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Review
. 2015 Sep;33(3):517-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.anclin.2015.05.008. Epub 2015 Jul 16.

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: Minding the Gaps in Our Knowledge of a Common Postoperative Complication in the Elderly

Miles Berger  1 , Jacob W Nadler  2 , Jeffrey Browndyke  2 , Niccolo Terrando  2 , Vikram Ponnusamy  2 , Harvey Jay Cohen  2 , Heather E Whitson  2 , Joseph P Mathew  2
Affiliations
Review

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: Minding the Gaps in Our Knowledge of a Common Postoperative Complication in the Elderly

Miles Berger et al. Anesthesiol Clin. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication associated with significant morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. There is much interest in and controversy about POCD, reflected partly in the increasing number of articles published on POCD recently. Recent work suggests surgery may also be associated with cognitive improvement in some patients, termed postoperative cognitive improvement (POCI). As the number of surgeries performed worldwide approaches 250 million per year, optimizing postoperative cognitive function and preventing/treating POCD are major public health issues. In this article, we review the literature on POCD and POCI, and discuss current research challenges in this area.

Keywords: Anesthesia; Elderly; Post-operative cognitive decline; Post-operative cognitive dysfunction; Post-operative cognitive improvement; Surgery.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
POCD publications by year
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential Cognitive Trajectories Following Surgery
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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