Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery in the Sugammadex Era: A Retrospective Study

Background. Residual neuromuscular block (NMB) after general anesthesia has been associated with pulmonary dysfunction and hypoxia, which are both associated with postoperative delirium (POD). We evaluated the effects of sugammadex on POD in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery. Methods. Medical records of 174 consecutive patients who underwent hip fracture surgery with general anesthesia were reviewed retrospectively to compare the perioperative incidence of POD, pulmonary complications, time to extubation, incidence of hypoxia, and laboratory findings between patients treated with sugammadex and those treated with a conventional cholinesterase inhibitor. Results. The incidence of POD was not significantly different between the two groups (33.3% versus 36.5%, resp.; P = 0.750). Postoperative pulmonary complications and laboratory findings did not showed significant intergroup difference. However, time to extubation (6 ± 3 versus 8 ± 3 min; P < 0.001) and the frequency of postoperative hypoxia were significantly lower (23% versus 43%; P = 0.010) in the sugammadex group than in the conventional cholinesterase inhibitor group. Conclusion. Sugammadex did not reduce POD or pulmonary complications compared to conventional cholinesterase inhibitors, despite reducing time to extubation and postoperative hypoxia in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery under general anesthesia.