Study: Gene Variation May Lead to Years of Cognitive Decline After Heart Surgery

Patients with a certain gene variation may experience long-term memory loss and other signs of cognitive decline up to five years after undergoing heart surgery, according to a study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. “Whether cognitive decline seen after surgery is a side effect of the surgery and anesthesia or a progression of other neurologic disease remains a matter of debate,” said Karsten Bartels, MD, one of the study’s authors. “Our study found that if a patient has this gene variation (APOE4), that person is more likely to have cognitive decline five years after surgery.” Click here to read details about the findings.