Effect of Propofol and Isoflurane on Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Following Elective Laminectomy Surgery in Adult Elderly Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a significant complication, especially prevalent among elderly individuals following major surgical procedures.

This study aims to compare the impact of isoflurane and propofol on the occurrence of POCD in patients undergoing elective laminectomy surgery under general anesthesia.

This randomized, double-blind clinical trial took place at Shariati Hospital in Tehran. Patients scheduled for elective laminectomy between December 2020 and November 2021 were enrolled in the study and randomized into 2 groups. Patients in Group P received a Propofol infusion, while patients in Group I were administered isoflurane. Cognitive function assessments were conducted using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at 3-time points: Twelve hours before surgery and 6 and 24 hours after surgery.

TheMMSEscores demonstrated a significant increase in the Propofol group compared to the Isoflurane group at the 6-hour and24-hour post-surgery time points. However, nosignificant differencewasobserved at baseline before surgery (P=0.04, P=0.005, and P = 0.2, respectively).

These findings suggest that the use of propofol for general anesthesia may be a favorable choice for surgical procedures in elderly patients.