Our findings suggested that postoperative delirium was associated with pre-existing multiple cerebral infarctions on MRI, preoperative decline in global cognitive function and ascending aortic atherosclerosis in elderly patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and increased risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage are well known, but the etiology remains unclear. Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome is characterized by acute onset myocardial infarction-like symptoms, transient (reversible) cardiac dysfunction, and shapes resembling ampulla on left ventriculography. We managed general anesthesia for two patients with transient left ventricular apical ballooning and ECG abnormalities associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. During anesthesia, their hemodynamic status was almost stable although their cardiac performance analyzed by transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal cardiography was poor. Anesthetic management of this syndrome may be simplified if less cardiosuppressive anesthetic management is used. We recommend evaluating cardiac function with transthoracic echocardiography or transesophageal cardiography when an subarachnoid hemorrhage patient has ECG abnormalities.
ObjectivesPostoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is recognized as a complication in the elderly after cardiac surgery. Imaging of the brain provides evidence of neurodegeneration in elderly patients; however, abnormalities in brain structure and their relation to POCD are uncertain. This pilot study investigated whether loss of gray matter in the bilateral medial temporal lobe (MTL), seen in preoperative MRI, was associated with POCD.MethodsData were collected prospectively on 28 elderly patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery. MRI of the brains of all patients were assessed for prior cerebral infarctions, and carotid and intracranial arterial stenosis. Patients also completed six neuropsychological tests of memory, attention and executive function before and after surgery. POCD was defined as an individual decrease in more than two tests of at least 1 standard deviation from the group baseline mean for that test. The degree of gray matter loss in the MTL of each patient was calculated using voxel-based morphometry with three-dimensional, T1-weighted MRI. This represented the degree of gray matter change as a Z score.ResultsPostoperative cognitive dysfunction was identified in 8 of the 28 patients (29%). Patients with POCD had significantly more white matter lesions on MRI, and greater loss of gray matter in the bilateral MTL (average Z score 2.0±0.9) than patients without POCD. An analysis by stepwise logistic regression identified gray matter loss in the MTL and cerebral infarctions on MRI as independent predictors of POCD.ConclusionsThese preliminary findings suggested that reduced gray matter in the bilateral MTL and white matter lesions existed in brains of elderly cardiac surgery patients who experienced POCD. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings.
A 61-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis without a contributory neurological, mental, or psychological history experienced visual hallucinations solely on eye closure after total hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia. The visual hallucinations first appeared when she arose from sleep early on postoperative day 1, approximately 12 h after the end of surgery. Only on closing her eyes, she had a clear view of colored clothes, lace curtains, handbags, hats, and sofas, all of which were vivid, realistic, complex, of natural size, and in normal perspective without distortion and appeared independently and randomly in succession. The hallucinations disappeared when she opened her eyes even in the dark. The visual hallucinations gradually decreased as the days elapsed and they had entirely subsided on postoperative day 4. The level and content of her consciousness seemed entirely normal throughout her hospital course. Although postoperative visual hallucinations are not uncommon, they do not always show the closed-eye variation. The causes and underlying mechanisms of this type of visual hallucination remain to be elucidated.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.