Cognitive impairment after cardiovascular surgery is uncommon in older people, a systematic evidence review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has concluded. However, the researchers said that the evidence was limited and that the individual study quality was low.
Debate surrounds the possible relation between cardiovascular interventions and subsequent cognitive outcomes in older patients. Some early studies reported a high prevalence of cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs), for example, but later studies have suggested that any such decline predated the procedure.