Risk factors and prevalence of perioperative cognitive dysfunction in abdominal aneurysm patients.

Background: Perioperative delirium is common in high-risk surgery and is associated with age, education, preoperative cognitive functioning, pre-existing medical conditions, and postoperative complications. We investigated these factors as well as lifestyle and demographic variables by using cognitive measures that were more sensitive than those used in previous studies.

Methods: Extensive medical and demographic data were collected on 102 patients between 41 and 88 years of age to identify comorbidities and lifestyle considerations preoperatively.

Variable ventilation improves perioperative lung function in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy.

Background: Optimizing perioperative mechanical ventilation remains a significant clinical challenge. Experimental models indicate that "noisy" or variable ventilation (VV)--return of physiologic variability to respiratory rate and tidal volume--improves lung function compared with monotonous control mode ventilation (CV). VV was compared with CV in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy, a patient group known to be at risk of deteriorating lung function perioperatively.