Endocrine Response to Surgical Stress and Postoperative Confusion in Depressed Patients with Alcohol Abuse

Both alcohol drinking and depression are risk factors for postoperative confusion and are associated with alteration of pituitary-adrenal function. We investigated the incidence of postoperative confusion, plasma cortisol and ACTH response to surgical stress in depressed patients with alcohol abuse. We studied sixty depressed patients with and without alcohol abuse who underwent abdominal surgery. Postoperative confusion occurred in 4 of 30 patients (13%) in depressed patients without alcohol abuse, 10 of 30 patients (33%) in depressed patients with alcohol abuse. Plasma cortisol concentrations (27.2 ± 7.0, 28.3 ± 8.2, 29.2 ± 4.1, 28.0 ± 6.3 and 27.9 ± 5.7 µg dl^–1) 15, 60 min after the skin incision, 60 min after the end of surgery, the next day and the third day after surgery in depressed patients with alcohol abuse were significantly higher than that (20.1 ± 6.4, 21.7 ± 9.6, 22.3 ± 8.0, 21.9 ± 6.7 and 20.3 ± 5.4 µg dl^–1) in depressed patients without alcohol abuse. In depressed patients with alcohol abuse, plasma cortisol concentrations (34.9 ± 7.1, 33.2 ± 5.8 and 33.4 ± 5.5 µg dl^–1) 60 min after the end of surgery, the next day and third day after surgery in postoperatively confused depressed patients were significantly higher than those (26.4 ± 6.3, 25.4 ± 5.0 and 25.2 ± 4.9 µg dl^–1) of nonconfused depressed patients. In conclusion, the incidence of postoperative confusion was significantly higher in depressed patients with alcohol abuse than in depressed patients without alcohol abuse. Increased plasma cortisol concentrations after surgery were associated with postoperative confusion in depressed patients with alcohol abuse.