Rehospitalization and the Association of Postoperative Delirium With Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

Do illness and frailty, as measured by rehospitalization, mediate the association of postoperative delirium with cognitive decline in older adults?In this cohort study of 560 older adults, rehospitalization was more common among participants who developed incident postoperative delirium than among those who did not. In those with and without delirium, rehospitalization was associated with cognitive decline, but rehospitalization did not mediate the observed association of delirium with long-term cognitive decline.These findings suggest that postoperative delirium remains the strongest risk factor associated with long-term cognitive decline in older adults.

Corresponding Author: Tammy T. Hshieh, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1620 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor, 1 Brigham Circle, Boston, MA 02120 (thshieh@bwh.harvard.edu).

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