History of post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with impaired neuropsychometric performance after coronary artery surgery.

Objective: To determine if preoperative history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with postoperative cognitive impairment.

Design: An observational study.

Setting: Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Participants: Cardiac surgical patients.

Interventions: None.

Measurements And Main Results: Age- and education-balanced patients (≥55 years of age) undergoing cardiac surgery (n = 30 with a history of PTSD+, n = 56 without a history of PTSD-) and nonsurgical controls (n = 28) were recruited. Recent verbal and nonverbal memory and executive functions were assessed before and 1 week after cardiac surgery or at 1-week intervals in nonsurgical controls. Demographic and medical parameters were similar between groups with the exception of preoperative depression and a history of alcohol dependence. Preoperative depression scores were significantly (p = 0.02) higher in PTSD+ compared with PTSD- groups. Immediate Word List Recall and Delayed Word List Recall under baseline conditions were worse in PTSD+ compared with PTSD- patients. Cognitive performance after surgery decreased by at least 1 standard deviation in 27 PTSD- patients (48%) and in 25 PTSD+ patients (83%) (p = 0.002) versus nonsurgical controls. Multivariate regression analysis (including a history of depression and alcohol dependence) revealed that a history of PTSD was significantly associated with overall (including nonverbal recent memory, verbal recent memory, and executive functions) postoperative cognitive dysfunction (p = 0.005).

Conclusions: The current findings suggest that patients with a history of PTSD undergoing coronary artery surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass may be especially vulnerable to postoperative cognitive impairment.