70 and older scheduled to undergo elective major surgery are assessed at baseline before surgery, daily during their hospital stay, and for 18 to 36 months after discharge. Measurements The Successful Aging after Elective Surgery (SAGES) study is an innovative, interdisciplinary study that includes biomarkers, neuroimaging, cognitive reserve markers, and serial neuropsychological testing to examine the contribution of delirium to long term cognitive and functional decline. The primary goal is to examine the contribution of delirium to long term cognitive and functional decline. In addition, novel risk markers for delirium are being examined, including plasma biomarkers (eg, cytokines, proteomics), advanced neuroimaging markers (eg, volumetric, white matter hyperintensity, noncontrast blood flow, and diffusion tensor measures), and cognitive reserve markers (eg, education, occupation, lifetime activities). Conclusion Results from this study will contribute to a fuller understanding of the etiology and prognosis of delirium. Ultimately, we hope this project will provide the groundwork for future development of prevention and treatment strategies for delirium, designed to minimize the long term negative impact of delirium in older adults.
Key findings
- Conclusion Results from this study will contribute to a fuller understanding of the etiology and prognosis of delirium.
Why it matters
This paper describes the design of an ongoing study of older adults having elective major surgery, which aims to examine how delirium contributes to long-term cognitive and functional decline and to identify new risk markers. It reports no results yet, so it provides no information on treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants550
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of the American Medical Directors Association: journal h-index 172 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2012 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 550 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 134 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.4 citations a year over 16 year(s) since 2012 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 18 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Sharon K. Inouye: h-index 118 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22999782) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2012.08.004
- PubMed: 22999782
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Schmitt, E. M., Marcantonio, E. R., Alsop, D. C., Jones, R. N., Rogers, S. O., Fong, T. G., et al. (2012). Novel risk markers and long-term outcomes of delirium: the successful aging after elective surgery (SAGES) study design and methods. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2012.08.004
Vancouver
Schmitt EM, Marcantonio ER, Alsop DC, Jones RN, Rogers SO, Fong TG, et al. Novel risk markers and long-term outcomes of delirium: the successful aging after elective surgery (SAGES) study design and methods. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2012. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2012.08.004. PMID: 22999782.
BibTeX
@article{schmitt2012-22999782,
author = {Schmitt, E. M. and Marcantonio, E. R. and Alsop, D. C. and Jones, R. N. and Rogers, S. O. and Fong, T. G. and Metzger, E. and Inouye, S. K. and others},
title = {{Novel risk markers and long-term outcomes of delirium: the successful aging after elective surgery (SAGES) study design and methods}},
journal = {Journal of the American Medical Directors Association},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1016/j.jamda.2012.08.004},
pmid = {22999782},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2012.08.004}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 13.
Later studies that cite this one
3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Prevention and risk
Also tagged “delirium”
858 studies in the library carry the topic tag “delirium”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 858 tagged studies.