Study: Bypass Surgery Linked to Cognitive Change

Article

STOCKHOLM - Researchers attending the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders report coronary artery bypass grafting may increase the risk of stroke, short-term memory problems and long-term cognitive change.

The procedure is a common method of treating heart disease.

The study, conducted by officials at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, studied 3,300 patients who underwent the procedure. Some 2.6 percent of those followed later suffered from a stroke, and 6.8 percent had memory-related problems. The problems increased depending on the amount of time the patient spent in the hospital and the length the patient was on a bypass pump.

The risk factors from stroke and acute confusion determined by the researchers included: hypertension, diabetes, carotid bruit, previous stroke, age and time on the bypass pump.

The American Heart Association reports more than 570,000 Americans had a coronary artery bypass graft procedure in 1999.

Recent Videos
Annet Adegboyega, DNP, MSN, BSN, RN, CNOR; Mihyun "Rose" Jang, MSN, MPH, BSN, RN, CNOR; and Renilda Tijones, MSN, BSN, RN, CNOR.
Paulo J. M. Brois, DVM, MSN, RN; Luisa M. P. Soares, RN; and Teresa A. Santos, RN, at #AORN2025
Michael Sinnott, MBBS, FACEM, FRACP, at 2025 AORN Global Conference & Expo.
Meet Marjorie Wall, EDBA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CSSBB.
A veterinarian in a protective suit takes tests on animals on a farm.   (Adobe Stock 829620654 by Яна Ерік Татевосян)
David Angulo, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fungal Disease Expert
•	Rebecca (Bartles) Crapanzano-Sigafoos, DrPH, MPH, CIC, FAPIC (corresponding author), executive director of APIC’s Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation, and lead author of the study.
Meet Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT.
Meet Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC.
Related Content