Impact of Impaired Cerebral Autoregulation on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery

Delirium (confusion) after surgery is common and associated with a longer hospitl stay and increased hopsital cost. This research is being done to measure how often delirium after spine surgery occurs and to see if there are ways to predict if delirium will develop. We hypothesize that impaired cerebral autoregulation may be a possible mechanism for postoperative delirium. We will measure intraoperative cerebral autoregulation and assess the relationship with postoperative dleirium. The results from this study will provide important information on a possible mechanism and predictor of delirium.