Some patients experience short-term post-operative cognitive decline after undergoing coronary artery revascularization. But are these procedures associated with any long-term cognitive side effects?
“Population is aging rapidly worldwide, with life expectancy increasing related to improved living conditions and healthcare,” wrote first author Laura Lappalainen, MSc, a specialist at the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues. “However, the burden of chronic diseases may have a negative effect on those extra years gained. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and other cardiovascular diseases are known risk factors for cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Associations between cardiovascular drugs and incidence of dementia have been studied previously, but particularly long-term cognitive outcomes after coronary artery revascularizations, especially percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), have received less attention.”
The team behind a new analysis in Current Problems in Cardiology aimed to find out more, exploring evidence from four prior studies and performing a systematic review. The four studies focused on patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).
Overall, the authors wrote, evidence on the potential impact of CABG and PCI on cognitive decline or dementia is “inconsistent.” This is due to the limited number of available studies—and potential quality issues with the studies that do exist.
“Instead of clear conclusions, our review identifies an evidence gap in the current understanding of long-term cognitive outcomes following coronary artery revascularizations,” the authors wrote. “More knowledge on preventing cognitive decline and dementia along with the management of risk factors is urgently needed because the increase in the proportion of older adults is growing rapidly.”
Click here for the full systematic review.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.