Henriette Louise Moellmann, Soufian Boulghoudan, Julian Kuhlmann, Louisa Rahm, Helmut Frohnhofen
{"title":"Polypharmacy and anticholinergic burden as risk factors for postoperative delirium in surgical medicine.","authors":"Henriette Louise Moellmann, Soufian Boulghoudan, Julian Kuhlmann, Louisa Rahm, Helmut Frohnhofen","doi":"10.1007/s00391-024-02388-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Polypharmacy is a widespread phenomenon in older patients. In particular, the anticholinergic burden of medication is an important risk factor for delirium due to age-related changes in the cholinergic system.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Preoperative medication, including the calculation of the anticholinergic burden (ACB), was recorded in a prospective study (421 patients) to identify potential risks associated with medication intake. Postoperative delirium screening was carried out daily.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 199 women (47.3%) and 222 men (52.7%) aged 80.8 ± 6.7 years and 78.8 ± 6.2 years, respectively. Antidepressants odds ratio (OR) 3.16 (95% confidence interval. CI, 1.51-6.64), antidiabetic drugs OR 2.53 (95% CI 1.27-5.03), neuroleptics OR 3.52 (95% CI 1.70-7.28) and Parkinson medication OR 5.88 (95% CI 1.95-17.7) showed a significantly higher risk for delirium. The ACB score revealed an anticholinergic burden in 43 patients (10.4%). The delirium rate was 25.6% (n = 11) and 11.0% (n = 40) had no anticholinergic burden. A significant correlation can be demonstrated with χ<sup>2</sup>(1) = 7.52, p = 0.006, Cramer's V = 0.136. There was a 2.79-fold higher risk of delirium (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.31-5.97).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The standardized recording of medication is essential, especially when identifying patients at risk of suffering from delirium. The use of the ACB score to assess the anticholinergic burden is a simple and reliable screening tool and should be part of a preoperative geriatric assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-024-02388-z","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Polypharmacy is a widespread phenomenon in older patients. In particular, the anticholinergic burden of medication is an important risk factor for delirium due to age-related changes in the cholinergic system.
Methods: Preoperative medication, including the calculation of the anticholinergic burden (ACB), was recorded in a prospective study (421 patients) to identify potential risks associated with medication intake. Postoperative delirium screening was carried out daily.
Results: The study included 199 women (47.3%) and 222 men (52.7%) aged 80.8 ± 6.7 years and 78.8 ± 6.2 years, respectively. Antidepressants odds ratio (OR) 3.16 (95% confidence interval. CI, 1.51-6.64), antidiabetic drugs OR 2.53 (95% CI 1.27-5.03), neuroleptics OR 3.52 (95% CI 1.70-7.28) and Parkinson medication OR 5.88 (95% CI 1.95-17.7) showed a significantly higher risk for delirium. The ACB score revealed an anticholinergic burden in 43 patients (10.4%). The delirium rate was 25.6% (n = 11) and 11.0% (n = 40) had no anticholinergic burden. A significant correlation can be demonstrated with χ2(1) = 7.52, p = 0.006, Cramer's V = 0.136. There was a 2.79-fold higher risk of delirium (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.31-5.97).
Conclusion: The standardized recording of medication is essential, especially when identifying patients at risk of suffering from delirium. The use of the ACB score to assess the anticholinergic burden is a simple and reliable screening tool and should be part of a preoperative geriatric assessment.
期刊介绍:
The fact that more and more people are becoming older and are having a significant influence on our society is due to intensive geriatric research and geriatric medicine in the past and present. The Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie has contributed to this area for many years by informing a broad spectrum of interested readers about various developments in gerontology research. Special issues focus on all questions concerning gerontology, biology and basic research of aging, geriatric research, psychology and sociology as well as practical aspects of geriatric care.
Target group: Geriatricians, social gerontologists, geriatric psychologists, geriatric psychiatrists, nurses/caregivers, nurse researchers, biogerontologists in geriatric wards/clinics, gerontological institutes, and institutions of teaching and further or continuing education.