Cerebral dysfunction after anaesthesia.

Many anaesthesiologists see patients who survive their operation and anaesthetic without obvious complications, but who for days to years complain of or suffer from psychological dysfunction, usually problems with memory and concentration,. This syndrome, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), must be situated in the grey-zone between patients experiencing no detectable sequelae after uneventful anaesthesia and recovery and the patients with severe brain damage related to stroke or severe cerebral hypoxia. The syndrome can be grouped into three main areas: postoperative delirium, mild neurocognitive disorder, and dementia.