Preoperative statin therapy does not reduce cognitive dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if patients receiving statin therapy before coronary artery bypass grafting surgery would have less cognitive dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass as a consequence of a diminished inflammatory response. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. SETTING: Referral center for cardiothoracic surgery at a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred forty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-five percent of patients received statins in the preoperative period. Multivariable analysis revealed no effect of preoperative statin therapy on cognitive function (p = 0.67). Post hoc analysis revealed that statin therapy at hospital discharge was associated with less improvement in cognitive performance at 6 weeks after surgery (p = 0.011). No significant differences were found between statin therapy groups in either range or maximum value of any of the cytokines (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative statin therapy did not decrease the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass or the cognitive dysfunction commonly seen after cardiac surgery.

Duke Scholars

Author Joseph P. Mathew Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic

Author Daniel Todd Laskowitz Neurology, Neurocritical Care

Author Mihai V. Podgoreanu Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic

Author Madhav Swaminathan Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic

Author Mark Stafford-Smith Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic

Author Mark Franklin Newman Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic