Post Cardiac Surgery Delirium Could Be Reduced By Stain Administration

A new study has provided some of the first evidence that the use of cholesterol-lowering statins before cardiac surgery decreases the odds of postoperative delirium in elderly patients.

Previous studies have shown that statins reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality after cardiac and major non-cardiac surgery. Statins have also been shown to be protective in central nervous system injury.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) | Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart bypass surgery is an open heart surgery to relieve the blockages of the arteries of the heart. Coronary artery bypass surgery lasts up to 3 to 6 hours.

However, the new study by anesthesiologist Rita Katznelson, M.D., and her group from Toronto General Hospital could be the first to provide proof of a link between statin use in cardiac surgery and a decrease in delirium.

Delirium is a common complication after cardiac surgery associated with prolonged length of stay in the hospital, increased health costs and higher mortality.

"The underlying mechanism of delirium is unknown. However, identifying factors that can stop or provoke this condition may help to understand the disease better and create strategies to prevent it," said Dr. Katznelson.

Angioplasty
Arteries supplying the heart is sometimes blocked by plaque leading to heart attack.Angioplasty is a method by which a part of the blocked artery is expanded to place a stent.Once this is done normal blood flow resumes and the heart regains its normal function.

The incidence rate of delirium after cardiac surgery is thought to be in the range of 3-47 percent, but depends on several variables, including older age, preoperative depression and the complexity of the surgery, among others.

"Of the 1,059 patients we analyzed, 11.5 percent had delirium at any time during their cardiovascular intensive care stay. After adjusting for several variables in these patients, we found that the administration of statins had a statistically significant protective effect, reducing the odds of delirium by 46 percent," said Dr. Katznelson.

Cardiac Catheterization | Coronary Angiogram - Indications Preparation Procedure Risks Test FAQs
Cardiac catheterization is a radiological procedure for both diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions. It involves the insertion of a long thin flexible tube called catheter a vein or an artery to the heart.

The new study has offered very real evidence that statins may someday improve patient outcomes, but she cautioned that her findings will need to be confirmed with further clinical trials before statins can be used for the purpose of controlling delirium in cardiac surgery patients.

The study is published in the January 2009 issue of Anesthesiology.

Animation on Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) is performed to restore the blood supply to areas of heart that have been reduced or has no blood supply due to blockage in the artery.

Source-ANI
PRI/SK