A High Postoperative Atropinic Burden is Associated with Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture: Results of the Prospective, Observational, ATROPAGE Trial.

Background: Postoperative delirium frequently occurs in the elderly after hip fracture surgery and is associated with poor outcomes. Our aim was to identify a correlation between the atropinic burden (AB) due to drugs with clinical antimuscarinic effect and the occurrence of postoperative delirium. Methods: We carried out a prospective, monocentric, observational study including 67 patients over 65 years of age who underwent hip fracture surgery. The addition of the anticholinergic weight of each drug was calculated at different time points to distinguish the prehospital, intra- and postoperative part of the AB. A multivariate analysis was carried out to identify the explanatory variables associated with postoperative delirium. Results: Patients were 78 [71-86] years old. The time from admission to surgery was 12 [12-24] hours. The ADL and CIRS scores were 6 [5.5-6] and 6 [4-9], respectively. The total (prehospital plus intraoperative plus postoperative) AB was 5 [3-9]. The incidence of postoperative delirium was 54% (36/67). The demographic characteristics were comparable between delirium and no delirium groups. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences between no delirium and delirium groups concerning the number of prehospital atropinic drugs, prehospital AB, the number of postoperative atropinic drugs, postoperative AB, in-hospital AB and the MMSE calculated on postoperative day 5. Using multivariate analysis, postoperative AB, but not pre- and in-hospital ABs, was associated with postoperative delirium with an odds ratio of 1.84 (95% CI: 1.25-2.72; p = 0.002). A postoperative AB > 2 was associated with a postoperative delirium with an area under ROC curve of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.61-0.83; p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Contrary to a prior exposure to atropinic drugs, a postoperative atropinic burden >2 was associated with postoperative delirium in elderly patients with hip fracture. Postoperative administration of (new) antimuscarinic drugs is a precipitating factor of delirium that could be avoided.

Incidence and predicting factors of perioperative complications during monitored anesthesia care for awake craniotomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess incidence and predicting factors of awake craniotomy complications. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Operating room and Post Anesthesia Care unit. PATIENTS: 162 patients who underwent 188 awake craniotomy procedures for brain tumor, ASA I to III, with monitored anesthesia care. MEASUREMENTS: We classified procedures in 3 groups: major event group, minor event group, and no event group. Major events were defined as respiratory failure requiring face mask or invasive ventilation; hemodynamic instability treated by vasoactive drugs, or bradycardia treated by atropine, bleeding >500 ml, transfusion, gaseous embolism, cardiac arrest; seizure, cerebral edema, or any events leading to stopping of the cerebral mapping. Minor event was defined as any complication not classified as major. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predicting factors of major complication, adjusted for age and ASA score. MAIN RESULTS: 45 procedures (24%) were classified in major event group, 126 (67%) in minor event group, and 17 (9%) in no event group. Seizure was the main complication (n = 13). Asthma (odds ratio: 10.85 [1.34; 235.6]), Remifentanil infusion (odds ratio: 2.97 [1.08; 9.85]) and length of the operation after the brain mapping (odds ratio per supplementary minute: 1.01 [1.01; 1.03]) were associated with major events. CONCLUSIONS: Previous medical history of asthma, remifentanil infusion and a long duration of neurosurgery after cortical mapping appear to be risk factors for major complications during AC.