Younger age is associated with greater early neurocognitive decline post-cardiopulmonary bypass

Structured Abstract Objective The effect of aging on post-operative NCD in cardiac surgery patients. Methods Patients undergoing CABG or open AVR were administered RBANS battery at pre-op, POD4, and 1 month. Blood samples were collected at pre-op, 6hrs post-op, and POD4. Plasma IL-6, TNF-a, and CRP levels were quantified. QOL was measured with SF-12 survey. Data were analyzed using paired ratio and unpaired t-tests with Welch's correction, and linear regression for cytokine levels. Results NCD occurred in 15 patients (N=33, 45.5%). Dichotomized at age extremes ( Conclusion Younger patients tend to have better cognitive scores before surgery, but scores at POD4 are similar to those of older patients, with this trend disappearing at 1 month. IL-6 and CRP upregulation is greater in younger patients, suggesting that a robust peri-operative inflammatory response may be associated with reduction in neurocognitive function, and this may be greater in younger vs older patients.