Adelaars S, et al.
Journal of Clinical Anesthesia. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2025.111896
This prospective cohort study investigated how different methods—clinical observation, the Delirium Observation Screening (DOS) scale, and single-lead EEG (sl-EEG)—compare in detecting postoperative delirium (POD) in 50 elderly patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. Delirium was assessed preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. Results showed considerable variation: clinical assessment identified delirium in 32% of patients, DOS in 28%, and sl-EEG in 76%. Clinical assessment and DOS were 80% concordant, while sl-EEG detected significantly more cases (p < 0.001), raising the possibility of false positives. Delirium incidence declined over time with all methods. The study concludes that combining diagnostic approaches may improve detection accuracy, especially for hypoactive delirium, and supports further refinement and integration of EEG technologies into routine clinical practice.
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We thank the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia for allowing us to share this important study. Their dedication to advancing perioperative research plays a vital role in improving patient care and clinical decision-making in anesthesiology.