The effect of early mobilization of post-cardiac surgery patients on delirium: a pilot study

Jingyuan Xu, Weijie Yu, Yun Yu, Juan Zhou, Meng Deng, Wenchun Wang, Jie Jiang, Wei Chang, Yi Yang, Hailong Cao, Fengmei Guo  |  July 1, 2026

This randomized pilot study evaluated mobilization within 24 hours of cardiac surgery. Early mobilization was safe, with no serious adverse events, and was associated with a shorter duration of postoperative delirium, along with a trend toward lower delirium incidence. While overall delirium rates were not significantly reduced, the findings support early postoperative mobilization as a feasible component of enhanced recovery pathways that may improve cognitive recovery after cardiac surgery.

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