Managing Postoperative Delirium in Patients Receiving Head and Neck Surgery: An Educational Overview.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium in patients receiving head and neck surgery is a pressing concern, affecting morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. With an aging population and about 65,000 new head and neck cancer diagnoses per year in the United States, surgery remains a primary treatment modality, regardless of age. OBJECTIVES: This article offers an educational overview of postoperative delirium management in patients receiving head and neck surgery, summarizing incidence, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic tests, treatment, complications, and risk factors. METHODS: A narrative literature review of articles published in the past 10 years was conducted to consolidate information on postoperative delirium in patients receiving head and neck surgery. FINDINGS: Postoperative delirium is characterized by acute, fluctuating cognitive dysfunction within 30 days after surgery, with incidence ranging from 11% to 26%. Pathophysiology is multifactorial, and pharmacologic options are limited because of side effects and varying effectiveness. Nonpharmacologic management focuses on addressing underlying causes and early mobilization. Reducing postoperative delirium risk necessitates interprofessional, systemwide collaboration.

Clinical Characteristics and Cause of Death Among Hospitalized Decedents With Cancer and COVID-19.

There is scant information on the clinical progression, end-of-life decisions, and cause of death of patients with cancer diagnosed with COVID-19. Therefore, we conducted a case series of patients admitted to a comprehensive cancer center who did not survive their hospitalization. To determine the cause of death, 3 board-certified intensivists reviewed the electronic medical records. Concordance regarding cause of death was calculated. Discrepancies were resolved through a joint case-by-case review and discussion among the 3 reviewers. During the study period, 551 patients with cancer and COVID-19 were admitted to a dedicated specialty unit; among them, 61 (11.6%) were nonsurvivors. Among nonsurvivors, 31 (51%) patients had hematologic cancers, and 29 (48%) had undergone cancer-directed chemotherapy within 3 months before admission. The median time to death was 15 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.8 to 18.2). There were no differences in time to death by cancer category or cancer treatment intent. The majority of decedents (84%) had full code status at admission; however, 53 (87%) had do-not-resuscitate orders at the time of death. Most deaths were deemed to be COVID-19 related (88.5%). The concordance between the reviewers for the cause of death was 78.7%. In contrast to the belief that COVID-19 decedents die because of their comorbidities, in our study only 1 of every 10 patients died of cancer-related causes. Full-scale interventions were offered to all patients irrespective of oncologic treatment intent. However, most decedents in this population preferred care with nonresuscitative measures rather than full support at the end of life.

Respiratory Depression: A Case Study of a Postoperative Patient With Cancer.

Respiratory depression is a complication that often follows cancer-related surgery and can result in life-threatening consequences. Oncology nurses caring for postoperative patients must monitor for respiratory complications and implement measures to prevent respiratory depression. A review of postoperative respiratory depression risk factors, clinical findings, and monitoring will be presented in this article using a case study.