Clinical Diagnoses After Positive Cognitive Screening: A Case Series of Older Surgical Patients

Currently, there is no consensus on the optimal tool for cognitive impairment (CI) screening in the perioperative setting. This case series describes the characteristics of surgical patients aged ≥65 who screened positive for CI on one or more of six screening tools at any perioperative time point up to 180 days postoperatively, and subsequently completed a formal cognitive evaluation by a neurologist at a memory clinic. Of 34 participants with probable CI, 32% were diagnosed with CI on objective assessment, and 68% had normal exams. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was more predictive of CI diagnoses. These findings are exploratory, and further investigation is needed.