Cognitive Change After Elective Surgery in Nondemented Older Adults.

The authors report the results of repeated cognitive function tests administered over 10 months to 82 patients between the ages of 55 and 82 who underwent elective surgery. The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score, 10 months after surgery, was modeled by a multivariate linear regression that included the baseline demographics, baseline cognitive functions, and immediate postoperative MMSE scores. Immediate postoperative MMSE scores were highly significant to 10-month postoperative MMSE scores not explained by baseline variables. The results suggest that immediate postoperative cognitive change may predict later postoperative cognitive decline.