Do Heart Procedures Affect Brain?

Doctors have been debating for years whether coronary artery bypass surgery contributes to cognitive decline. A new German study adds to the controversy. Physicians tested mental function before and after patients underwent stenting or bypass operations. 37 patients received a stent, 47 had bypass surgery and 33 healthy volunteers served as the controls. Test scores declined most for bypass surgery, but even those who underwent angioplasty and stent placement had some decrement in thinking and memory tests three months after the procedure. Critics suggest that atherosclerosis itself contributes to cognitive difficulties and that the procedures should not be blamed. Patients in need of cardiac surgery should not refuse it for fear of cognitive decline, but medical management may offer a reasonable alternative in less severe cases.

[American Heart Journal, October 2011]