Factors Related to the Development of Delirium in Elderly Patients in the Postoperative Period of Hip Fracture Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Post-operative delirium after hip surgery is the most common complication among the elderly, with a high incidence and prevalence, which leads to high morbidity and mortality rates among them. Objective: To identify the main factors associated with post-operative delirium after hip surgery among older adults. Materials and methods: a retrospective analytical observational study was conducted using data from patients hospitalized by the Orthogeriatric group at the San Ignacio University Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, between January 2017 and September 2020. Results: 210 people were included in the study, with a documented incidence of delirium of 28.57% was documented. In the bivariate analysis, the variables with a statistically significant association with delirium were age, dependency, previous dementia, malnutrition, polypharmacy, and type of anesthesia used in the procedure. Nonetheless, in a multivariate analysis, the two variables with a statistically significant association were age (or: 1.05; 95%ci: 1.01-1.10; p = 0.014) and dementia (or: 2.83; 95% ci: 1.28-6.27; p = 0.010). Conclusion: the variables associated with postoperative delirium reported in our study align with the existing literature. This opens doors to future research not only to identify new or more risk factors, but also to adopt measures, jointly with the Orthogeriatric programs, to intervene such factors so that the incidence and prevalence of delirium can be reduced, and therefore, reduce the morbidity and mortality among the elderly.