Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring and neurologic outcomes in adult cardiac surgery patients: a systematic review.

Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy is used during cardiac surgery to monitor the adequacy of cerebral perfusion. In this systematic review, we evaluated available data for adult patients to determine (1) whether decrements in cerebral oximetry during cardiac surgery are associated with stroke, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), or delirium; and (2) whether interventions aimed at correcting cerebral oximetry decrements improve neurologic outcomes.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases from inception until January 31, 2012, without restriction on languages.