A retrospective study of the effects of anesthesia methods on post-operative delirium in geriatric patients having orthopedic surgery: Anesthesia methods on post-operative delirium

Background/Aim: Post-operative delirium, which usually develops in geriatric patients, also causes an increase in mortality and morbidity for various reasons, such as difficulty in compliance with treatment. Estimating the effects of the anesthesia method on delirium contributes to the prevention of possible complications. In this study, effects due to use of different anesthesia methods on the post-operative delirium development in geriatric patients who underwent orthopedic surgery were investigated. Methods: In our retrospective cohort study, scanning of the patient files was performed for 276 patients who were older than 65 years and who had undergone surgery for lower extremity fractures in Malatya education and research hospital, orthopedics department between May 1, 2022 and October 15, 2022. Demographic data, comorbid conditions, anesthesia type, lengths of surgery, and level of delirium development were recorded for each scanned patient. Results: In our study, 201 patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 74.1 (7.3) (min–max: 65–98); 133 (66.2%) were female, and 68 (33.8%) were male. It was noticed that patients who had undergone regional anesthesia developed a significantly smaller rate of delirium development (8.1%) compared to those who had received general anesthesia (20.6%; P=0.012). Ages (P<0.001), lengths of surgery (P<0.001), and lengths of hospitalization stays (P<0.001) were significantly higher in patients with delirium compared to those without. Conclusion: Based on the data obtained in this study, it was concluded that to reduce the risk of delirium development after orthopedic surgery, regional rather than general anesthesia should be selected, and the time of hospitalization stay should be minimized.