Purpose This study is a prospective observational study that analyzes the factors affecting and the incidence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients under general anesthesia. Methods The study enrolled 193 elderly patients who entered the recovery room after surgery under general anesthesia in a certified tertiary hospital. Data were measured twice-first, before surgery and, second, 30 minutes after the patient entered the recovery room-using the Korean Nursing Delirium Screening Scale. The data were analyzed using x 2 tests, the independent t-test, and logistic regression from SPSS 22.0. Results The incidence of delirium in elderly patients after surgery under general anesthesia was 13.0% (25 of 193 patients). The incidence of delirium was a significant in the following cases: elderly patient, patients who performed physical activity with assistance at pre-operation, those with lower body mass index, those with lower body weight, those with long operative times, and those with high preoperative pain scores. The occurrence of delirium was 16.57 times higher in the presence of comorbidities, 5.74 times higher when hospitalization occurred through the emergency room, and 3.99 times higher when the number of catheters was high. Conclusion Screening for early delirium in the recovery room is important, and it can provide basic data for early nursing intervention in patients suffering from postoperative delirium.
PURPOSE To find the effects of semi-Fowler's position on the post-operative recovery for patients with laparoscopic abdominal surgery in recovery room. METHOD: The research was performed by nonequivalent control group non-synchronized quasi-experimental design. The subjects are forty patients who had laparoscopic abdominal surgery in a hospital from Aug. thru Nov. of 2003. Post-recovery scores and O2 saturation degree were measured. The experimental group was place in semi fowler's position while the control group was placed in supine position. The homogeneity between the control group and experimental group was analyzed using the Chi-square, and the hypothesis were tested using t-test. RESULT: 1. The patients in the experimental group placed in semi fowler's position showed significant higher post-recovery scores than those in the control group who were in a supine position. 2. The patients in the experimental group who were in semi Fowler's position showed no significant higher O2 saturation degree than those in the control group who were in supine position. CONCLUSION: Based on the results described above, it is considered that the semi-Fowler's position might be effective in enhancing the post-operative recovery score of the patients with laparoscopic abdominal surgery in recovery room.