Screening Versus Brief Domain-specific Tests to Assess Long-term Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction After Concomitant Aortic Valve Replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background Although postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a relevant complication after surgery, assessment for the condition is not routine in clinical practice. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the use of screening versus brief domain-specific cognitive tests in assessing long-term cognitive dysfunction after concomitant aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods In this observational prospective study, we evaluated 70 patients preoperatively and after 1, 6, and 12 months using 2 screening tests (Mini-Mental State Examination and Clock Drawing Test) and 2 brief domain-specific cognitive tests (Trail Making Test to evaluate attention and executive function, and Semantic and Phonological Tests to evaluate verbal fluency). Results The brief domain-specific cognitive tests detected significant postoperative worsening in performances (up to 19% on the Trail Making Test and 15.4% on verbal fluency tests at 6 months). Postoperative mild attention/executive dysfunction or inferior normal performance was detected with the maximums being seen at 6 months (44.6%, P
Source: Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing - Category: Nursing Tags: ARTICLES: Cardiovascular Surgery Source Type: research