Postoperative neurocognitive disorders: A clinical guide

For years, postoperative cognitive outcomes have steadily garnered attention, and in the past decade, they have remained at the forefront. This prominence is primarily due to empirical research emphasizing their potential to compromise patient autonomy, reduce quality of life, and extend hospital stays, and increase morbidity and mortality rates, especially impacting elderly patients. The underlying pathophysiological process might be attributed to surgical and anaesthesiological-induced stress, leading to subsequent neuroinflammation, neurotoxicity, burst suppression and the development of hypercoagulopathy. The beneficial impact of multi-faceted strategies designed to mitigate the surgical and perioperative stress response has been suggested. While certain potential risk factors are difficult to modify (e.g., invasiveness of surgery), others - including a more personalized depth of anaesthesia (EEG-guided), suitable analgesia, and haemodynamic stability - fall under the purview of anaesthesiologists. The ESAIC Safe Brain Initiative research group recommends implementing a bundle of non-invasive preventive measures as a standard for achieving more patient-centred care. Implementing multi-faceted preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative preventive initiatives has demonstrated the potential to decrease the incidence and duration of postoperative delirium. This further validates the importance of a holistic, team-based approach in enhancing patients' clinical and functional outcomes. This review aims to present evidence-based recommendations for preventing, diagnosing, and treating postoperative neurocognitive disorders with the Safe Brain Initiative approach.