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John Thomas Lemm

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology, VA Anesthesiology Service
DUMC Box 3094, Durham, NC 27710
201 Trent Drive, 4316 Duke South, Orange Zone, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications


Perioperative neurocognitive and functional neuroimaging trajectories in older APOE4 carriers compared with non-carriers: secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study.

Journal Article Br J Anaesth · December 2021 BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction after surgery is a major issue in older adults. Here, we determined the effect of APOE4 on perioperative neurocognitive function in older patients. METHODS: We enrolled 140 English-speaking patients ≥60 yr old scheduled fo ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Immunomodulatory lipid mediator profiling of cerebrospinal fluid following surgery in older adults.

Journal Article Sci Rep · February 4, 2021 Arachidonic acid (AA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) derived lipids play key roles in initiating and resolving inflammation. Neuro-inflammation is thought to play a causal role in perioperative neurocognitive disorders, yet th ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteome Changes in Older Non-Cardiac Surgical Patients with Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction.

Journal Article J Alzheimers Dis · 2021 BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), a syndrome of cognitive deficits occurring 1-12 months after surgery primarily in older patients, is associated with poor postoperative outcomes. POCD is hypothesized to result from neuroinflammation; ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A protocol to reduce self-reported pain scores and adverse events following lumbar punctures in older adults.

Journal Article J Neurol · July 2020 OBJECTIVE: Lumbar punctures (LPs) are important for obtaining CSF in neurology studies but are associated with adverse events and feared by many patients. We determined adverse event rates and pain scores in patients prospectively enrolled in two cohort st ... Full text Link to item Cite

Flow Cytometry Characterization of Cerebrospinal Fluid Monocytes in Patients With Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: A Pilot Study.

Journal Article Anesth Analg · November 2019 Animal models suggest postoperative cognitive dysfunction may be caused by brain monocyte influx. To study this in humans, we developed a flow cytometry panel to profile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected before and after major noncardiac surgery ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Sepsis in the Operating Room: A Simulation Case for Perioperative Providers.

Journal Article MedEdPORTAL · March 30, 2017 INTRODUCTION: Sepsis should be included in the differential of any patient with unexplained organ dysfunction, whether or not an obvious infection is initially detected. Perioperative providers frequently care for patients with sepsis. This simulation case ... Full text Link to item Cite

Intraoperative Frontal Alpha-Band Power Correlates with Preoperative Neurocognitive Function in Older Adults.

Journal Article Front Syst Neurosci · 2017 Each year over 16 million older Americans undergo general anesthesia for surgery, and up to 40% develop postoperative delirium and/or cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Delirium and POCD are each associated with decreased quality of life, early retirement, incr ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite