Neurological complications, including postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), occur frequently after cardiac surgery. The aim of this article is to enable nurses to consider their role in managing patients who have, or are at risk of developing, neurological complications after cardiac surgery. This article provides an overview of the most common postoperative neurological complications: delirium and POCD
Keywords -To be drawn from the Nursing Standard taxonomy
Aims and intended learning outcomesThe aim of this article is to enable nurses to consider their role in managing patients who have, or are at risk of developing, neurological complications after cardiac surgery. Neurological complications after surgery include stroke, encephalopathy, seizures, postoperative delirium, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), and peripheral nerve injury (Mulkey, 2020). This article provides an overview of the most common postoperative neurological complications: delirium and POCD. While these are discussed in the context of cardiac surgery, the principles are generally applicable to all postoperative patients. After reading this article and completing the timeout activities you should be able to:• Identify the patient groups at risk of developing delirium and POCD.• Determine the nurse's role in the recognition and management of the most common postoperative neurological complications.• Explain the rationale for the revised terminology associated with cognitive change after surgery and general anaesthesia, and discuss the key differences in the associated diagnostic criteria.