Cognitive decline in the elderly: is anaesthesia implicated?

Abstract

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) was originally thought to be associated with cardiac surgery, but has since been associated with non-cardiac surgery and even sedation for non-invasive procedures such as coronary angiography. The focus of POCD has thus shifted from the type of surgery or anaesthetic to patient susceptibility. The realisation that cognitive impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI - the prodrome for Alzheimer's disease (AD)), may already exist in many elderly patients who incidentally present for surgery beckons anaesthesia to align cognitive research with that of AD in order to draw valid parallels between the two disciplines. Long-term studies are requir..