title: Perioperative delirium and its relationship to dementia.
abstract: A number of serious clinical cognitive syndromes occur following surgery and anesthesia. Postoperative delirium is a behavioral syndrome that occurs in the perioperative period. It is diagnosed through observation and characterized by a fluctuating loss of orientation and confusion. A distinct syndrome that requires formalized neurocognitive testing is frequently referred to as postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). There are serious concerns as to whether either postoperative delirium or postoperative cognitive dysfunction leads to dementia. These concerns are reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Box 1010 Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. jeff.silverstein@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.forename: Stacie G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Deiner
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003693:Delirium / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects