Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 28;9(1):30-35.
doi: 10.4103/jrpp.JRPP_19_124. eCollection 2020 Jan-Mar.

Thiamine for Prevention of Postoperative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Rohollah Moslemi  1 , Hossein Khalili  1 , Mostafa Mohammadi  2 , Zeinab Mehrabi  3 , Niayesh Mohebbi  1
Affiliations

Thiamine for Prevention of Postoperative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Rohollah Moslemi et al. J Res Pharm Pract. .

Abstract

Objective: Postoperative delirium is a common complication after gastrointestinal surgery that is associated with adverse outcomes. Thiamine is an essential cofactor for the glycolysis, oxidative metabolism, production of neurotransmitters in the crebs cycle. In this study, efficacy of thiamine was assessed as a preventive strategy of delirium in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 96 adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following gastrointestinal surgery were included. Patients were allocated to receive either 200 mg intravenous thiamine daily or an equal volume of 0.9% saline for 3 days. Delirium was evaluated twice daily based on the confusion assessment method-ICU. The incidence of postoperative delirium was considered as the primary outcome, and total analgesic use and ventilation days has been defined as secondary outcomes of the study.

Findings: The incidence rate of delirium was significantly lower in the thiamine group than the placebo group on the first day (8.3% vs. 25%; Odds ratio: 0.27 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08-0.92]; P= 0.026) and on the second day (4.2% vs. 20.8%; or: 0.16 [95% CI: 0.03-0.81]; P= 0.014). No adverse effect related to thiamine was detected during the study course.

Conclusion: Study results suggest that thiamine is a safe option for the prevention of postoperative delirium in patients after gastrointestinal surgery.

Keywords: Delirium; Thiamine; gastrointestinal surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort flowchart of the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hayhurst CJ, Pandharipande PP, Hughes CG. Intensive care unit delirium: A review of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Anesthesiology. 2016;125:1229–41. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arbabi M, Shahhatami F, Mojtahedzadeh M, Mohammadi M, Ghaeli P. Adaptation of the pharmacological management of delirium in ICU patients in Iran: Introduction and definition. Iran J Psychiatry. 2018;13:65–79. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cavallazzi R, Saad M, Marik PE. Delirium in the ICU: An overview. Ann Intensive Care. 2012;2:49. - PMC - PubMed
    1. van den Boogaard M, Schoonhoven L, van der Hoeven JG, van Achterberg T, Pickkers P. Incidence and short-term consequences of delirium in critically ill patients: A prospective observational cohort study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2012;49:775–83. - PubMed
    1. Ouimet S, Kavanagh BP, Gottfried SB, Skrobik Y. Incidence, risk factors and consequences of ICU delirium. Intensive Care Med. 2007;33:66–73. - PubMed