Association of Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (TAPB) with Postoperative Delirium (POD) in Elderly Patients Undergoing Major Gastrointestinal Surgery: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common neurocognitive disorder in elderly patients after surgery, which is characterized by attention deficit, memory impairment and confusion, usually occurring within one week after surgery. It occurs in 11%-51% of elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery and is associated with long-term poor prognosis such as dementia and increased mortality. Risk factors include advanced age, high ASA grade, hypoalbuminemia, and prolonged anesthesia. Regional nerve block (NBs), as the core means of multimodal analgesia, has been shown to reduce the incidence of POD in orthopedic and thoracic surgery by reducing opioid use and stress response, but its effect in elderly gastrointestinal surgery still needs to be further explored. Transverse abdominal muscle plane block (TAPB) is a commonly used technique in abdominal surgery. It can effectively control pain and reduce inflammation and stress response by blocking sensory nerves in the abdominal wall. This study focused on the effect of TAPB on POD in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, aiming to provide evidence-based evidence for optimizing perioperative anesthesia management.