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Postoperative delirium in the elderly: risk factors and outcomes
Robinson TN, Raeburn CD, Tran ZV, Angles EM, Brenner LA, Moss M.. Annals of surgery, 2009-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the natural history, identify risk factors, and determine outcomes for the development of postoperative delirium in the elderly. Background Postoperative delirium is a common and deleterious complication in geriatric patients. Methods Subjects older than 50 years scheduled for an operation requiring a postoperative intensive care unit admission were recruited. After preoperative informed written consent, enrolled subjects had baseline cognitive and functional assessments. Postoperatively, subjects were assessed daily for delirium using the confusion assessment method-intensive care unit. Patients were also followed for outcomes. Results During the study period, 144 patients were enrolled before major abdominal (40%), thoracic (53%), or vascular (7%) operations. The overall incidence of delirium was 44% (64/144). The average time to onset of delirium was 2.1 +/- 0.9 days and the mean duration of delirium was 4.0 +/- 5.1 days. Several preoperative variables were associated with an increased risk of delirium including older age (P Conclusions In the current study, delirium occurred in 44% of elderly patients after a major operation. Pre-existing cognitive dysfunction was the strongest predictor of the development of postoperative delirium. Outcomes, including an increased rate of 6 month mortality, were worse in patients who developed postoperative delirium.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Robinson, T. N., Raeburn, C. D., Tran, Z. V., Angles, E. M., Brenner, L. A., & Moss, M. (2009). Postoperative delirium in the elderly: risk factors and outcomes. Annals of surgery. https://doi.org/10.1097/sla.0b013e31818e4776
Vancouver
Robinson TN, Raeburn CD, Tran ZV, Angles EM, Brenner LA, Moss M. Postoperative delirium in the elderly: risk factors and outcomes. Annals of surgery. 2009. doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e31818e4776. PMID: 19106695.
BibTeX
@article{robinson2009-19106695,
author = {Robinson, T. N. and Raeburn, C. D. and Tran, Z. V. and Angles, E. M. and Brenner, L. A. and Moss, M.},
title = {{Postoperative delirium in the elderly: risk factors and outcomes}},
journal = {Annals of surgery},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1097/sla.0b013e31818e4776},
pmid = {19106695},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/sla.0b013e31818e4776}
}
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Key findings
- Results During the study period, 144 patients were enrolled before major abdominal (40%), thoracic (53%), or vascular (7%) operations.
- The overall incidence of delirium was 44% (64/144).
- Several preoperative variables were associated with an increased risk of delirium including older age (P Conclusions In the current study, delirium occurred in 44% of elderly patients after a major operation.
Why it matters
This study found that delirium occurred in 44% of elderly patients after major operations, with pre-existing cognitive dysfunction the strongest predictor, and worse outcomes including higher 6-month mortality in those who developed it. It is about postoperative delirium and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants144
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Annals of surgery) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Annals of Surgery: journal h-index 453 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 144 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 654 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 34.4 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 107 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Marc Moss: h-index 55 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Colorado Denver: institution h-index 907 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19106695) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
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