Abstract:
Postoperative delirium is often a dangerous complication in older adults undergoing surgery.
This correlation descriptive research aimed to study the factors related to postoperative delirium in older
adults with post spinal surgery. Stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were used to
recruit 95 patients with spine surgery. The research instruments are a personal data form, the American
Society of Anesthesiologists classes score, the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale, the Numeric Rating
Scale and the Thai Delirium Rating Scale. Data were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean,
standard deviation, Point bi-serial correlation and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient.
The results showed that 33.7% of the elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery had
postoperative delirium. The association between postoperative delirium and its correlated factors
showed that the depression was positively moderate (rs= .66, p< .01). Age was positively moderate
(rs= .64, p< .01). The mean blood pressure level of intra-operative was negatively moderate (rs= -.55,
p< .01) and the level of sodium electrolyte imbalance in post-operative stage was negatively moderate
(rs= -.51, p< .01) correlated with postoperative delirium in older adults undergoing spinal surgery with
statistically significant at level .01. However, there were no statistically significant relationships
between sex, severity of postoperative pain and co-morbidity with postoperative delirium in older adults
undergoing spinal surgery at level .05 (rpb= -.03, p= .75, rs= .03, p= .40, rs= .03, p= .40)
Health care teams should focus on assessing postoperative delirium in older adults
undergoing spinal surgery. The results can be used as a basis for clinical nursing practice guideline and
nursing programs by focusing on the management of preoperative depression, and the assessment to
correct postoperative serum sodium levels in balance, including to control blood pressure to be stable
especially with the older adults in order to prevent further postoperative delirium