The Relationship Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score and Postoperative Delirium: The PNDABLE Study

Systematic literature review on early detection of postoperative delirium in adult patients after cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a cognitive decline and attention deficit that can occur in patients after cardiac surgery. Despite extensive research identifying the risk factors, POD often remains undiagnosed and untreated in medical settings. Therefore, this systematic literature review (SLR) aimed to summarize the available studies on early POD identification in patients following cardiovascular surgery.

METHOD

Data were obtained from Scopus, PubMed, and the Cochrane International database. The search strategy was designed to identify articles published between January 2000 and January 2024. The keywords and medical subject heading (MeSH) terms used in the search included "postoperative delirium," "cardiac surgery," "early detection," and "risk factors." Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) focused on adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery; (2) examined methods for the early identification or prediction of POD; and (3) provided statistical analyses or clinical outcomes related to POD. The exclusion criteria were: studies on non-cardiac surgeries, pediatric populations, or those without clear methodological details.

RESULTS

Seven of the examined studies highlighted high-risk variables (individual characteristics, underlying diseases, and treatment methods) and typical symptoms as crucial components for early POD diagnosis. However, the diagnostic criteria and evaluation methodologies needed to be more consistent, and there was no consensus regarding the most efficient early detection approaches.

CONCLUSION

These findings underscore the need for standardized diagnostic criteria and evaluation methods for the early detection of POD in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Evidence-based recommendations are necessary to enhance early diagnosis and treatment of POD in this population.

Contribution of life course cardiovascular risk factors to racial disparities in dementia incidence

Background

Racial disparities in dementia outcomes persist in the United States. Targeting modifiable risk factors, including cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), is a conceivable way to reduce health disparities. Life course CVRFs are often higher in non-White adults and are associated with risk of dementia, but it is unknown whether they contribute to racial disparities in dementia and cognition.

Methods

Using a pooled cohort of 4,159 White and 939 Black participants aged 65-95 years, we conducted a mediation analysis to estimate the proportional effect of race on dementia that is explained by four CVRFs imputed over the life course (20-49, 50-69, and 70-89 years of age): body mass index, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Results

Compared to White participants, Black participants had greater risk of dementia (adjusted OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.17-1.60). BMI and fasting glucose over the life course were significant mediators of the effect of race on dementia risk, mediating 39.1% (95% CI: 10.5-67.8%) and 8.2% (95% CI: 0.1-16.2%) of the effect, adjusted for sex and age. All four CVRFs together were also significant mediators of the effect of race on scores on global cognition and processing speed, accounting for approximately 11% of the effect.

Conclusions

We found that CVRFs across the life course partially explain disparities in dementia risk and cognition in late-life. Improved prevention and treatment of CVRFs across the life course may be important to reduce health disparities for dementia.

The hotspots and publication trends in postoperative delirium: A bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2020

Background

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common aging-associated postoperative complication that has received increasing attention in the context of the aging global population and the number of articles published on POD is gradually increasing. This study aimed to quantify the basic information of scholarly publications on POD and identify the most impactful literature, trends, and hotspots in POD research.

Materials and methods

We searched articles on POD through the Science Citation Index Expanded databases published from 2000 to 2020. Bibliographic information, including year, country, authorship, type, journal, funding, affiliations, subject areas, and hotspots, was collected for further analysis.

Results

A total of 2,114 articles on POD from 2000 to 2020 were identified. The highest number of studies (n = 748) were published in the United States, comprising the most total citations (13,928), followed by China (n = 278), and Germany (n = 209). Inouye, Sharon K. was the most productive author, with 66 publications on POD. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published the highest number of articles (n = 80), with the most total citations (4,561) and average (57.01), followed by Anesthesia and Analgesia (n = 52), and the British Journal of Anaesthesia (n = 43). Harvard University was the most productive institute, with the highest H-index (n = 46) and highest degree centrality (n = 191). The top hotspots in the field of POD during this period were "elderly," "cardiac surgery," "cognitive impairment," "hip fracture," and "intensive care unit."

Conclusion

This study provides an overview of developments in the field of POD over the past 20 years using bibliometric analysis. Overall, research on POD has flourished worldwide. The United States (US) has a relatively high academic impact owing to its productive expertise and institutions in this field. Despite much research illustrating the diagnosis and management of POD in clinical practice, more basic research is needed.