Venous Congestion And Cognitive Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery

Intraoperative Venous Congestion And Cognitive Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common central nervous system complication after surgery and anesthesia. Its primary clinical manifestations include a significant decline in cognitive abilities after surgery and anesthesia, encompassing memory, attention, coordination, orientation, language fluency, and executive function. POCD may persist for weeks or even years, affecting patient recovery, prolonging hospital stays, and potentially leading to additional physical and mental illnesses, increased mortality, and a significant burden on patients and their families. In cardiac surgery patients, the incidence of POCD ranges from 30% to 80% in the weeks following the procedure. The brain tissue is enclosed in a rigid anatomical structure; when there is an obstruction to venous return from the brain, intracranial pressure can increase, and blood supply to the brain tissue can decrease, leading to central nervous system dysfunction.

Systemic venous congestion can occur when there is right heart dysfunction or excessive volume load. When right heart failure and/or volume overload occurs, changes in right atrial pressure are transmitted to the venous system of organs throughout the body, with dilatation of the inferior vena cava (IVC), obstruction of blood return from the hepatic, portal, and renal veins, and abnormal venous flow signals and altered ultrasound Doppler flow patterns.

The primary objective of this prospective cohort study is to explore if intraoperative systemic venous congestion is associated with POCD after cardiac surgery. This study will also investigate the relationship between intraoperative systemic venous congestion and postoperative complications, and the relationship between each separate venous congestion and POD after cardiac surgery.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Intraoperative Venous Congestion And Cognitive Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: collection of hemodynamic parameters; Other: collection of demographic characteristics and comorbidities; Other: surgery-related parameters; Other: collection of biological (laboratory) parameters; Other: collection of echocardiographic parameters and venous ultrasound assessments; Other: collection of parameters monitoring on the central nervous system; Other: POCD assessments

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 110

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Zhuan Zhang, MD; Phone Number: +8615062791355; Email: zhangzhuancg@163.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Jiangsu
    • Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, 225012
      • Recruiting
      • The Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients scheduled to undergo elective cardiac surgery

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients scheduled to undergo elective cardiac surgery via a midline thoracic incision;
2. ≥18 years;
3. A preoperative MMSE score>23, without consciousness or language barriers, capable of cooperating with neurological examinations, cognitive function tests, and other assessments of neurological function.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Contraindications for TEE;
2. Emergency cardiac surgery;
3. Major vascular surgery;
4. Redo cardiac surgery;
5. Severe infection requiring continuous antibiotic therapy;
6. Severe preoperative heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction < 30%;
7. A critical preoperative state (mechanical circulatory support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, current renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation, or cardiac arrest necessitating resuscitation);
8. Multi-organ dysfunction;
9. Known conditions that may interfere with the assessment or interpretation of hepatic vein, portal vein blood flow (such as liver cirrhosis or portal vein thrombosis) or the renal vein blood flow (such as urinary tract obstruction);
10. Planned cardiac transplantation or ventricular assist device implantation;
11. Pregnancy;
12. Insufficient ultrasonographic imaging;
13. Restarting CPB after first CPB cessation during surgery;
14. Requirement for cardiac assist devices (ECMO, IABP, or ventricular assist device) after CPB intraoperatively;
15. Neurological or psychiatric diagnoses that may affect cognitive performance or cognitive testing;
16. Documented delirium before surgery

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Adult patients scheduled to undergo elective cardiac surgery; Patients scheduled to undergo elective cardiac surgery via a midline thoracic incision;; ≥18 years;; A preoperative MMSE score>23, without consciousness or language barriers, capable of cooperating with neurological examinations, cognitive function tests, and other assessments of neurological function.

Other: collection of hemodynamic parameters; blood pressure, heart rate, CVP;; CO, CI, SV, SVI,SVV;; intra-abdominal pressure;; vasoactive drug doses in the first hour in the ICU.; Other: collection of demographic characteristics and comorbidities; gender, age, BMI, ASA classification, NYHA (New York Heart Association) classification, MMSE score.; smoking history, medical history (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, Hyperlipidemia, stroke, anaemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension, preoperative atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease), preoperative ACEI, ARB, beta-blockers, loop diuretics, aspirin, and spironolactone use.; Other: surgery-related parameters; surgery type, surgery duration, CPB duration, aortic cross-clamp duration, blood loss, intraoperative fluid infusion, intraoperative urine output, intraoperative blood transfusion, intraoperative anesthetics and vasoactive medications.; duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of vasopressor support, postoperative acute kidney injury incidence and CRRT initiation, major bleeding, deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis, surgical re-intervention, ICU LOS, hospital LOS, postoperative stroke, complications up to 30 days after surgery, 30-day inpatient mortality, survival status at discharge, and one year follow-up.; a composite endpoint of major complications after surgery defined as at least one of the following: death, prolonged ventilation (>24 h), stroke, severe AKI, deep sternal wound infection, and reoperation for any reason.; Other: collection of biological (laboratory) parameters; WBC, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, serum Amyloid A, procalcitonin, catecholamines, cortisol, SOD, HIF-1α;; BDNF, S-100β protein, NSE;; CK-MB, NT pro-BNP, BNP, high-sensitivity troponin level;; hemoglobin, hematocrit, sodium, arterial lactate, and liver enzymes.; Other: collection of echocardiographic parameters and venous ultrasound assessments; (1) Left ventricle systolic function, including LVOT, LVEF, MPI; left ventricular diastolic function, including mitral flow-derived Doppler indices, pulmonary vein Doppler indices. (2) Right ventricular systolic function, including TAPSE. Right ventricular diastolic dysfunction, inferred from an abnormal hepatic vein flow (systolic velocity < diastolic velocity) in the absence of a dysrhythmia or pacing. (3) Inferior vena cava (IVC) measurements. (4) Hepatic vein Doppler parameters. (5) Portal vein Doppler parameters. (6) Renal vein Doppler parameters.; Other: collection of parameters monitoring on the central nervous system; Regional cerebral oximetry.; Brain wave patterns.; Optic nerve sheath diameter.; Other: POCD assessments; Assessments of POCD at day 7, day 15, month 1, month 3, and month 6 postoperatively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction after surgery	Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).	day 7, day 15, month 1, month 3, and month 6 after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Zhuan Zhang

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 15, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 15, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cardiac Surgery; Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD); Venous Congestion
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Mental Disorders; Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Postoperative Cognitive Complications; Hyperemia; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Quality of Health Care; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Non-Medical Public and Private Facilities; Health Facilities; Epidemiologic Factors; Comorbidity; Laboratories
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20251218

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No