Effect of Delirium on Physical Function in Noncardiac Thoracic Surgery Patients.
Sikandar H Khan, Chenjia Xu, Sophia Wang and 4 others
PMID 32114617WHAT IT FOUND
Delirium after major noncardiac thoracic surgery did not significantly change muscle strength scores.
Patients with delirium had lower self-reported independence at discharge, but this was a secondary outcome in a small analysis.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference between patients without and with delirium in the percentage who had a change in muscle strength score.
02Patients with delirium had a lower mean postoperative Katz score for activities of daily living than patients without delirium.
03Patients with delirium had longer median hospital and ICU stays and longer mean surgery duration than patients without delirium.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, and the analysis was a secondary analysis rather than a study designed to test changes in muscle strength. Postoperative assessments were limited to the hospital stay and did not follow patients after discharge. The Katz score is self-reported, while the muscle strength score was objectively measured. Patients were already high functioning and ambulatory at baseline, so muscle strength and independence scores were at the top of the scales. Delirious patients had longer ICU and hospital stays and longer surgery, so those factors could explain differences in independence. Missing scale items were imputed when half or fewer of the items were missing.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts of interest declaration. The publication types list research support from NIH extramural and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that delirium caused the lower self-reported independence. The primary muscle strength outcome was null, the sample was small, and delirious patients also had longer ICU and hospital stays.