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[Effects of different methods of anesthesia and analgesia on early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after non-cardiac surgery in the elderly].

OBJECTIVE: To determine if different methods of anesthesia and analgesia will influence the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after non-cardiac surgery in the elderly. METHODS: One hundred and three elderly patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery were randomly allocated to receive either general anesthesia followed with postoperative intravenous analgesia (general anesthesia group, 53 cases) or combined general-epidural anesthesia followed with postoperative epidural analgesia (combined general-epidural anesthesia group, 50 cases). Cognitive function was assessed preoperatively and 7 days postoperatively using a battery of nine neuropsychological tests. A postoperative deficit in any test was defined when decline by more than or equal to 20% of the preoperative value of that test occurred. Any patient showing deficit in 2 or more tests was defined as having postoperative cognitive dysfunction. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients completed both preoperative and postoperative neuropsychological tests. On day 7, POCD occurred in 20/45 patients (44.4%) in the general anesthesia group and in 23/47 patients (48.9%) in the combined general-epidural anesthesia group. No significant difference was found between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that short duration of education and operation of general surgery were independent risk factors of the occurrence of early POCD. CONCLUSION: Early POCD occurred in 46.7% of the elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery. However, there was no significant difference between the effects of two different methods of anesthesia and postoperative analgesia on the incidence of POCD. Short duration of education and operation of general surgery were risk factors of early POCD.

Abdominal Cavity↗

Does anaesthesia cause postoperative cognitive dysfunction? A randomised study of regional versus general anaesthesia in 438 elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after cardiac and major non-cardiac surgery with general anaesthesia in the elderly. We hypothesized that the incidence of POCD would be less with regional anaesthesia rather than general. METHODS: We included patients aged over 60 years undergoing major non-cardiac surgery. After giving written informed consent, patients were randomly allocated to general or regional anaesthesia. Cognitive function was assessed using four neuropsychological tests undertaken preoperatively and at 7 days and 3 months postoperatively. POCD was defined as a combined Z score >1.96 or a Z score >1.96 in two or more test parameters. RESULTS: At 7 days, POCD was found in 37/188 patients (19.7%, [14.3-26.1%]) after general anaesthesia and in 22/176 (12.5%, [8.0-18.3%]) after regional anaesthesia, P = 0.06. After 3 months, POCD was present in 25/175 patients (14.3%, [9.5-20.4%]) after general anaesthesia vs. 23/165 (13.9%, [9.0-20.2%]) after regional anaesthesia, P = 0.93. The incidence of POCD after 1 week was significantly greater after general anaesthesia when we excluded patients who did not receive the allocated anaesthetic: 33/156 (21.2%[15.0-28.4%]) vs. 20/158 (12.7%[7.9-18.9%]) (P = 0.04). Mortality was significantly greater after general anaesthesia (4/217 vs. 0/211 (P < 0.05)). CONCLUSION: No significant difference was found in the incidence of cognitive dysfunction 3 months after either general or regional anaesthesia in elderly patients. Thus, there seems to be no causative relationship between general anaesthesia and long-term POCD. Regional anaesthesia may decrease mortality and the incidence of POCD early after surgery.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Examination of the use of cognitive domains in postoperative cognitive dysfunction after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive domain summary scores have been used to examine postoperative cognitive dysfunction in a number of influential studies. To successfully examine cognitive dysfunction in this way, the domains need to be consistent during the assessment time points or the results are distorted. The current study examines two methods of determining cognitive domains and examines their temporal stability during serial cognitive assessments after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS: Two hundred and four coronary artery bypass graft patients and 80 matched healthy control subjects 55 years or older completed a battery of neuropsychological assessments at baseline and at 7 days and 3 months. Domains were determined in two ways. The first was based on precedence, and neuropsychological tests were allocated to commonly attributed cognitive domains. The second method was to conduct principal components analysis to statistically determine the domains at each time. The stability of these factors was then assessed over time by conducting repeated analysis. RESULTS: There were discrepancies between the two methods used to determine decline, and among the factors in the control and surgical groups. Stability with time was not evident as the factors varied within the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of postoperative cognitive dysfunction would be best served by the use of individual test results with efforts made to minimize false-positive classification as the extracted cognitive domains do not appear to be temporally consistent, and were sample specific.

Aged↗

[Anesthesia and postoperative cognitive dysfunction in the elderly: a review of clinical and epidemiological observations].

Amnesic effects of anesthesia were first reported two hundred years ago, but the term postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) has appeared only recently, covering a larger range of neuropsychological modifications resulting from surgical intervention. The clinical description of POCD is highly variable, ranging from concentration impairment to delirium. Significant short-term POCD is common in elderly persons, and can persist several months, varying both in time and intensity and affecting the full-range of cognitive functions (visual and auditory attention, primary and secondary memory, implicit memory, and visuospatial functioning). Incidence rates vary widely according to surgery type but also between studies for a given surgical procedure, as a result of methodological difficulties and limitations. Variability is largely attributable to the absence of a standardized POCD definition, the heterogeneity of procedures to measure cognitive deficits and the methods used for statistical analyses, but is also related to the disparity in targeted populations. The wide variation in study design and target populations precludes the application of formal meta-analysis procedures. We review the definition, epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology and the clinical and public health implications of POCD. The effects of anesthetics are described in relation to ageing-related physiological changes. It is concluded that the complex interaction of etiological factors makes it difficult to determine at this point of time to what extent POCD may be attributed specifically to anesthetic agents.

