Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effects of dexamethasone on cognitive decline after cardiac surgery: a randomized clinical trial.
Cardiac surgery can be complicated by postoperative cognitive decline (POCD), which is characterized by impaired memory function and intellectual ability. The systemic inflammatory response that is induced by major surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass may play an important role in the etiology of POCD. Prophylactic corticosteroids to attenuate the inflammatory response may therefore reduce the risk of POCD. The authors investigated the effect of intraoperative high-dose dexamethasone on the incidence of POCD at 1 month and 12 months after cardiac surgery. ⋯ Intraoperative high-dose dexamethasone did not reduce the risk of POCD after cardiac surgery.