Brain Health

What You Should Know

• Postoperative delirium and delayed cognitive recovery are complications of significance to the elderly surgical population.
• The incidence of postoperative delirium ranges from 5 to 15 percent. However, with certain high-risk groups such as patients with hip fracture, the range can be between 16 to 62 percent.
• Immediately after surgery, the incidence of delayed cognitive recovery is high with recovery over a period of months.
• Postoperative delirium is associated with significant postoperative complications.

ASA’s PBHI Vision Statement

All Physician Anesthesiologists implement current guidelines and scientific advances to protect and preserve the brain function of every patient undergoing a surgical procedure or intervention.

ASA’s PBHI Mission Statements

• We promote routine preoperative screening for specific risk factors for perioperative neurocognitive disorders (e.g., delirium, postoperative cognitive decline)
• We promote evidence-based perioperative strategies to prevent, identify, and treat perioperative neurocognitive disorders
• We provide education about perioperative neurocognitive disorders for patients and providers

What You Can Do Now

• Sign up to be notified about new developments and content related to ASA’s Perioperative Brain Health Initiative
• View resources to improve brain health management

Read the latest Perioperative Brain Health Initiative News

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This page is curated by the ASA Department of Practice Innovation and Implementation and was last updated February 2023.