# Meta-Analysis of the Prognostic Value of Narcotrend Monitoring of Different Depths of Anesthesia and Different Bispectral Index (BIS) Values for Cognitive Dysfunction after Tumor Surgery in Elderly Patients

Authors: Na Chen; Jing Lu
Journal: Journal of Healthcare Engineering
 (2022)

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## Abstract

Objective. To study the effect of Narcotrend monitoring on the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) under different bispectral index (BIS) conditions and the effect of different depths of anesthesia on the incidence of POCD. Methods. We performed a literature search of PubMed, Embase, OVID (database system made by Ovid Technologies, USA), CBM (Chinese Biomedical Literature database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), Wanfang, and VIP databases (full-text database of Chinese sci-tech journals), etc., from the date of the establishment of the database until December 31, 2020. Our meta-analysis was focused on the collection and study of Narcotrend monitoring of different depths of anesthesia. We carefully read the abstracts and full texts of randomized controlled trials on the incidence of POCD in the early postoperative period, and their references were tracked. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the included literature were also performed, and RevMan 5.3 software was used for analysis. Results. In the end, eight articles were included, with a total of 714 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that four articles (255 patients) compared the state of deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) with conventional anesthesia (BIS 40–60 earlier) after POCD. Also, the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (Narcotrend stage (NTS): negative correlation is currently the most appropriate EEG description; Nd can subdivide the original EEG into six stages and 15 levels (Nd Sg, NTS), namely, A (state of wakefulness) state, B0 B2 (sedated state), C0 C2 (light anesthetic state), D0 D2 (general anesthesia), and E0–E1) was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS DO–D1) (odds ratio (OR) = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13–0.35, P<0.00001). Moreover, the incidence of POCD in deep anesthesia (NTS E1) at 7 days after surgery was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS D0) (OR (odds ratio) = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23–0.91, P=0.03), while the incidence of POCD 7 days after NTS D2 in conventional anesthesia was significantly lower than that of NTS D0 (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24–0.71, P=0.001). Discussion. Deep anesthesia can reduce the incidence of POCD (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22–0.73, P=0.002). This meta-analysis included three studies (216 patients) that compared the early postoperative POCD incidence of BIS 40–50 under conventional anesthesia and BIS 50–60; the BIS 40–50 did not significantly reduce the incidence of POCD (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.24–5.24, P=0.9). The incidence of POCD under deep anesthesia with Narcotrend monitoring was lower than that under conventional anesthesia.


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## Body

## 1. Introduction

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a postoperative complication of the central nervous system [1]. It is mainly manifested as differing degrees of obstacles such as memory, judgment, thinking, intelligence, orientation, etc., accompanied by a decline in social activity ability, and patients often experience anxiety, confusion, personality changes, and memory loss within 1 to 3 days after surgery. According to reports, the incidence of POCD within 1 week after major noncardiac surgery in elderly patients is as high as 25.8% [2]. Thus, POCD prevention has become a research hotspot, and there is currently no unified view on the impact of the depth of anesthesia on POCD.This complication not only affects the patient’s ability to take care of themselves, but also imposes a great burden on the family and society. As our society enters the aging stage of the population, the number of operations for elderly patients is gradually increasing. Thus, POCD prevention has become a research hotspot. Narcotrend monitoring is a novel anesthesia depth monitoring method that can subdivide the general anesthesia state into six stages and 15 sublevels of EEG (electroencephalogram) (Narcotrend stage, NTS). Among them, NTS D0–D2 (normal anesthesia state) and NTS E0–E2 (deep anesthesia state) are suitable for general anesthesia. The appropriate anesthesia depth can have the least impact on the postoperative cognitive function of the patient.This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of Narcotrend monitoring of different depths of anesthesia on POCD in order to provide a reference for clinical applications and further research. Studies have shown that maintaining an intraoperative bispectral index (BIS) value of 30–40 is more conducive to the recovery of early postoperative cognitive function. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the impact of different BIS values on POCD in order to provide a clinical reference [3].


## 2. Methods

### 2.1. Included Data

We performed a literature search for studies comparing Narcotrend monitoring under different BIS conditions in order to compare the incidence of early POCD in different patients. The treatment group received deep anesthesia surgery, while the control group received light anesthesia surgery.The inclusion criteria were as follows: (I) patients aged >18 years old, without serious heart, liver, lung, nephropathy, or endocrine disease and no history of neuropsychiatry or anesthetic allergy; (II) patients with normal cognitive function before surgery who were planning to undergo elective surgery; and (III) postoperative patients with an incidence of early POCD ranging from 1 to 7 days. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (I) studies that did not provide a specific number of cases of cognitive dysfunction; and (II) studies that involved significant differences in the baseline data between the groups [4].


### 2.2. Detection Methods

We performed literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, OVID, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases from the date of establishment of the database to December 2020. The English search terms included depth of anesthesia, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, cognitive function, cognitive dysfunction, cognitive impairments, mental disorders, and cognitive performance. The Chinese search terms included depth of anesthesia and postoperative cognition. There was no language restriction. The references of the retrieved documents were tracked, and the documents that met the inclusion criteria were included [5, 6].


