Decreasing the Incidence of Delirium After Cardiac Surgery

In critically ill surgical patients, delirium is extremely common and is associated with longer hospital length of stay, mortality, cost, and long term cognitive impairment. Benzodiazepine usage is common in anesthetic practice, and ICU literature demonstrates that limiting post-operative benzodiazepines decreases the incidence of delirium. However, the avoidance of preoperative and intraoperative benzodiazepines during cardiac surgery has not been studied in terms of its effect on delirium. The goal of the study is establish whether benzodiazepines should be used as part of standard of care or be eliminated by comparing the incidence of delirium in cardiac surgical patients when randomized to a group that receives benzodiazepines versus a group that does not receive benzodiazepines.

Potential subjects will be identified and recruited the day before surgery by primary investigators. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or single valve procedures that consent to participate will be enrolled in the study. These patients may be consented during the pre-operative period. Patients will be informed that whether they enroll in the study or not, they will be receiving standard clinical care. Only subjects meeting all inclusion criteria and requirements for continuation in the study will be consented.

Patient will be randomized by age (age is a predictor of delirium) to 3 groups:

• >80 years of age;
• 70-80 years of age;
• < 70 years of age.

Within these 3 groups, patients will be randomized to receive benzodiazepines during cardiac surgery or not. The anesthesiologist in the operating room will not be blinded to the group; however, the intensive care physician evaluating for delirium will be blinded to the treatment groups.