Risk Factors for Emergence Delirium in U.S. Military Members

Emergence delirium (ED) is a postanesthesia phenomenon occurring in both adults and children during recovery from general anesthesia. Although the pediatric population has been an ongoing focus of research and publications regarding ED, a renewed interest in ED has developed among military nurses and anesthesia providers because of its increasing incidence among the US military surgical population. The purpose of this article is to identify potential risk factors for emergence delirium in the US military population. Possible relationships between the physiological and psychological changes in US military veterans and the surgical experience are explored. A review of ED as it occurs among the pediatric, adult, and elderly populations is also provided to support potential etiologies for the occurrence of ED in the military population. Pain and physical and psychological trauma as a result of military duty are identified and linked to ED as potential risk factors. Identification of these risk factors may provide guidance for scientific inquiry into this phenomenon in the military population. Implications for future study are also explored.