MGB Peri­operative Brain Health Study

Did you know?

• Every 8 seconds someone turns 65 years old in the United States.
• Adults > 65 yo constitute 16% of the population but account for more than 40% of surgical procedures.
• By 2050 it is estimated that 152 million people will be suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia.
• Preclinical dementia stages are frequently undiagnosed with most patients unaware of their disease status.
• Perioperative cognitive disorders are more frequent in older adults.
• There is currently no treatment for changes in memory after surgery therefore, timely identification for deployment of prevention strategies is essential.
• We need to understand how to identify who is at risk for this important complication to promote preventive strategies.
• Cognitive assessment is essential but remains rarely implemented.
• We want to implement a digital and user-friendly cognitive assessment method to understand thinking, memory and attention trajectories after surgery.

Further Reading

If you want to learn more or if are curious about our previous work, we invite you to read these scientific articles:

• Vacas S, Canales C, Deiner SG, Cole DJ. Perioperative Brain Health in the Older Adult: A Patient Safety Imperative. Anesth Analg. Aug 1 2022;135(2):316-328. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006090
• Vacas S, Cole DJ, Cannesson M. Cognitive Decline Associated With Anesthesia and Surgery in Older Patients. JAMA. Aug 2 2021;doi:10.1001/jama.2021.4773
• Thedim M, Vacas S. Postoperative Delirium and the Older Adult: Untangling the Confusion. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2024 Jul 1;36(3):184-189. doi: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000000971.