Aged↗

Apolipoprotein E4 genotype increases the risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the presence of ApoE4 and the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Eighty-seven adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery were observed prospectively at a university tertiary care hospital. All patients were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) for cognitive function and mental status preoperatively, 24 h after surgery and at postoperative day 6. Patients were genotyped for the ApoE polymorphism. The association between ApoE genotype and MMSE evolution was studied by using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Both the presence of at least one ApoE4 allele and POCD were verified in 21.8% of subjects. The presence of the ApoE4 allele was significantly associated with a worse MMSE score evolution (P=0.04). CONCLUSION: This study suggests an association between ApoE4 and early POCD, but further studies are needed to clarify a causative association. Such new studies should include a more homogenous patient sample and a longer follow-up.

Aged↗

Perioperative monitoring with pulse oximetry and late postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

In a randomized, blinded clinical study, we have used objective and subjective measures to determine if perioperative monitoring with pulse oximetry--by virtue of its potential to lessen hypoxaemia--would decrease late postoperative cognitive dysfunction. We investigated 736 adult patients undergoing elective procedures (other than cardiac, neurosurgical or for cancer) under regional or general anaesthesia, allocated randomly to undergo (group I) or not to undergo (group II) pulse oximetry monitoring in the operating theatre and recovery room. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Wechsler memory scale (WMS) and continuous reaction time (RT) test the day before surgery, and on the 7th day after operation or at discharge if that occurred before postoperative day 7. A questionnaire sent 6 weeks after surgery elicited patients' subjective perceptions regarding cognitive abilities. There were no significant differences between the two groups in either the total WMS score, the score for each WMS subtests or RT test. The questionnaire revealed that 7% in group I and 11% in group II believed cognitive abilities had decreased (ns). For the 40 patients whose WMS scores were 10 points less after than before operation, a follow-up study was undertaken 3 months after surgery. At that time, the median WMS score had returned to the preoperative value. We conclude that, for these 736 patients, subjective and objective measures did not indicate less postoperative cognitive impairment after perioperative monitoring with pulse oximetry.

Adolescent↗

Evidence-based clinical update: general anesthesia and the risk of delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this structured, evidence-based, clinical update was to identify the best evidence comparing general and regional anesthesia and their influence on delirium or cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in the postoperative period. SOURCE: In June 2005 a structured search of MEDLINE from 1966 to present using OVID software was undertaken. Medical subject headings and textwords describing both delirium and POCD were employed. OVID's Therapy (sensitivity) algorithm was used to maximize the detection of randomized trials. The bibliographies of eligible publications were hand-searched to identify trials not identified in the electronic search. Publications enrolling children were excluded. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were scored using Centre for Evidence Based Medicine criteria. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 18 unique randomized controlled trials were identified: two evaluating delirium; ten evaluating POCD; and six evaluating both. Outcomes for delirium were abstracted from eight trials that enrolled 765 patients (387 regional anesthesia; 378 general anesthesia). Outcomes for POCD were identified from 16 trials that enrolled 2,708 patients (1,313 regional anesthesia; 1,395 general anesthesia). Both delirium (11-43%) and POCD (15-25%) were relatively common in trials actively seeking these outcomes. Consistent Level 2b evidence suggests no significant increase in delirium in patients receiving general anesthesia compared with those receiving regional anesthesia. Similarly, consistent Level 1 evidence indicates that exposure to general anesthesia is not significantly associated with POCD. CONCLUSION: Available randomized controlled trials suggest that there is no significant difference in the incidence of delirium or POCD when general anesthesia and regional anesthesia are compared.

Anesthesia, Conduction↗

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction versus complaints: a discrepancy in long-term findings.

This review describes the discrepancy in findings between postoperative cognitive performance and postoperative cognitive complaints long time after an operation under general anesthesia. Shortly (from 6 hr to 1 week) after an operation a decline in cognitive performance is reported in most studies. However, long time (from 3 weeks to 1-2 years) after an operation this is rarely found although some patients are still reporting cognitive complaints. In general this kind of research is suffering from severe methodological problems (use of insensitive tests, lack of control groups, lack of parallel tests, different definitions of cognitive decline). However, these problems cannot totally explain the discrepancy in findings in the long term. Thus, there are patients who have persistent cognitive complaints long time after an operation, that cannot be measured with cognitive tests. More psychological factors such as fixation on short-term cognitive dysfunction, mood, coping style, and personality are possible explanations for these cognitive complaints in the long term. As a consequence, these factors should be a topic in future research elucidating the persistence of these cognitive complaints long time after an operation under general anesthesia.

Anesthesia, General↗