Effect of Cerebrolysin on Cognitive Function and Delirium in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients

BACKGROUND The occurrence of delirium in the first days after cardiac surgery is associated with a worse prognosis. We studied the effect of cerebrolysin (CBL) given to patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) under extracorporeal circulation, on the postoperative results in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (MoCA) results, and the rate of delirium detected by using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). MATERIAL AND METHODS Adult patients undergoing elective CABG surgery under propofol-based anesthesia were divided into 2 groups: the study group received 50 ml of CER preoperatively and on the 4 subsequent consecutive days, and the control group did not receive CER. MoCA was used to assess cognition, and CAM was applied to detect delirium. Both tests were performed preoperatively, as well as on the 2nd and 5th postoperative days. RESULTS The study [n=29] and control [n=26] groups were well-balanced in terms of basic demographic, psychological, and clinical variables. Although significantly lower values of the MoCA (medians: 27 vs 24, respectively; P=0.0083) were detected in the study group in the second assessment, the pre- and postoperative MoCA values did not differ between the analyzed groups. Delirium occurred in 3 cases, and only in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Patients maintained their cognitive status. The lack of delirium in the study group prompts us to develop a plan for a large-scale multicenter study assessing the potential ability of CER to reduce the risk of delirium in cardiac surgery patients.