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TABLETop - tablet based testing for postoperative cognitive dysfunction
Abstract   Peer reviewed

TABLETop - tablet based testing for postoperative cognitive dysfunction

E Setbo, Mathew J Summers and R Grimley
Australasian Journal on Ageing, Vol.37(Supplement 2), p.39
Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM) Annual Scientific Meeting 2018: Cutting Edge: Optimising the Journey for Older Surgical Patients (Sydney, Australia, 27-Jun-2018–29-Jun-2018)
2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12550
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https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12550View
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Abstract

Medical and Health Sciences Studies in Human Society Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Aims: to examine the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients aged sixty years and older undergoing elective surgery and to characterize the phenomenology of observed deficits using neuropsychological testing, as well as to evaluate the utility of standardized tablet based cognitive testing in clinical practice. Methods: we undertook an observational prospective cohort study using the tablet based Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Test Battery (CANTAB) - a validated software suite to administer four tests. These were the Paired Association Learning Task, Spatial Working Memory, One Touch Stockings of Cambridge and the Rapid Visual Information Processing. Subjects were tested prior to surgery, two weeks postoperatively and at three months. These patients were compared to a control group recruited from surgical waiting lists. Results: 14 surgical patients and 9 control patients were enrolled, of which seven surgical and 6 controls completed all visits. Rapid Visual Information Processing, a test of sustained attention, offered the most sensitive detection of change from baseline. The Paired Association Learning Task, which tests episodic memory and executive function, showed early post-operative deficits before recovery at three months. Conclusions: From this sample trends in sustained attention and working memory are demonstrated in surgical groups though statistical significance is limited by sample size. The CANTAB inventory was a sensitive tool in providing descriptive cognitive assessment in the perioperative setting.

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