Understanding the risks of major surgeries

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Happy Friday, Below the Fold!

Roughly a month ago, we came across a story that’s been on our minds ever since. It’s always difficult for us to write about the damaging effects of our healthcare system, especially for those who have few good options when it comes to their end treatment. But ultimately, awareness is crucial to making change, slow as it may be.

Understanding the risks of major surgeries
Sun Apr 24

Sometimes solving one problem introduces another, and that certainly is a scary thought when considering milestone medical operations. Despite a paper from 1887 on the hidden consequences of surgery to brain function, major procedures like open heart surgery have become normal without attention to the side effects on cognition.

Anecdotal evidence is cropping up from older patients with significant cognitive decline following surgery. One woman describes how her grandfather, formerly a keen chess player, is now completely unable to play the game after a cardiac procedure. Alarmed Alzheimer’s researchers are now paying attention with a particular interest in how such operations may be accelerating the appearance of dementia.

And there’s a name for this too: postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), which describes the “cognitive problems associated with surgery that persist well after the effects of anesthetics have worn off.” In the past two decades, studies have shown the symptoms of POCD are broad and include issues with memory, attention, judgment, and even perception. For example, some with POCD symptoms have difficulty with writing, managing money, remembering lists, and may even have lowered social abilities.

The mystery of how POCD occurs is still being investigated, with some theorizing that it’s the body’s reaction to the surgery itself. For now, the risk for POCD has become so apparent for those over 65 — especially when under deep sedation — that some doctors are pushing for it to be a considered risk factor before performing significant surgeries.

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THIS WEEK'S SOURCES

The Guardian:
How surgery impacts brains
1 month old | 18 minutes long

British Medical Association:

1887 paper on post-surgery
135 years old | 8 minutes long

ASCII-ING ABOUT THE NEWS

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We can’t help but shell-ebrate the discovery of this turtle!

Art Credit: Joan G. Stark

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Understanding the risks of major surgeries

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