Anesthesiology
-
Amyloid deposition is a potential contributor to postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The authors hypothesized that 6-week global cortical amyloid burden, determined by F-florbetapir positron emission tomography, would be greater in those patients manifesting cognitive dysfunction at 6 weeks postoperatively. ⋯ In this study, postoperative cognitive dysfunction was not associated with 6-week cortical amyloid deposition. The relationship between cognitive dysfunction and regional amyloid burden and the rate of postoperative amyloid deposition merit further investigation.
-
A recent U. S. Food and Drug Administration warning advised that prolonged or repeated exposure to general anesthetics may affect neurodevelopment in children. ⋯ In several studies, the amount of added risk is very small; however, there is some evidence for a greater association with multiple exposures. These results may be consistent with the preclinical data, but the possibility of confounding means the positive associations can only be regarded as weak evidence for causation. Finally, there is strong evidence that brief exposure is not associated with any long term risk in humans.