REPORTS OF COGNITIVE CHANGE, MOOD STATE AND ASSESSED COGNITION FOLLOWING CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY

The impact of coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) on the amelioration of angina and breathlessness has been dramatic with approximately 90% of patients reporting symptomatic improvement. In recent years this success has been clouded by studies which have indicated a deterioration in cognitive performance with formal neuropsychological testing performed preoperatively and postoperatively [1, 2]. Studies investigating neuropsychological changes have confirmed that approximately 35% of patients show deficits 8 weeks post surgery [31], still detectable in 33% at one year [4].