Preoperative assessment of hyperactive delirium risk after head and neck surgery with free tissue transfer reconstruction

Objective

Hyperactive delirium with agitation following head and neck surgeries with free tissue transfer reconstruction (HNS-FTTR) represents a critical and potentially life-threatening postoperative complication. Although preoperative risk assessment is important, no established risk screening tool has been developed to accurately predict its occurrence.

Methods

In this retrospective observational study, we examined 192 consecutive patients who underwent HNS-FTTR between August 2019 and January 2024. We assessed the effectiveness of the existing delirium risk screening system, the DELirium Team Approach program which includes factors such as age ≥ 70 years, presence of brain disorders, dementia, alcohol consumption habits, a history of delirium, and use of benzodiazepines. Additionally, we explored the association between each risk factor and the onset of delirium.

Results

Delirium occurred in 43 patients (22.4 %). The risk screening tool effectively predicted the occurrence of hyperactive delirium after HNS-FTTR (OR: 8.316; 95 % CI: 2.205–36.060; p = 0.004), with a sensitivity of 95.3 % and a specificity of 28.9 %. Multivariate analysis revealed age ≥ 70 years (OR: 2.179; 95 % CI: 1.058–4.662; p = 0.0383) and alcohol consumption habits (OR: 2.554; 95 % CI: 1.260–5.268; p = 0.0098) as significant independent risk factors.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the risk screening system evaluated in this study appears to be sensitive, simple, and effective for the preoperative prediction of hyperactive postoperative delirium following HNS-FTTR.