Delirium after elective surgery among elderly patients taking statins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Postoperative delirium after elective surgery is frequent and potentially serious. We sought to determine whether the use of statin medications was associated with a higher risk of postoperative delirium than other medications that do not alter microvascular autoregulation.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 284 158 consecutive patients in Ontario aged 65 years and older who were admitted for elective surgery. We identified exposure to statins from outpatient pharmacy records before admission. We identified delirium by examining hospital records after surgery.

Results

About 7% (n = 19 501) of the patients were taking statins. Overall, 3195 patients experienced postoperative delirium; the rate was significantly higher among patients taki

SUBMITTER: Redelmeier DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2535740 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature