Admission Systolic Blood Pressure Predicts Post-Operative Delirium of Acute Aortic Dissection Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

Zuli Fu,1,2 Qian Xu,1 Chiyuan Zhang,1,3 Hui Bai,1 Xuliang Chen,1 Yanfeng Zhang,1 Wanjun Luo,1 Guoqiang Lin1 1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Guoqiang LinDepartment of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-731-84327097Email lgq186snoopy@126.comPurpose: Post-operative delirium (POD) is a common complication after aortic surgery with poor outcomes. Blood pressure may play a role in the occurrence of POD. The study aimed to identify whether admission systolic blood pressure (SBP) level in the intensive care unit (ICU) is correlated with POD in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AAAD) patients undergoing aortic surgery.Patients and Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study enrolling consecutive 205 patients with acute type A aortic dissection undergoing aortic surgery. Patients were divided into 3 groups: low, normal, and high SBP level group. Outcomes of interest were POD, 30-day mortality and other complications including acute kidney injury, cardiac complications, spinal cord ischemia, stroke, and pneumonia. Confusion Assessment Method for Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) method was used to assess POD. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression, Cox regression, and subgroup analysis were performed to uncover the association between SBP and POD.Results: The mean age of these patients was 51± 16 years old. Thirty-six patients (17.6%) developed POD. Patients with high admission SBP were more likely to develop POD (P < 0.01). Univariate analysis showed that high admission SBP was associated with a higher risk of POD among AAAD patients (OR, 3.514; 95% CI, 1.478– 8.537, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression model confirmed that high SBP was an independent predictor of POD. Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with anemia and high admission SBP were at higher risk of POD.Conclusion: High admission SBP was positively associated with the incidence of POD in AAAD patients who underwent surgical repair in ICU.Keywords: acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, intensive care unit, major surgery, post-operative delirium, systolic blood pressure