Seven studies (869 participants) included in the review led to the conclusion that fewer people experienced POCD with total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) compared to inhalational anaesthesia. The conclusions, however, rated "low" on GRADE scoring (confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect). Assessment
Cognitive tests are given prior to operations to establish a baseline. The same tests are again given post-operatively to determine the extent and duration of the decline for POCD. "A project examining adults 55 and older who have major non-cardiac surgeries is finding that upward of 30 percent of patients is testing significantly worse than their baseline 3 months later". Epidemiology
POCD is common after cardiac surgery, and recent studies have now verified that POCD also exists after major non-cardiac surgery, although at a lower incidence. The risk of POCD increases with age, and the type of surgery is also important because there is a very low incidence associated with minor surgery. POCD is common in adult patients of all ages at hospital discharge after major noncardiac surgery, but only the elderly (aged 60 years or older) are at significant risk for long-term cognitive problems. Patients with POCD are at an increased risk of death in the first year after surgery. Research interest has increased since early 2000, especially as more elderly patients are able to undergo successful minor and major surgeries.POCD has been studied through various institutions since the inception of the IPOCDS-I study centred in Eindhoven, Netherlands and Copenhagen, Denmark.
(2011). "Surgery and anesthesia: healing the body but harming the brain?". Anesthesia & Analgesia. 112 (5): 999–1001. doi:10.1213/ANE.0b013e3182160431. PMC 3092153. PMID 21515644. Rasmussen, L. S. (November 1998). "Defining postoperative cognitive dysfunction". European Journal of Anaesthesiology. 15 (6): 761–764. doi:10.1097/00003643-199811000-00026. PMID 9884870. Deiner, S.; Silverstein, J.H. (2009). "Postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction". British Journal of Anaesthesia. 103: i41–i46. doi:10.1093/bja/aep291. PMC 2791855. PMID 20007989. External links
International Study of Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction (ISPOCD)