Pre-existing cognitive impairment and post-operative cognitive dysfunction: should we be talking the same language?

Pre-existing cognitive impairment and post-operative cognitive dysfunction: should we be talking the same language?

Changes in cognition are known to follow anesthesia and surgery in older individuals (Evered et al., 2011). Although survival per se was the prime outcome in the 19th and early 20th centuries for invasive procedures, a link was none-the-less observed with adverse cognitive outcomes as far back as 1887 (Savage, 1887). Historical reports of "insanity" or "weak mindedness" after anesthesia appeare...

Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction: Pre-Operative Risk Assessment and Peri-Operative Risk Minimization: A Pragmatic Review of the Literature

Citation: Vizcaychipi MP. Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction: Pre-Operative Risk Assessment and Peri-Operative Risk Minimization: A Pragmatic Review of the Literature. J Intensive & Crit Care 2016, 2:2. Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the most well recognised neuropsychological consequences of anaesthesia. One of the difficulties in studying POCD however is that although...

Pathogenesis and treatment of post-operative cognitive dysfunction

Cognitive disorders common in the post-operative period, are the post-operative delirium (POD) and the post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) does not mention POCD as a separate disease entity, and thus little is known about the pathogenesis of this disorder. The aim of this study was to review, detect and highlight the most ...

Post-operative cognitive dysfunction after knee arthroplasty: a diagnostic dilemma

Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is common in the elderly, and significantly impacts their recovery. We present an unusual diagnostic challenge where a 65-year-old male presented 4-week post-total knee arthroplasty with acute cognitive dysfunction lasting 19 days. Curiously, there were no findings uncovering a specific cause, but during investigation underlying predisposing factors s...

Cholinesterase inhibitors should not be prescribed for mild cognitive impairment.