TABLE 1.

Features of postoperative cognitive decline versus postoperative delirium^13,15,16

FEATURES	POSTOPERATIVE DELIRIUM	POSTOPERATIVE COGNITIVE DECLINE
Onset	Acute	Subtle
Presentation	Usually Postoperative Days 1–3; rarely after Postoperative Day 6	Usually not prior to Postoperative Day 5–10
Duration	Days to weeks	Weeks to months
Attention	Impaired	Impaired
Oriented	Often disoriented	Normal
Reversible	Usually	Usually, but can be long-lasting
Formal diagnosis?	Defined in DSM-IV-TR and WHO’s classification of diseases	No formal definition; diagnosis required pre- and postoperative neuropsychological testing
Bedside screening tools?	CAM, CAM-ICU	None; commonly tested cognitive domains are memory, executive function, processing speed, and attention

CAM

Confusion Assessment Method;

ICU

intensive care unit;

DSM-IV-TR

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision;

WHO

World Health Organization