Papers of the Week

Long operation duration (>4 hours' anesthesia) of laparotomy in elderly patients would increase the risk of postoperative delirium (POD), which is characterized by acute cognitive dysfunction, changes in the level of consciousness, obvious attention disorder, emotional disorder, and sleep-waking cycle disorder. The occurrence of POD is closely related to the risk of death, and it will also seriously affect the cognitive function of patients, prolong postoperative hospital stays, and increase medical expenses. It is known that dexmetomidine could function in sedation, analgesia and anti-sympathetic effect, and it also could simulate the normal sleep state of human body, but there is still a lack of clinical study of dexmedetomidine on the incidence of POD in elderly patients undergoing long-term general anesthesia in laparotomy.