Postoperative delirium and short-term cognitive dysfunction occur more frequently in patients undergoing valve surgery with or without coronary artery bypass graft surgery compared with coronary artery bypass graft surgery alone: results of a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested the hypothesis that patients undergoing valve repair or replacement surgery with or without coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) had a greater incidence of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction compared with patients undergoing CABG surgery alone.

DESIGN: Prospective study.

SETTING: Veterans Affairs medical center.

PARTICIPANTS: Forty-four age- and education-balanced male patients (≥ 55 years of age) undergoing elective cardiac surgery with CPB (n = 22 valve ± CABG surgery and n = 22 CABG surgery alone) and nonsurgical controls (n = 22) were recruited.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Delirium was assessed with the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist before and for 5 consecutive days after surgery. Recent verbal and nonverbal memory and executive functions were assessed using a psychometric test battery before and 1 week after cardiac surgery or at 1-week intervals in nonsurgical controls. Intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and 30-day readmission were significantly (p = 0.03, p = 0.01, and p = 0.04, respectively) longer in patients undergoing valve surgery ± CABG surgery versus CABG surgery alone. Postoperative delirium occurred more frequently (p = 0.01) in patients undergoing valve ± CABG surgery versus CABG surgery alone. Overall cognitive performance (composite z score) after surgery also was impaired significantly (p = 0.004) in patients undergoing valve ± CABG surgery compared with CABG surgery alone. The composite z score after surgery decreased by at least 1.5 standard deviations in 11 patients (50%) versus 1 patient (5%) without valve surgery compared with nonsurgical controls (p = 0.001, Fisher's exact test). The presence of delirium predicted a composite z score decrease of 1.2 points (odds ratio = 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.68).

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that patients undergoing valve surgery with or without CABG surgery have a higher incidence of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction 1 week after surgery compared with those undergoing CABG surgery alone.