Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal · Sep 30, 2026

Effects of Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction (Pocd) After General Anesthesia In Geriatric Patients

By Imtiaz N, Bhatti AH, Wasib M et al.

Objective: To compare the effects of post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after general anesthesia in geriatric patients Study Design: Prospective observational study Place and Duration of Study: Anesthesia Department of Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan, from Jun to Dec 2022. Methodology: A sample of 330 patients between the ages of 55 and 85 years was included in the study, undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia. Primary variables measured were MMSE pre-operatively and 12 and 24 hours after surgery, and the effects of POCD were assessed. Results: Mean age of patients was 69.52±6.69 years, and mean weight was 68.44±3.81 kg. Mean duration of surgeries done was 129.26±6.6 minutes. Gender distribution revealed a total of 148 (44.8%) males and 182 (55.2%) females in the group. When cognitive variables were checked in the patients, it was seen that there was marked deterioration in orientation, registration, attention, recall, language, and copying at the 12- and 24-hour intervals on the MMSE. The median MMSE score at the 12-hour interval was 26 (IQR=2.00) versus 27(IQR=1.00) at the 24-hour interval (p<0.001). The score improved at the 24-hour interval but was still lower than the score assessed pre-operatively. Conclusion: It was concluded that general anesthesia is associated with POCD, predominantly affecting the logical memory in the geriatric population.

doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76isuppl-9.10017 Open access Populations