Former smoking, but not active smoking, is associated with delirium in postoperative ICU patients: a matched case-control study

DiscussionNicotine’s complex neuropharmacological impact on the brain is still not fully understood, especially its short-term and long-term implications for critically ill patients. Although our retrospective study cannot establish causality, our findings suggest that smoking may induce structural changes in the brain, potentially heightening the risk of postoperative delirium. Intriguingly, this effect seems to be obscured in active smokers, potentially due to the recognized neuroprotective properties of nicotine. Our results motivate future prospective studies, the results of which hold the potential to substantially impact risk assessment procedures for surgeries.
Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research