Remimazolam in older surgical patients: postoperative delirium, hemodynamic stability, and mechanistic considerations
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: -aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptor and is rapidly hydrolyzed to the low-activity metabolite CNS7054. This focused narrative review examines remimazolam in older surgical patients, with particular emphasis on postoperative delirium (POD) and hemodynamic stability. Randomized trials and meta-analyses generally report fewer hypotensive events with remimazolam than with propofol, but neurocognitive findings are heterogeneous. Earlier trials in orthopedic, hip, gastrectomy, and abdominal surgery largely reported similar POD incidence, and one trial in frail patients undergoing hip surgery reported a lower POD incidence with remimazolam. In contrast, a 2026 randomized non-inferiority trial involving 455 patients aged ≥65 years undergoing lung resection found a higher overall incidence of delirium with remimazolam (48% vs. 31%), driven predominantly by emergence delirium in the post-anesthesia care unit (46% vs. 28%), whereas delirium after post-anesthesia care unit discharge through postoperative day 3 was similar (4% vs. 5%). This temporal distinction indicates that outcome definitions and assessment windows materially influence apparent treatment effects. PACU delirium is also associated with subsequent adverse outcomes in observational studies, underscoring the clinical importance of this early phenotype. The relatively consistent hemodynamic advantage of remimazolam should therefore be regarded separately from neurocognitive benefit; reduced hypotension has not yet been shown to translate into delirium prevention. Preclinical anti-inflammatory and organ-protective pathways are biologically plausible but remain unconfirmed at clinically relevant neurocognitive endpoints. Current evidence supports individualized use rather than routine selection of remimazolam for delirium prevention.
Source: Frontiers in Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7223172165