Objective: Inventarisation and evaluation of the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of postoperative delirium in patients with a fractured hip admitted to a surgical ward.
Design: Descriptive study of patient records.
Method: All patients with a fractured hip admitted to the surgical ward of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital, Den Bosch, the Netherlands, in 2004 were included and evaluated. Active multidisciplinary interventions for the recognition and treatment of delirium by non-pharmacological and pharmacological means take place in this surgical ward. The records of all patients from the surgical and geriatric wards were evaluated and the data were analysed statistically by means of univariate and multivariate logistic 'step-forward' regression analysis.
Results: 114 patients were included. The incidence of postoperative delirium was 37%. Older age was a significant risk factor for the development of delirium in both the univariate and the multivariate analysis after correcting for overestimation (p < 0.01). Several other factors, including sex, type of surgery, and medical history, had no effect on the risk of delirium.
Conclusion: Delirium after a hip fracture is not rare; the most important risk factor is older age.