Update on the Mechanism and Treatment of Sevoflurane-Induced Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction

Cong-Mei Wang; Wei-Can Chen; Yan Zhang; Shu Lin; He-Fan He

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2021.702231

Update on the Mechanism and Treatment of Sevoflurane-Induced Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction

Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Jul 8:13:702231. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.702231. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Cong-Mei Wang¹, Wei-Can Chen¹, Yan Zhang¹, Shu Lin^{1

2

3}, He-Fan He¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
² Diabetes and Metabolism Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Centre of Neurological and Metabolic Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.

Abstract

Sevoflurane is one of the most widely used anesthetics for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in surgical patients. Sevoflurane treatment may increase the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), and patients with POCD exhibit lower cognitive abilities than before the operation. POCD affects the lives of patients and places an additional burden on patients and their families. Understanding the mechanism of sevoflurane-induced POCD may improve prevention and treatment of POCD. In this paper, we review the diagnosis of POCD, introduce animal models of POCD in clinical research, analyze the possible mechanisms of sevoflurane-induced POCD, and summarize advances in treatment for this condition.

Keywords: combination therapy; neuroinflammation; neurotransmitter; postoperative cognitive dysfunction; sevoflurane anesthesia.

Publication types

Review