An evaluation of tests of psychomotor function in assessing recovery following a brief anaesthetic

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of three commonly used tests of psychomotor function and one test of short-term memory in assessing recovery from a brief nitrous oxide, oxygen and halothane anaesthetic. Twenty-six female patients undergoing minor gynaecological surgery were allocated to one of three treatment groups depending on premedication (placebo, low dose and high dose). Immediate recovery was most rapid in the placebo group. Both the tests of simple reaction time and picture recall were able to differentiate between the post-anaesthetic recovery of the high-dose group and that of the other two groups. Neither component of the letter cancellation test showed a clear difference in recovery pattern. Tests of critical flicker fusion were too unreliable to be of use in clinical decision making. Our results suggest that tests of reaction time and memory were more sensitive than letter cancellation in assessing recovery.

Immediate peri‐operative memory

“…Most of the studies of immediate recovery did not address the recovery of higher cognitive functions such as memory which are more sensitive to the effects of anesthetics (15). In the present study, memory in the recovery room was significantly impaired.…”

Tramadol or morphine administered during operation: a study of immediate postoperative effects after abdominal hysterectomy

“…Assuming an alpha value of 0.05, a sample size of 17 was calculated to be required for a power of 0.8 for the t test. Each individual's p-deletion tests were standardized by comparing with preoperative values and calculating the "speed" 8 (i.e. speed:100ϫ(No.…”

Total Intravenous versus Inhalational Anaesthesia for Colonoscopy: A Prospective Study of Clinical Recovery and Psychomotor Function

“…SRT 1 and SRT 2 were added to increase sensitivity as they represent more complex tasks than the SRT and CRT. Memory testing by picture recall tasks was noted previously to be the most sensitive measure of residual drug effect 7 . The DSST provides a general measure of psychomotor performance 2 .…”