'Islamia College Peshawar - Department of Psychology'
Abstract
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-74).Considerable research evidence suggests that post-operative cognitive impairment is a common complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. This study evaluated the short-term effects of CABG surgery on cognitive performance one to two days prior to surgery (baseline) and one-month post-surgery (follow up). 40 CABG surgical patients and 40 healthy, nonsurgical control participants were assessed with a standard neurocognitive battery that evaluated seven areas of cognitive functioning. Visioconstruction, visual memory, verbal memory, attention, psychomotor speed, executive functioning and language were measured. Additionally, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were included to assess mood and anxiety states pre- and post-operatively. Demographic data pertaining to participants' general medical conditions were also collected. The repeated measures ANOV A with mixed designs procedure showed cognitive improvement on the domains of visioconstruction (p = 0.017), visual memory (p = 0.001), psychomotor speed (p = 0.001), executive functioning (p = 0.012) and language (p = 0.001). Significant cognitive decline on the domain of verbal memory (p = 0.026) was also found in both control and surgical groups. Furthermore, changes in mood and anxiety states did not influence post-operative changes in neurocognitive performance. The results yielded in the present study are mixed and confirm the multifactorial problem of studying cognitive functioning post-CABG surgery
