Test of implantable cardioverter defibrillator linked to cognitive problems

March, 2010

A study involving patients given on implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) reveals that more than a third of participants had significant cognitive problems six weeks and six and 12 months after ICD surgery. Although most regained their normal abilities within 12 months, a few (10%) first developed difficulties at that point.

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small electronic device that monitors and regulates heartbeat, and many have been implanted in patients — an estimated 114,000 in the U.S. in 2006. Part of the implantation process involves ventricular defibrillation testing, which temporarily disrupts brain activity by causing a drop in blood pressure and blood flow to the brain. In a study involving 52 patients having cognitive tests several days before ICD surgery and again six weeks and six and 12 months afterwards, more than a third of participants had significant cognitive problems six weeks and six and 12 months after ICD surgery. Attention, short-term memory of visual words and objects, and auditory (spoken) words were most commonly affected. Although most patients regained their normal abilities by 12 months after surgery, a few (10%) first developed difficulties at that point. The results were unrelated to measurements of anxiety, depression and quality of life.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/aha-toi022610.php

Reference:

[303] Hallas, C. N., Burke J. L., White D. G., & Connelly D. T.
(2010). A Prospective One Year Study of Changes in Neuropsychological Functioning Following Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Surgery.
Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. CIRCEP.109.909580 - CIRCEP.109.909580.

seniors

Health & age-related problems

Related News

Learning Facebook may keep seniors sharp

Preliminary findings from a small study show that older adults (68-91), after learning to use Facebook, performed about 25% better on tasks designed to measure their ability to continuously monitor and to quickly add or delete the contents of their

Cognitive decline in old age related to poorer sleep

Recent research has suggested that sleep problems might be a risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s, and in mild cognitive impairment.

Early surgical menopause linked to faster cognitive decline

The issue of the effect of menopause on women’s cognition, and whether hormone therapy helps older women fight cognitive decline and dementia, has been a murky one. Increasing evidence suggests that the timing and type of therapy is critical.

Why learning gets harder as we get older

A new study adds more support to the idea that the increasing difficulty in learning new information and skills that most of us experience as we age is not down to any difficulty in acquiring new information, but rests on the interference from all the old information.

Hearing loss accelerates cognitive decline in older adults

I’ve written before about the gathering evidence that sensory impairment, visual impairment and hearing loss in particular, is a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

Intensive training helps seniors with long-term aphasia

Here’s an encouraging study for all those who think that, because of age or physical damage, they must resign themselves to whatever cognitive impairment or decline they have suffered.

Inhibitory control deficits common in those with MCI

Providing some support for the finding I recently reported — that problems with semantic knowledge in those with mild cognitive impairment (

Chewing ability linked to reduced dementia risk

Previous research has pointed to an association between not having teeth and a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. One reason might have to do with inflammation — inflammation is a well-established risk factor, and at least one study has linked gum disease to a higher dementia risk.

Ginkgo biloba doesn’t prevent Alzheimer’s

Sad to say, another large study has given the thumbs down to ginkgo biloba preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Popular cognitive test for Alzheimer’s insufficiently sensitive

New research suggests that reliance on the standard test Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale—Cognitive Behavior Section (ADAS-Cog) to measure cognitive changes in Alzheimer’s patients is a bad idea. The test is the most widely used measure of cognitive performance in clinical trials.

Pages