Study Finds Link Between Anesthesia, Surgery, and Subtle Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

A Mayo Clinic study published in the British Journal of Anesthesia analyzed 1,819 older adults to determine a connection between exposure to anesthesia after age 70 and long-term cognitive decline, according to News-Medical . The researchers say this decline could be significant for individuals with already low cognitive function or pre-existing mild cognitive impairment who are considering surgery with general anesthesia. Analysis determined whether exposure to surgery and anesthesia during a period two decades before enrollment was tied to cognitive decline and whether anesthesia exposure after enrollment as an older adult was associated with a cognitive change. "This study provides further reasons for clinicians to start performing routine preoperative cognitive evaluations of seniors to further clarify an individual's risk of exposure to surgery and anesthesia," says the Mayo Clinic's Juraj Sprung.