High prevalence of unrecognized postoperative delirium in elderly patients: a prospective cohort study from a resource-limited country

Postoperative delirium was grossly underrecognized by the managing surgical teams and nursing personnel. Education of the healthcare providers, with implementation of routine monitoring for postoperative delirium using validated tools is recommended. Perioperative anaemia and blood transfusion were modifiable risk factors for postoperative delirium in these patients, and improvements in patient blood management offer great potential for safer care.