Incidence of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Following Inhalational Vs. Total Intravenous General Anesthesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) has been increasingly recognized as a contributor to postoperative complications. A consensus-working group recommended that POCD should be distinguished between delayed cognitive recovery, i.e., evaluations up to 30 days postoperative, and neurocognitive disorder, i.e., assessments performed between 30 days and 12 months after surgery. Additionally, the choice of the anesthetic, either inhalational or total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and its effect on the incidence of POCD, has become a focus of research. Our primary objective was to search the literature and conduct a meta-analysis to verify whether the choice of general anesthesia may impact the incidence of POCD in the first 30 days postoperatively. As a secondary objective, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to estimate the effects of the anesthetic on POCD between 30 days and 12 months postoperative. For the primary objective, an initial review of 1,913 articles yielded 12 studies with a total of 3,639 individuals. For the secondary objective, five studies with a total of 751 patients were selected. In the first 30 days postoperative, the odds-ratio for POCD in TIVA group was 0.60 (95% CI = 0.40 - 0.91; p = 0.02), compared to the inhalational group. TIVA was associated with a lower incidence of POCD in the first 30 days postoperatively. Regarding the secondary objective, due to the small number of selected articles and its high heterogeneity, a metanalysis was not conducted. Giving the heterogeneity of criteria for POCD, future prospective studies with more robust designs should be performed to fully address this question.

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“…[4,6,8,11,16] Postoperative cognitive dysfunction refers to changes in orientation, thinking, memory, attention, and other cognitive abilities in patients undergoing surgical anesthesia who have no preoperative psychiatric abnormalities. [17] The occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction can impair recovery, prolong hospital stay and even affect the quality of life after discharge. [18,19] The elderly and the anesthesia technology are independent risk factors for the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction.…”