Assessing postoperative cognitive dysfunction using 3D multiple object tracking in open heart surgery patients

NeuroTracker baselines more sensitively detect effects on cognition than other cognitive assessments after open heart surgery.

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Medical
Rehabilitation

June 2020

in

Technology and Disability

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Aim

To examine whether cognitive baselines can be used to detect changes in cognitive function in open-heart surgery patients.

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Method

16 open-heart surgery patients (av. 60 years) completed NeuroTracker, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Trails B assessments at 3 time points: 1 to 2 days pre-surgery, at discharge or 1-week post-surgery, and at 12-weeks post-surgery.

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Result

No significant differences were detected between baseline and 1-week/discharge measurements on all measures. Patients improved significantly from 1-week/discharge to 12-weeks in NeuroTracker baseline scores. A similar but non-significant trend was found on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. The researchers concluded that post-surgical cognitive changes in heart surgery patients were detectable using NeuroTracker, and that future research should explore whether it is usable for the retraining of cognition after heart surgery.

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