Clinical Research Directory

Effect of a Cooling Helmet on Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Adults Undergoing Open-Heart Surgery

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, or POCD, is a decline in thinking, memory, attention, or executive function that may occur after surgery and anesthesia. Patients undergoing open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass may have a higher risk of POCD because of changes in blood flow, inflammation, microemboli, and changes in brain oxygen supply during surgery. Cooling the head during open heart surgery may help protect the brain by reducing brain metabolism, oxygen demand, inflammation, and cellular injury. A cooling helmet is a non-invasive device placed on the patient's head during surgery. In this study, the cooling helmet is used to circulate cold water around the scalp during cardiopulmonary bypass. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of a cooling helmet reduces the incidence of POCD in adult patients undergoing open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The main question is whether patients who receive head cooling with a cooling helmet have a lower rate of POCD compared with patients who wear the same helmet with room-temperature water circulation.

Spinal Anesthesia Vs. Neve Block in Risk of Cognitive Decline

Hip fracture is a potentially devastating event, and serious surgical and medical complications occur frequently especially for elderly patients. Delirium is one of the common complications after hip surgery. This study objective is to assess the association between type of anesthesia (nerve block vs. spinal anesthesia) and risk of cognitive decline (CD). And its secondary objective is to compare intra-operative hemodynamic changes, and post-operative pain. Prospective, double blind randomized clinical trial of hip fracture patients who will be assessed for CD pre- and postoperatively, for three months after surgery. Patients undergoing hip surgery will be randomized into two groups. Group 1 will receive unilateral lumbosacral nerve block (sciatic nerve block and paravertebral block at levels L3-L4 and L4-L5) as well as placebo injection (1 ml normal saline) at the spinal anesthesia level (L3-L4 or L4-L5). Group 2 will receive spinal anesthesia in addition to placebo injection at the sciatic, L3-L4 and L4-L5 levels.