Postoperative DeliriumDEW-PODNCT07686900
Dynamic Multimodal Delirium Warning After Cardiac Surgery
An observational study of Postoperative Delirium and Cardiac Surgical Procedures, run by Southeast University, China at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
After heart surgery, up to half of all patients may develop a state of sudden confusion called postoperative delirium. This condition can lead to longer time on a breathing machine, extended stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a slower overall recovery. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 15 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Delirium, Cardiac Surgical Procedures
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 6 Jul 2026to 30 Dec 2027
- How long will I take part?
- 28 Days
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 15 to 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study population consists of adult patients after cardiac surgery admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, from May 1, 2026 to December 30, 2027.
Who may be able to join
- Adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine.
- Underwent cardiac surgery.
- Under multimodal monitoring (including EEG, cerebral oximetry, and invasive arterial blood pressure).
- Signed informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Pre-existing dementia, history of psychiatric disorders, or long-term use of antipsychotic medications, preventing accurate assessment of delirium.
- Preoperative severe hepatic or renal insufficiency (Child-Pugh Class C or eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m²).
- Severe craniocerebral injury, intracranial space-occupying lesion, or history of epilepsy.
- Inability to obtain continuous EEG or cerebral oximetry signals due to technical reasons (e.g., scalp injury, abnormal probe placement site).
- Patients expected to die within 24 hours.
- Patients deemed unsuitable for the study by the investigator.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site
Zhongda hospital Southeast University
Nanjing, Jiangsu
Jingyuan Xu, MD, +8613851417209, xujingyuanmail@163.com
xujingyuanmail@163.com
About this study
Official title: A Dynamic Early Warning System for Postoperative Delirium After Cardiac Surgery Integrating EEG, Cerebral Oxygenation, Hemodynamic Physiology, and Clinical Risk Factors
After heart surgery, up to half of all patients may develop a state of sudden confusion called postoperative delirium. This condition can lead to longer time on a breathing machine, extended stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a slower overall recovery. Currently, doctors have no reliable way to predict delirium early enough to take preventive action. This study aims to build a computer-based early warning system. The system will combine continuous, real-time measurements of brain waves (EEG), the oxygen level in the brain, and heart and blood pressure function. It will also include information about each patient's health status. By analyzing all of these signals together, the model is designed to give an alert 1 to 6 hours before delirium might start, giving the care team a window of time to intervene. The study will take place in the ICU at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University. Adults between 18 and 80 years old who are admitted to the ICU after heart surgery will be invited to participate. All patients will receive the usual standard of care; the study does not test any new treatment. Participation means the investigators will continuously record the brain, oxygen, and heart signals that are already being monitored, and a researcher will regularly assess the patient's thinking and alertness with a simple bedside check.
Read the detailed description
Postoperative delirium (POD) following cardiac surgery has an incidence of 20-50% and is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, extended ICU and hospital stay, and increased mortality. Its pathophysiology involves a complex interplay of cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and neurotransmitter imbalances-a "multiple-hit" model. Current clinical assessment relies on static risk stratification or post-hoc diagnostic tools , which lack the dynamic, pre-symptomatic warning capability needed for timely intervention. The increasing availability of multimodal ICU monitoring (EEG, near-infrared spectroscopy, invasive hemodynamics) and advanced time-series deep learning provides an unprecedented opportunity to capture the evolution of physiological uncoupling before the clinical manifestation of delirium.
Objective: This study aims to develop and validate a multimodal deep learning model that fuses continuous central electrophysiology (frontal EEG), regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂), macro-hemodynamic parameters, and clinical static/dynamic risk factors to provide a dynamic early warning of POD 1-6 hours in advance.
Study Design: This is a single-center, prospective, observational cohort study. Setting and Population: The study will enroll consecutive adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, after cardiac surgery (CABG, valve repair/replacement, major aortic surgery, or combined procedures) between May 1, 2026 and December 30, 2027. All eligible patients must have multimodal monitoring including continuous EEG, bilateral frontal rScO₂, and invasive arterial blood pressure, and must provide informed consent.
