Effect of nimodipine on postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy / 中华麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the effect of nimodipine on postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.Methods:Eighty-two American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ patients of both sexes, aged 65-80 yr, scheduled for elective carotid endarterectomy under general anesthesia, were divided into 2 groups ( n=41 each) using a random number table method: control group (group C) and nimodipine group (group N). Nimodipine 7.5 μg·kg -1·h -1 was intravenously infused starting from the beginning of surgery until the end of surgery in group N, while the equal volume of normal saline was given in group C. Before infusing nimodipine (T 1), before placing the the shunt (T 2), at 10 min after placing the the shunt (T 3) and at 10 min after releasing carotid artery (T 4), blood samples were taken from the radial artery and jugular bulb for blood gas analysis.Jugular venous blood oxygen content, arterio-jugular difference of oxygen content, and cerebral oxygen extraction ratio were calculated.The concentrations of S100β protein in serum of the jugular bulb were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Scale (Chinese version) at 1 day before surgery and 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery, and the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction (MoCA score<26) was recorded within 7 days after operation. Results:Compared with group C, MoCA scores were significantly increased at each time point after surgery, and the incidence of cognitive dysfunction was decreased (27% vs.17%), and the jugular venous blood oxygen content was increased, and arterio-jugular difference of oxygen content, cerebral oxygen extraction ratio, and concentrations of serum S100β protein were decreased at T 2-4 in group N ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Nimodipine can improve the cognitive function after carotid endarterectomy, which may be related to the improvement in intraoperative cerebral oxygen metabolism and reduction of brain injury in elderly patients.