The Impact of Propofol and Sevoflurane Anesthesia on Postoperative Cognitive Function in Elderly Thoracic Surgery Patients

Lou Baofeng; Ren Jing

doi:10.13919/j.issn.2095-6274.ZHJY202411021

Abstract：Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia on postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Methods A retrospective anal-ysis was conducted on the clinical data of 500 elderly patients who underwent thoracic surgery at Weifang Second People's Hospital from April 2022 to April 2024. Patients were grouped based on the anesthetic agent used:the study group (propofol) and the control group (sevoflurane),with 250 patients in each group. We compared surgi-cal-related indicators,serum S100β levels at different time points,Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores,and the incidence of postoperative adverse reactions between the two groups. Results Compared to the control group,patients in the study group exhibited significantly shorter times for the recovery of spontaneous respiration,eye-opening,extubation,and response (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in MMSE scores between the two groups at preoperative and 24 hours postoperative assessments. However,at 1 hour,6 hours,and 12 hours postoperative,both groups showed a significant decrease in MMSE scores compared to preoperative scores,with the study group demonstrating higher MMSE scores at these time points compared to the control group (P<0.001). Serum S100β levels significantly increased in both groups at 1 hour,6 hours,12 hours,and 24 hours postoperative compared to preoperative levels,but the study group had lower S100β levels than the control group at these time points (P<0.001). Additionally,the overall incidence of postoperative adverse reactions was significantly low-er in the study group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion In elderly patients under-going thoracic surgery,both propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia have varying impacts on cognitive function;however,propofol facilitates quicker recovery and exerts a lesser effect on cognitive function,while also suppressing the elevation of S100β levels,demonstrating a higher safety profile.