Background
Delirium is relatively common following lung transplantation, although its prevalence and prognostic significance have not been systematically studied. The purpose of the present study was to examine pre-transplant predictors of delirium and the short-term impact of delirium on clinical outcomes among lung transplant recipients.
Methods
Participants underwent pre-transplant cognitive testing using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and the Trail Making Test. Following transplant, delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method until discharge.
Results
Sixty-three patients were transplanted between March and November, 2013, of which 23 (37%) developed delirium. Among transplanted patients, 48 patients completed pre-transplant cognitive testing. Better pre-transplant cognitive function was associated with lower risk of delirium (OR = 0.69 [95%CI 0.48, 0.99], P = .043); demographic and clinical features including native disease (P =.236), the Charlson comorbidity index (P = .581), and the lung allocation score (P = .871) were unrelated to risk of delirium, although there was a trend for women to experience delirium less frequently (P =.071). The presence (P = .006) and duration (P = .027) of delirium were both associated with longer hospital stays.
Conclusion
Delirium occurs in more than one third of patients following lung transplantation. Delirium was associated with poorer pretransplant cognitive functioning and longer hospital stays, after accounting for other medical and demographic factors.