Early benefit of preserved cognitive function is not sustained at one-year after cardiac surgery: a longitudinal follow-up of the randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

Recently, we showed that processing of shed blood with a continuous-flow cell saver during cardiopulmonary bypass resulted in a clinically significant reduction in postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) six weeks after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The current study examined if the early benefit of reduced POCD was sustained in the same patient population at one-year follow-up.