USA: Elderly Have Postoperative Problems

DURHAM, N.C.(UPI), December 21, 2007: A U.S. study demonstrated that elderly patients are at an increased risk for postoperative cognitive problems when compared to younger patients. A longitudinal study of 1,064 patients following major non-cardiac surgery not only found risk factors linked to postoperative cognitive dysfunction, or POCD, but also linked POCD to an increased risk of mortality in the first year after surgery. Lead researcher Dr. Terri Monk of Duke University in Durham, N.C., said other factors besides increasing age linked to long-term POCD included lower educational level, a history of a previous stroke with no residual neurologic problems and cognitive impairment at time of discharge. The link between POCD and mortality was unclear, Monk said. It is possible that patients with prolonged cognitive problems after surgery might fail to fellow medication or therapy regimens or were less likely to arrange for medical follow-up when complications arise. Also, patient perception of loss of intellectual or physical function may also contribute to depression, which Monk pointed out, has been shown to be an independent co-factor when determining mortality risks in the elderly. The findings are scheduled to be published in the January issue of Anesthesiology. © 2007 United Press International.