Key Exclusion Criteria: Pre-existing dementia, psychiatric illness or long-term antipsychotic use precluding accurate delirium assessment; severe hepatic (Child-Pugh C) or renal insufficiency (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m²); significant brain injury or seizure history; inability to obtain adequate signal quality; expected death within 24 hours.
Data Collection and Monitoring: Data will be captured at multiple time windows: preoperative baseline, intraoperative period, and postoperative time points (immediately upon ICU arrival, 6h, 24h, 48h, and at the moment delirium is first detected). Preoperative phenotyping includes demographics, MoCA, Clinical Frailty Scale, and EuroSCORE II. Continuous EEG features (power spectral density, burst suppression ratio, complexity indices) and rScO₂ (baseline, desaturation events >20%, autoregulation index COx) will be recorded. Hemodynamic variables include heart rate, beat-to-beat blood pressure variability, and, where available, derived cardiac output metrics. Comprehensive clinical data (laboratory values, sedation/analgesic dosing, vasoactive-inotropic score, mechanical ventilation parameters, and SOFA/APACHE II scores) will be collected concurrently.
Delirium Assessment: Trained research staff will assess delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) in conjunction with the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS). Assessments occur at baseline, postoperatively when the patient is awake, and at scheduled intervals, with documentation of first onset, duration, and subtype (hyperactive, hypoactive, mixed).
Model Development and Analysis: All signals will be time-aligned to construct a high-resolution multimodal time-series dataset. The primary predictive model will be based on a Transformer or Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture employing a sliding window approach (e.g., input: preceding 2 hours; output: predicted delirium risk in the next 1-6 hours). The dataset will be split into training, validation, and test sets (7:1.5:1.5). Primary performance metrics are area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive values, and the achievable warning lead time. Model interpretability will be explored using SHAP or attention weight analysis. The added value of multimodal fusion will be quantified by comparing the full model against unimodal baselines (clinical data only, EEG only, or rScO₂ only).
Outcomes: The primary outcome is the occurrence of POD. Secondary outcomes include duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, and hospital length of stay.
Significance: By delineating the temporal trajectories of EEG, cerebral oxygenation, and systemic hemodynamics preceding delirium, this study will provide new pathophysiological insights into the "cerebral perfusion-metabolism-electrical activity" uncoupling hypothesis and deliver a clinically implementable early warning framework to enable proactive brain-directed interventions.
- Keywords
- Postoperative Delirium, Cardiac Surgery, Electroencephalography, EEG, Cerebral Oximetry, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Hemodynamics, Multimodal Monitoring, Early Warning System
- Medical subject headings
- Emergence Delirium
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiac Surgery Patients | Adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the ICU after cardiac surgery (CABG, valve repair/replacement, major aortic surgery, or combined procedures) who meet all inclusion criteria and provide informed consent. All participants receive standard clinical care without any experimental interventions. They undergo multimodal monitoring (continuous frontal EEG, bilateral rScO₂, invasive arterial blood pressure) and serial delirium assessments (CAM-ICU) according to the study schedule. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Incidence of Postoperative Delirium (POD)
The proportion of participants who develop postoperative delirium during the ICU stay following cardiac surgery. Delirium is diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) and classified as positive (delirium present) or negative (no delirium).
Measured: From ICU admission until ICU discharge or Day 7 postoperatively, whichever occurs first.
Time to Onset of Postoperative Delirium
The time (in hours) from the end of cardiac surgery (skin closure) to the first positive CAM-ICU assessment. Only for participants who develop POD.
Measured: From end of surgery until first documented delirium or ICU discharge, up to 7 days.
Duration of Postoperative Delirium
The total duration (in hours) from the first positive CAM-ICU assessment to the last positive CAM-ICU assessment, with no recurrence within 24 hours.
Measured: From first delirium onset until delirium resolution or ICU discharge, up to 7 days.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Duration of Mechanical Ventilation
Total time (in hours) from endotracheal intubation to successful extubation (or removal of ventilatory support) during the index ICU stay.
Measured: From ICU admission until extubation, assessed throughout ICU stay, up to 30 days.
Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay
Total number of days spent in the ICU from the date of ICU admission to the date of ICU discharge.
