Cognitive functions in geriatric patients undergoing elective surgery

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of general anesthesia on cognitive functions in geriatric patients and to make recommendations based on the results obtained. The primary endpoint of the study is to investigate the effect of anesthesia on cognitive functions in geriatric patients with the Mini-Mental State test (MMST). Secondary endpoint; to compare our findings with other studies and evaluate the subject. Material and Methods: For this purpose, geriatric patients with basic education and below, undergoing non-cardiac surgery and general anesthesia were administered the mini-mental state test three times: preoperatively, 2, and 24 hours after the termination of anesthesia. The correlation between the cognitive functions of the patients measured with the sub-item and total mean scores of MMST and time of measurement, their age, gender, educational background, and ASA scores were evaluated. Results: In all cases, for all the scores obtained in MMST, there was a significant decrease in the scores measured at the second postoperative hour compared to the preoperative ones. While the scores measured at the 24th postoperative hour showed an increase, decreasing the difference with the preoperative scores of the patients, they still failed to reach their preoperative level. These changes between measurements are not always statistically significant. Compared to the preoperative period, the decrease in the mean attention and calculation score at the second postoperative hour was higher in females than in males, and the increase in the mean attention and calculation score at the 24th postoperative hour in comparison with the second postoperative hour was higher in females than in males (p<0.05). ` Discussion: In order for the subject to be clear and become classical knowledge, studies on a wider sample are necessary. This would be beneficial in terms of general anesthesia practices in geriatric patients.