BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium increases the morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. The present study was carried out to evaluate whether the difference of anesthetics has influence on the incidence of postoperative delirium, retrospectively. METHODS: Among the patients undergoing surgical procedure aged above 75 years, in seventy one patients anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (group S), and 38 with propofol (group P). The incidence of delirium postoperatively was obtained retrospectively from their medical chart. The delirium was diagnosed with the confusion assessment method diagnostic algorithm. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative delirium of group P (15.8%) was significantly lower than that of group S (38.0%, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Propofol anesthesia decreases postoperative delirium in elderly patients compared with sevoflurane anesthesia.
BACKGROUND:Postoperative delirium increases the morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. The present study was carried out to evaluate whether the difference of anesthetics has influence on the incidence of postoperative delirium, retrospectively. METHODS: Among the patients undergoing surgical procedure aged above 75 years, in seventy one patients anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (group S), and 38 with propofol (group P). The incidence of delirium postoperatively was obtained retrospectively from their medical chart. The delirium was diagnosed with the confusion assessment method diagnostic algorithm. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative delirium of group P (15.8%) was significantly lower than that of group S (38.0%, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS:Propofol anesthesia decreases postoperative delirium in elderly patients compared with sevoflurane anesthesia.