COMPARISON OF POST OPERATIVE COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION FOLLOWING INHALATIONAL ANAESTHESIA AND TOTAL INTRAVENOUS ANAESTHESIA IN ONCOSURGICAL PATIENTS– A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY.

Background And Aims: POCD is a major complication which affects post operative quality of life. With advanced cancer treatment modalities, survival rates are increasing. The subtle changes affecting many domains like memory, executive function, attention, verbal uency affects patients' health and functional recovery. This study aims to compare the incidence of POCD between inhalational anaesthesia and Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (TIVA) and other possible contributing factors causing it in oncosurgical patients, so as to address the issue in the perioperative period. A prospective observational study was conducted in 84 oncosurgical patients, Methods: undergoing elective laparotomies for gynecological or gastrointestinal tract malignancies under general anaesthesia (GA), who received either inhalational agents (Group 1) or TIVA (Group 2) as maintenance as per the consultant anaesthesiologists preference. Cognitive level was assessed by an anaesthesiologist on the preoperative day, postoperative day one and on the day of discharge using minicog scoring and trail making test. Incidence of POCD was then calculated and compared in the two groups using chi-square test. Overall incidence of POCD was found Results: to be as high as 55% in the postoperative day one (POD One) which declined to 27 % by the day of discharge (DOD) by mini cog scoring. There was no signicant difference between two groups assessed by minicog scoring and trail making test (POD one p = 0.562 and DOD p= 0.429)). POCD emerged as a Conclusion: signicant complication of concern in oncosurgical patients, however the choice of anaesthesia didn't have any effect. Advanced age, low educational status, history of hypertension, previous history of GA , were identied to be possible contributing factors.