The Association Between Preoperative Frailty and Postoperative Delirium After Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

Delirium is common after cardiac surgery, and preoperative identification of high-risk patients could guide prevention strategies. We prospectively measured frailty in 55 patients before cardiac surgery and assessed postoperative delirium using a validated chart review. The prevalence of frailty was 30.9%. Frail patients had a higher incidence of delirium (47.1%) compared with nonfrail patients (2.6%; P < 0.001). In multivariable models, the relative risk of delirium was ≥2.1-fold greater in frail compared with nonfrail patients (relative risk, 18.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.1–161.8; P = 0.009). Frailty may identify patients who would benefit from delirium-prevention strategies because of increased baseline risk for delirium.