Sleep-disordered breathing is a risk factor for delirium after cardiac surgery: a prospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION: Delirium is a frequent complication after cardiac surgery. Although various risk factors for postoperative delirium have been identified, the relationship between nocturnal breathing disorders and delirium has not yet been elucidated. This study evaluated the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients without a previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 92 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation were evaluated for both SDB and postoperative delirium. Polygraphic recordings were used to calculate the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI; mean number of apneas and hypopneas per hour recorded) of all patients preoperatively. Delirium was assessed during the first four postoperative days using the Confusion Assessment Method. Clinical differences between individuals with and without postoperative delirium were determined with univariate analysis. The relationship between postoperative delirium and those covariates that were associated with delirium in univariate analysis was determined by a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: The median overall preoperative AHI was 18.3 (interquartile range, 8.7 to 32.8). Delirium was diagnosed in 44 patients. The median AHI differed significantly between patients with and without postoperative delirium (28 versus 13; P = 0.001). A preoperative AHI of 19 or higher was associated with an almost sixfold increased risk of postoperative delirium (odds ratio, 6.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.6 to 15.4; P <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative AHI, age, smoking, and blood transfusion were independently associated with postoperative delirium. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative SDB (for example, undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea) were strongly associated with postoperative delirium, and may be a risk factor for postoperative delirium. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-014-0477-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Muscarinic M1 receptors modulate endotoxemia-induced loss of synaptic plasticity

Septic encephalopathy is associated with rapid deterioration of cortical functions. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we detected functional abnormalities in the hippocampal formation of patients with septic delirium. Hippocampal dysfunction was further investigated in an animal model for sepsis using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections to induce endotoxemia in rats, followed by electrophysiological recordings in brain slices. Endotoxemia induced a deficit in long term potentiation which was completely reversed by apamin, a blocker of small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels, and partly restored by treatment with physostigmine (eserine), an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, or TBPB, a selective M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. These results suggest a novel role for SK channels in the etiology of endotoxemia and explain why boosting cholinergic function restores deficits in synaptic plasticity. Drugs which enhance cholinergic or M1 activity in the brain may prove beneficial in treatment of septic delirium in the intensive care unit

Combination of Modified Bentall Procedure and Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Indication for combined cardiac surgery and orthotopic liver transplantation is rare and patients are at high risks. Individual surgical strategy must be developed since a general standard of such procedure does not exist. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who underwent simultaneously modified Bentall procedure and orthotopic liver transplantation. Underlying diseases were end-stage polycystic liver, aneurysm of the ascending aorta, and severe aortic regurgitation. To avoid prolonged bypass times, both teams worked simultaneously. During cardiac reperfusion, time inferior vena cava stayed ligated while the cyst liver was explanted

Risk Factors for the Development of Postoperative Delirium in Pediatric Intensive Care Patients

SETTING: Twenty-two bed PICU in a tertiary care academic medical center in Germany

Mobilization in the evening to prevent delirium: A pilot randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Delirium is a common complication in patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Interventions such as mobilization are effective in the prevention and treatment of delirium, although this is usually completed during the daytime. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of mobilization in the evening to prevent and treat ICU patients from delirium by an additional mobility team over 2 weeks. METHODS The design was a pilot, multi-centre, randomized, controlled trial in four mixed ICUs over a period of 2 weeks. The mobility team consisted of trained nurses and physiotherapists. Patients in the intervention group were mobilized onto the edge of the bed or more between 21.00 and 23.00. Patients in the control group received usual care. The primary outcome parameter was the feasibility of the study, measured as recruitment rate, delivery rate, and safety. Secondary outcomes were duration and incidence of delirium, mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), and hospital length of stay for 28 days follow-up, and power calculation for a full trial. RESULTS Out of 185 patients present in the ICUs, 28.6% (n = 53) were eligible and could be recruited, of which 24.9% (n = 46, Intervention = 26, Control = 20) were included in the final analysis. In the intervention group, mobilization could be delivered in 75% (n = 54) of 72 possible occasions; mobilization-related safety events appeared in 16.7% (n = 9) without serious consequences. Secondary parameters were similar, with less delirium in the intervention group albeit not significant. With an association of Cramer's V = 0.237, a complete study reaching statistical significance would require at least 140 patients, last 6 weeks, and cost >30 000 €. CONCLUSIONS In a mixed ICU population, mobilization in the evening was feasible in one-quarter of patients with a low rate of safety events. Future trials seem to be feasible and worth conducting

L'Écho : grand quotidien d'information du Centre Ouest

04 mai 19411941/05/04 (A70).Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : PoitouCh