Dexmedetomidine for Postoperative Delirium Prevention in the Older Adult: An Integrative Review.

The brain and cognition are particularly vulnerable to anesthetic and surgical insults, with postoperative delirium being the most common postoperative complication in patients aged ≥ 65 years. The body releases psychoactive proinflammatory cytokines in response to surgical trauma, including interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. This promotes a porous blood-brain barrier, promoting postoperative cognitive dysfunction.