Do Statins Raise Delirium Risk After Surgery?
Patients taking statins are more prone to experience delirium following surgery. The study involved >284,000 patients, aged 65 and older, who had surgery in Ontario hospitals, according to a study reported in the September 23, 2008, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The researchers found that the incidence of delirium was 1 of of every 90 patients, but it was 30% more likely to happen in patients taking statins prior to surgery. Lead study author Donald A. Redelmeier, MD, said the statistics are too low, however, because “there is no question that delirium is often overlooked by the surgeon or family members or even the patient himself.” Dr. Redelmeier, an internist who does not perform surgery, estimates that delirium occurs after about 10% of all surgical procedures, and the incidence is 13% among patients taking statins. He proposed that statins might increase the risk of delirium by shunting blood away from the brain to the heart. He suggested stopping statin thera