Measured: From ICU admission to ICU discharge, up to 30 days.
Hospital Length of Stay
Total number of days from hospital admission (for cardiac surgery) to hospital discharge.
Measured: From hospital admission to hospital discharge, up to 90 days.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Jul 2026
- Study start6 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (11)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Postoperative DeliriumStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Target duration
- 28 Days
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Southeast University, China
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jingyuan,Xu, Southeast University, China
- Investigators
- Jingyuan Xu, MD, Study chair, Southeast University School of Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07686900
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026ZDSYLL134-P01
- Other IDs
- 82572527, 82272211, BK20252100, zdyyxy29
- Acronym
- DEW-POD
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 30 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 8 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: This is an exploratory single-center observational study. A formal individual participant data (IPD) sharing plan has not been established. De-identified data may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author after publication, subject to institutional review board approval and a data use agreement.
Publications
Wiredu K, Sun H, Boncompte G, Westover MB, Pedemonte JC, Akeju O. The Predictive Power of Intraoperative EEG and Clinical Characteristics for Postoperative Delirium Following Cardiac Surgery. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2026 Jan 1;43(1):32-38. doi: 10.1097/WNP.0000000000001146. Epub 2025 Jan 28.
PubMed 41481100Lei L, Katznelson R, Fedorko L, Carroll J, Poonawala H, Machina M, Styra R, Rao V, Djaiani G. Cerebral oximetry and postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery: a randomised, controlled trial. Anaesthesia. 2017 Dec;72(12):1456-1466. doi: 10.1111/anae.14056. Epub 2017 Sep 22.
PubMed 28940368Mosharaf MP, Alam K, Gow J, Mahumud RA. Cytokines and inflammatory biomarkers and their association with post-operative delirium: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 6;15(1):7830. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82992-6.
PubMed 40050293Maldonado JR. Neuropathogenesis of delirium: review of current etiologic theories and common pathways. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Dec;21(12):1190-222. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.09.005.
PubMed 24206937Inouye SK, Westendorp RG, Saczynski JS. Delirium in elderly people. Lancet. 2014 Mar 8;383(9920):911-22. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60688-1. Epub 2013 Aug 28.
PubMed 23992774Gottesman RF, Grega MA, Bailey MM, Pham LD, Zeger SL, Baumgartner WA, Selnes OA, McKhann GM. Delirium after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and late mortality. Ann Neurol. 2010 Mar;67(3):338-44. doi: 10.1002/ana.21899.
PubMed 20373345LaHue SC, Douglas VC, Kuo T, Conell CA, Liu VX, Josephson SA, Angel C, Brooks KB. Association between Inpatient Delirium and Hospital Readmission in Patients >/= 65 Years of Age: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Hosp Med. 2019 Apr;14(4):201-206. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3130.
PubMed 30933669Saczynski JS, Marcantonio ER, Quach L, Fong TG, Gross A, Inouye SK, Jones RN. Cognitive trajectories after postoperative delirium. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jul 5;367(1):30-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112923.
PubMed 22762316Bickel H, Gradinger R, Kochs E, Forstl H. High risk of cognitive and functional decline after postoperative delirium. A three-year prospective study. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;26(1):26-31. doi: 10.1159/000140804. Epub 2008 Jun 24.
PubMed 18577850Shamsi T, Janga SR, Baskaran NU, Rangasamy V, Ramachandran RV, Chen M, Ganesh S, Novack V, Subramaniam B. Temporal Trends and Severity of Postoperative Delirium in Cardiac Surgery: Insights from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2025 Sep;39(9):2424-2435. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2025.05.020. Epub 2025 May 17.
PubMed 40537396Devlin JW, Skrobik Y, Gelinas C, Needham DM, Slooter AJC, Pandharipande PP, Watson PL, Weinhouse GL, Nunnally ME, Rochwerg B, Balas MC, van den Boogaard M, Bosma KJ, Brummel NE, Chanques G, Denehy L, Drouot X, Fraser GL, Harris JE, Joffe AM, Kho ME, Kress JP, Lanphere JA, McKinley S, Neufeld KJ, Pisani MA, Payen JF, Pun BT, Puntillo KA, Riker RR, Robinson BRH, Shehabi Y, Szumita PM, Winkelman C, Centofanti JE, Price C, Nikayin S, Misak CJ, Flood PD, Kiedrowski K, Alhazzani W. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. Crit Care Med. 2018 Sep;46(9):e825-e873. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003299.
PubMed 30113379
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Dynamic Early Warning System for Postoperative Delirium After Cardiac Surgery Integrating EEG, Cerebral Oxygenation, Hemodynamic Physiology, and Clinical Risk Factors
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07686900
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- DEW-POD / 2026ZDSYLL134-P01
- Keywords
- Postoperative Delirium, Cardiac Surgery, Electroencephalography, EEG, Cerebral Oximetry, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Hemodynamics, Multimodal Monitoring
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Southeast University, ChinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 6 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
After heart surgery, up to half of all patients may develop a state of sudden confusion called postoperative delirium. This condition can lead to longer time on a breathing machine, extended stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a slower overall recovery. Currently, doctors have no reliable way to predict delirium early enough to take preventive action. This study aims to build a computer-based early warning system. The system will combine continuous, real-time measurements of brain waves (EEG), the oxygen level in the brain, and heart and blood pressure function. It will also include information about each patient's health status. By analyzing all of these signals together, the model is designed to give an alert 1 to 6 hours before delirium might start, giving the care team a window of time to intervene. The study will take place in the ICU at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University. Adults between 18 and 80 years old who are admitted to the ICU after heart surgery will be invited to participate. All patients will receive the usual standard of care; the study does not test any new treatment. Participation means the investigators will continuously record the brain, oxygen, and heart signals that are already being monitored, and a researcher will regularly assess the patient's thinking and alertness with a simple bedside check.
Detailed description
Postoperative delirium (POD) following cardiac surgery has an incidence of 20-50% and is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, extended ICU and hospital stay, and increased mortality. Its pathophysiology involves a complex interplay of cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and neurotransmitter imbalances-a "multiple-hit" model. Current clinical assessment relies on static risk stratification or post-hoc diagnostic tools , which lack the dynamic, pre-symptomatic warning capability needed for timely intervention. The increasing availability of multimodal ICU monitoring (EEG, near-infrared spectroscopy, invasive hemodynamics) and advanced time-series deep learning provides an unprecedented opportunity to capture the evolution of physiological uncoupling before the clinical manifestation of delirium.
Objective: This study aims to develop and validate a multimodal deep learning model that fuses continuous central electrophysiology (frontal EEG), regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂), macro-hemodynamic parameters, and clinical static/dynamic risk factors to provide a dynamic early warning of POD 1-6 hours in advance.
Study Design: This is a single-center, prospective, observational cohort study. Setting and Population: The study will enroll consecutive adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, after cardiac surgery (CABG, valve repair/replacement, major aortic surgery, or combined procedures) between May 1, 2026 and December 30, 2027. All eligible patients must have multimodal monitoring including continuous EEG, bilateral frontal rScO₂, and invasive arterial blood pressure, and must provide informed consent.
Key Exclusion Criteria: Pre-existing dementia, psychiatric illness or long-term antipsychotic use precluding accurate delirium assessment; severe hepatic (Child-Pugh C) or renal insufficiency (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m²); significant brain injury or seizure history; inability to obtain adequate signal quality; expected death within 24 hours.
Data Collection and Monitoring: Data will be captured at multiple time windows: preoperative baseline, intraoperative period, and postoperative time points (immediately upon ICU arrival, 6h, 24h, 48h, and at the moment delirium is first detected). Preoperative phenotyping includes demographics, MoCA, Clinical Frailty Scale, and EuroSCORE II. Continuous EEG features (power spectral density, burst suppression ratio, complexity indices) and rScO₂ (baseline, desaturation events >20%, autoregulation index COx) will be recorded. Hemodynamic variables include heart rate, beat-to-beat blood pressure variability, and, where available, derived cardiac output metrics. Comprehensive clinical data (laboratory values, sedation/analgesic dosing, vasoactive-inotropic score, mechanical ventilation parameters, and SOFA/APACHE II scores) will be collected concurrently.
Delirium Assessment: Trained research staff will assess delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) in conjunction with the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS). Assessments occur at baseline, postoperatively when the patient is awake, and at scheduled intervals, with documentation of first onset, duration, and subtype (hyperactive, hypoactive, mixed).
Model Development and Analysis: All signals will be time-aligned to construct a high-resolution multimodal time-series dataset. The primary predictive model will be based on a Transformer or Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture employing a sliding window approach (e.g., input: preceding 2 hours; output: predicted delirium risk in the next 1-6 hours). The dataset will be split into training, validation, and test sets (7:1.5:1.5). Primary performance metrics are area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive values, and the achievable warning lead time. Model interpretability will be explored using SHAP or attention weight analysis. The added value of multimodal fusion will be quantified by comparing the full model against unimodal baselines (clinical data only, EEG only, or rScO₂ only).
Outcomes: The primary outcome is the occurrence of POD. Secondary outcomes include duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, and hospital length of stay.
Significance: By delineating the temporal trajectories of EEG, cerebral oxygenation, and systemic hemodynamics preceding delirium, this study will provide new pathophysiological insights into the "cerebral perfusion-metabolism-electrical activity" uncoupling hypothesis and deliver a clinically implementable early warning framework to enable proactive brain-directed interventions.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Target follow-up
- 28 Days
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiac Surgery Patients | – | –Adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the ICU after cardiac surgery (CABG, valve repair/replacement, major aortic surgery, or combined procedures) who meet all inclusion criteria and provide informed consent. All participants receive standard clinical care without any experimental interventions. They undergo multimodal monitoring (continuous frontal EEG, bilateral rScO₂, invasive arterial blood pressure) and serial delirium assessments (CAM-ICU) according to the study schedule. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 15 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population consists of adult patients after cardiac surgery admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, from May 1, 2026 to December 30, 2027.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Adult patients (18-80 years) admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine.
- Underwent cardiac surgery.
- Under multimodal monitoring (including EEG, cerebral oximetry, and invasive arterial blood pressure).
- Signed informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Pre-existing dementia, history of psychiatric disorders, or long-term use of antipsychotic medications, preventing accurate assessment of delirium.
- Preoperative severe hepatic or renal insufficiency (Child-Pugh Class C or eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m²).
- Severe craniocerebral injury, intracranial space-occupying lesion, or history of epilepsy.
- Inability to obtain continuous EEG or cerebral oximetry signals due to technical reasons (e.g., scalp injury, abnormal probe placement site).
- Patients expected to die within 24 hours.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Incidence of Postoperative Delirium (POD)
Time frame: From ICU admission until ICU discharge or Day 7 postoperatively, whichever occurs first.
The proportion of participants who develop postoperative delirium during the ICU stay following cardiac surgery. Delirium is diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) and classified as positive (delirium present) or negative (no delirium).
Time to Onset of Postoperative Delirium
Time frame: From end of surgery until first documented delirium or ICU discharge, up to 7 days.
The time (in hours) from the end of cardiac surgery (skin closure) to the first positive CAM-ICU assessment. Only for participants who develop POD.
Duration of Postoperative Delirium
Time frame: From first delirium onset until delirium resolution or ICU discharge, up to 7 days.
The total duration (in hours) from the first positive CAM-ICU assessment to the last positive CAM-ICU assessment, with no recurrence within 24 hours.
3 secondary outcomes
Duration of Mechanical Ventilation
Time frame: From ICU admission until extubation, assessed throughout ICU stay, up to 30 days.
Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay
Time frame: From ICU admission to ICU discharge, up to 30 days.
Hospital Length of Stay
Time frame: From hospital admission to hospital discharge, up to 90 days.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Jul 2026.
- Results publication: PubMed 41481100Wiredu K, Sun H, Boncompte G, Westover MB, Pedemonte JC, Akeju O. The Predictive Power of Intraoperative EEG and Clinical Characteristics for Postoperative Delirium Following Cardiac Surgery. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2026 Jan 1;43(1):32-38. doi: 10.1097/WNP.0000000000001146. Epub 2025 Jan 28.
