Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Postoperative delirium and 1-year functional decline, institutionalization and mortality
Main finding · Functional status and quality of life (12-item WHODAS 2.0 score)Result — go to the resultAdjusted mean difference 4.60 95% CI 1.57–7.64Authors' conclusion
Postoperative delirium is independently associated with long-term functional decline, loss of independence, institutionalisation and increased 1-year mortality. These findings highlight delirium as a key perioperative complication and support prevention strategies and structured long-term follow-up after surgery.
Study context
- Population
- Adult surgical patients undergoing elective or urgent procedures requiring hospital admission, forty-three hospitals in Spainadult surgical patients, 1-year telephone follow-up completed for 1899 after excluding 81 deaths and 462 nonresponders
- Participants
- 2,442 patients
- Exposure
- Postoperative delirium within the first 48 h and outcomes at 1 year after surgery
- Outcome
- Functional status and quality of life (12-item WHODAS 2.0 score)
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Adjusted mean difference
4.60
95% CI 1.57–7.64
P = 0.003
Postoperative delirium
adjusted mean difference 4.60 (95% CI 1.57–7.64); P = 0.003
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Institutionalisation
| OR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Postoperative deliriumIncreased institutionalisation with delirium | 2.5 (1.07–5.84) | P = 0.03 | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Mortality
- Higher mortality with delirium
- 16.7 vs. 3.1%; P < 0.001
- 30-day, 60-day, and 365-day mortality
- all P < 0.001
Follow-up completeness · 1 year
- 1-year telephone follow-up completed
- 1899
- Deaths excluded
- 81
- Nonresponders excluded
- 462
Original publication
Postoperative delirium and 1-year functional decline, institutionalization and mortality. Eur J Anaesthesiol. Published 20 October 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →