An MRI Study of Post-operative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Major Surgery

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Hypothesis: Patients with blue cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) regional maps during a hypercapnic CO2 challenge will be at greater risk of developing post-operative delirium (POD) and stroke following major surgery. Blue CVR maps have also been recently documented with an O2 challenge. The blue CVR maps will be shown to be predictive of POD and stroke and ultimately represent a diagnostic test for patients at risk. These blue CVR maps will enable neurologic risk stratification for patients undergoing major surgery. Background: Major surgery is associated with a significant risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. POD is a dreaded complication with such anesthesia and surgery. The prevalence of delirium after cardiac surgery has been reported to occur in up to 50% of patients. Using a definitive diagnostic tool such as the Confusion Assessment Method - Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU and CAM-S) results in the higher proportion reported. Delirium is a serious complication that results in prolonged length of stay, increased health care costs, and higher mortality. As much as $6.9 billion of Medicare hospital expenditures can be attributed to delirium. At such a cost, better diagnosis and treatment is urgently needed. Pre-emptive diagnosis leading to better management of delirium post-operatively is clearly one of the fundamental problems confronting modern anesthesia and peri-operative medicine. Specific Objectives: The investigators seek to address (a) the identity of patients who have the greatest vulnerability to the surgery and (b) investigate the risks and test appropriate risk mitigations. Understanding POD is of immense import to help control a hospital's surgical and critical care costs. Patients with neurological consequences including POD often represent a choke point for optimized critical care utilization. At the very least, improved understanding and a diagnostic test to highlight patients at risk of POD would be most welcome. Such an advance would permit rational strategies to limit the problem and allow better designed therapeutic arcs for patients now known to be at risk. This is especially important for patients undergoing complicated major surgery and is the focus of this pilot project. Tighter control of ET respiratory gases may be indicated for both ET CO2 and ET O2 based on the results of this preliminary study.

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