- Results publication: PubMed 28940368Lei L, Katznelson R, Fedorko L, Carroll J, Poonawala H, Machina M, Styra R, Rao V, Djaiani G. Cerebral oximetry and postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery: a randomised, controlled trial. Anaesthesia. 2017 Dec;72(12):1456-1466. doi: 10.1111/anae.14056. Epub 2017 Sep 22.
- Results publication: PubMed 40050293Mosharaf MP, Alam K, Gow J, Mahumud RA. Cytokines and inflammatory biomarkers and their association with post-operative delirium: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 6;15(1):7830. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82992-6.
- Results publication: PubMed 24206937Maldonado JR. Neuropathogenesis of delirium: review of current etiologic theories and common pathways. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Dec;21(12):1190-222. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.09.005.
- Results publication: PubMed 23992774Inouye SK, Westendorp RG, Saczynski JS. Delirium in elderly people. Lancet. 2014 Mar 8;383(9920):911-22. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60688-1. Epub 2013 Aug 28.
- Results publication: PubMed 20373345Gottesman RF, Grega MA, Bailey MM, Pham LD, Zeger SL, Baumgartner WA, Selnes OA, McKhann GM. Delirium after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and late mortality. Ann Neurol. 2010 Mar;67(3):338-44. doi: 10.1002/ana.21899.
- Results publication: PubMed 30933669LaHue SC, Douglas VC, Kuo T, Conell CA, Liu VX, Josephson SA, Angel C, Brooks KB. Association between Inpatient Delirium and Hospital Readmission in Patients >/= 65 Years of Age: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Hosp Med. 2019 Apr;14(4):201-206. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3130.
- Results publication: PubMed 22762316Saczynski JS, Marcantonio ER, Quach L, Fong TG, Gross A, Inouye SK, Jones RN. Cognitive trajectories after postoperative delirium. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jul 5;367(1):30-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112923.
- Results publication: PubMed 18577850Bickel H, Gradinger R, Kochs E, Forstl H. High risk of cognitive and functional decline after postoperative delirium. A three-year prospective study. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;26(1):26-31. doi: 10.1159/000140804. Epub 2008 Jun 24.
- Results publication: PubMed 40537396Shamsi T, Janga SR, Baskaran NU, Rangasamy V, Ramachandran RV, Chen M, Ganesh S, Novack V, Subramaniam B. Temporal Trends and Severity of Postoperative Delirium in Cardiac Surgery: Insights from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2025 Sep;39(9):2424-2435. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2025.05.020. Epub 2025 May 17.
- Results publication: PubMed 30113379Devlin JW, Skrobik Y, Gelinas C, Needham DM, Slooter AJC, Pandharipande PP, Watson PL, Weinhouse GL, Nunnally ME, Rochwerg B, Balas MC, van den Boogaard M, Bosma KJ, Brummel NE, Chanques G, Denehy L, Drouot X, Fraser GL, Harris JE, Joffe AM, Kho ME, Kress JP, Lanphere JA, McKinley S, Neufeld KJ, Pisani MA, Payen JF, Pun BT, Puntillo KA, Riker RR, Robinson BRH, Shehabi Y, Szumita PM, Winkelman C, Centofanti JE, Price C, Nikayin S, Misak CJ, Flood PD, Kiedrowski K, Alhazzani W. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. Crit Care Med. 2018 Sep;46(9):e825-e873. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003299.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. This is an exploratory single-center observational study. A formal individual participant data (IPD) sharing plan has not been established. De-identified data may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author after publication, subject to institutional review board approval and a data use agreement.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jingyuan Xu, MD study chair
Southeast University School of Medicine
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Postoperative Delirium and Cardiac Surgical Procedures, run by Southeast University, China at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jingyuan Xu, MD (+8613851417209, xujingyuanmail@163.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Incidence of Postoperative Delirium (POD) (time frame: From ICU admission until ICU discharge or Day 7 postoperatively, whichever occurs first.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07686900, which also lists 11 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Jul 2026.