Original ArticlesNeuropsychologic testing within 18 hours after cardiac surgery*,**
Section snippets
Methods
This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at this institution, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Fifty patients scheduled for elective first-time coronary artery surgery were enrolled in the preadmission clinic. Patients were excluded if there was pre-existing neurologic or neurovascular disease (eg, stroke), if there was anticipated difficulty with completion of neuropsychologic function assessments, or if English was not the primary language. Patients
Results
Fifty patients were enrolled in the study. The average age was 66 ± 8 (SD) years, and there were 39 men and 11 women. Operative and postoperative data are shown in Tables 1 and 2. NOTE. All values are expressed as mean ± SD except graft number, which is mean and range.Empty Cell Patients (Value = 50) Number of Patients 50 Duration of surgery (min) 241 ± 46 Cardiopulmonary bypass time (min) 99 ± 26 Cross-clamp time (min) 79 ± 23 Minimum temperature (°C) 31.9 ± 1.1 Grafts placed (No.) 3.5 (2-6)
Discussion
Despite the practical difficulties, the authors believe there are good reasons to obtain neuropsychologic results early after surgery. First, it is hypothesized that because there is a tendency for deficits to improve with time, some deficits may be detected that are no longer present when testing is undertaken 3 to 5 days postoperatively. If this hypothesis were true, early testing would be a more accurate endpoint in assessing causative factors of intraoperative cerebral insults; to date,
References (16)
- et al.
Statement of consensus on assessment of neurobehavioural outcomes after cardiac surgery
Ann Thorac Surg
(1995) - et al.
Neuropsychological change after cardiac surgery: A critical review
J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth
(1996) - et al.
Neuropsychological dysfunction after cardiac surgery: What is the problem?
J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth
(1996) Analysis and interpretation of neuropsychologic tests in cardiac surgery
Ann Thorac Surg
(1995)- et al.
Early extubation following coronary artery bypass surgery
Chest
(1998) - et al.
Methodological issues in the assessment of neuropsychological function after cardiac surgery
Ann Thorac Surg
(1995) Selection and clinical significance of neuropsychological tests
Ann Thorac Surg
(1995)- et al.
Neurologic and neuropsychological morbidity following major surgery: Comparison of coronary artery bypass and peripheral surgery
Stroke
(1987)
Cited by (0)
- *
Supported in part by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
- **
Address reprint requests to Brendan S. Silbert, MB, BS, FANZCA, Department of Anaesthesia, St Vincent's Hospital, Victoria Parade, Melbourne, Australia 3065.