September 02 | Virtual Event
Nicole Maria Chapman
Howard University College of Medicine USA, USA
Nicole Chapman has completed her M.S at the age of 24 years from Georgetown University. She is currentlyenrolled as a second year medical student at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C. Nicole’s areas of interest include anesthesia, cardiology and geriatrics
Background: Cataract surgery is increasingly common among older adults, but the type of anesthesia used, general versus local, may influence long-term cognitive outcomes. While local anesthesia is preferred due to reduced preoperative risks, its association with postoperative dementia remains unclear.
Objective: To examine the relationship between anesthesia type and the risk of developing unspecified dementia in older adults undergoing cataract surgery.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network, including 147 healthcare organizations. Patients aged ≥60 years who underwent cataract surgery with either general or local anesthesia were selected. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 18,845 patients were included in each cohort. The primary outcome was new-onset unspecified dementia (ICD-10: F03) diagnosed between 90 and 3,650 days post-surgery. Risk analysis and Kaplan- Meier survival analysis were conducted.
Results: The dementia incidence was significantly lower in the general anesthesia group (0.4%) compared to the local anesthesia group (1.3%). The risk difference was -0.9% (95% CI: -0.011 to -0.007, p< 0.0001), with a risk ratio of 0.301 and an odds ratio of 0.299. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed a lower risk of dementia in the general anesthesia group across all time points.
Conclusion: General anesthesia is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing postoperative dementia compared to local anesthesia in older adults undergoing cataract surgery. These findings warrant further investigation into anesthesia’s long-term cognitive effects.