[5] It has been hypothesized that rapid awakening from these inhaled anesthetics may worsen the child's natural apprehension upon suddenly finding him/herself in an unfamiliar environment.
[6] ED in children has been associated with the type of surgery, anesthesia, and the use of adjunct medication, but the identification of its underlying cause remains elusive.
[4] Elderly people are more likely to experience confusion or problems with thinking following surgery, which can occur up to several days postoperatively.
These cognitive problems can last for weeks or months, and can affect the patients’ ability to plan, focus, remember, or undertake activities of daily living.
A research study of 400 adult patients emerging from general anesthesia in the PACU were assessed for delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) found rates of emergence delirium of 31% at PACU admission with rates declining to 8% by 1 hour.