### 2.3. Data Extraction

Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the obtained literature. Differences of opinion were resolved by a third party ruling. The following data were extracted: (I) general information of the study, such as first author and year of publication; (II) research methods (such as retrospective research); (III) general information of the research subjects, such as age, gender, and ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) classification of the patient; (IV) treatment of the research object, such as the specific anesthesia methods; and (V) research results (such as the evaluation method of the research outcome and the research results (four-grid table data)).The Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. The scoring standards are as follows: randomization (0–2 points: 0 points for nondescription, 1 point for random descriptions only, and 2 points for random descriptions of normal methods); blinding method (0–2 points: 0 points for not stated, 1 point for blinding only, and 2 points for double-blind description); and loss to follow-up (including reasons, 0 or 1 point: 0 points for not stated and 1 point for narration). Literature with a score of 7 and a total score of 24 was considered high-quality research [7].


### 2.4. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 statistical software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. Measurement data were expressed in terms of the weighted mean difference (WMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI), and count data were expressed in terms of odds ratio (OR) and its 95% CI. Subgroup and statistical homogeneity analyses were also performed, withP>1 as the homogeneity test level. When the Q statistic of the heterogeneity test was P>0.1, it was considered that there was no obvious heterogeneity between the studies, and the fixed-effects model was used for analysis. However, if the heterogeneity test statistic P>0.1, it was considered that there was heterogeneity between the studies. In these cases, the sources of heterogeneity were divided into subgroups, and a random effects model was used.


## 2.1. Included Data

We performed a literature search for studies comparing Narcotrend monitoring under different BIS conditions in order to compare the incidence of early POCD in different patients. The treatment group received deep anesthesia surgery, while the control group received light anesthesia surgery.The inclusion criteria were as follows: (I) patients aged >18 years old, without serious heart, liver, lung, nephropathy, or endocrine disease and no history of neuropsychiatry or anesthetic allergy; (II) patients with normal cognitive function before surgery who were planning to undergo elective surgery; and (III) postoperative patients with an incidence of early POCD ranging from 1 to 7 days. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (I) studies that did not provide a specific number of cases of cognitive dysfunction; and (II) studies that involved significant differences in the baseline data between the groups [4].


## 2.2. Detection Methods

We performed literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, OVID, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases from the date of establishment of the database to December 2020. The English search terms included depth of anesthesia, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, cognitive function, cognitive dysfunction, cognitive impairments, mental disorders, and cognitive performance. The Chinese search terms included depth of anesthesia and postoperative cognition. There was no language restriction. The references of the retrieved documents were tracked, and the documents that met the inclusion criteria were included [5, 6].


## 2.3. Data Extraction

Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the obtained literature. Differences of opinion were resolved by a third party ruling. The following data were extracted: (I) general information of the study, such as first author and year of publication; (II) research methods (such as retrospective research); (III) general information of the research subjects, such as age, gender, and ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) classification of the patient; (IV) treatment of the research object, such as the specific anesthesia methods; and (V) research results (such as the evaluation method of the research outcome and the research results (four-grid table data)).The Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. The scoring standards are as follows: randomization (0–2 points: 0 points for nondescription, 1 point for random descriptions only, and 2 points for random descriptions of normal methods); blinding method (0–2 points: 0 points for not stated, 1 point for blinding only, and 2 points for double-blind description); and loss to follow-up (including reasons, 0 or 1 point: 0 points for not stated and 1 point for narration). Literature with a score of 7 and a total score of 24 was considered high-quality research [7].


## 2.4. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 statistical software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. Measurement data were expressed in terms of the weighted mean difference (WMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI), and count data were expressed in terms of odds ratio (OR) and its 95% CI. Subgroup and statistical homogeneity analyses were also performed, withP>1 as the homogeneity test level. When the Q statistic of the heterogeneity test was P>0.1, it was considered that there was no obvious heterogeneity between the studies, and the fixed-effects model was used for analysis. However, if the heterogeneity test statistic P>0.1, it was considered that there was heterogeneity between the studies. In these cases, the sources of heterogeneity were divided into subgroups, and a random effects model was used.


## 3. Results

### 3.1. Retrieval Results and Quality Evaluation

A total of 551 documents were obtained from the initial search, including 114 from PubMed, 35 from OVID, 117 from CNKI, 97 from CBM, 137 from Wanfang, and 51 from VIP (Figure1). After carefully reading the abstracts and full texts, a total of eight studies with a total of 714 patients met the inclusion criteria. The basic data of the included studies are shown in Table 1.Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart.∗Consider, if feasible to do so, reporting the number of records identified from each database or register searched (rather than the total number across all databases/registers). ∗∗If automation tools were used, indicate how many records were excluded by a human and how many were excluded by automation tools.Table 1
Basic characteristics of the included studies.
StudyAge (years)ASA rating (level)Type of surgeryResearch designDetection indicator (ASA classification standard for anesthesia)Detection timeChengjin Le, 2019>60N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Preoperative 1 day, after 1 dayTao Feng, 2020>70I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerRandom (unknown method) double-blind(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)7 days before and after operationNian Liu, 2019>60I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerRandom number table(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationDongqing Wu, 2020≥60N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Before operation and 1 day after operationYin Kang, 201860–92I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerComputer random number method(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationLingling Li, 202060–74N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Preoperative 1 day, after 1 dayJia Deng, 2020>65I–NAbdominal surgeryRandom (method unknown)(I), (VI)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationShan Gao, 20193–65I–NUpper abdominal general surgeryRandom (method unknown)(I), (VI)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationNote: a total of three studies compared the state of deep anesthesia (NTSE1).


### 3.2. Meta-Analysis Results

A total of three studies compared the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (NTS E0–E1) and conventional anesthesia (NTS D0–D1). There was no significant heterogeneity between the studies (P=0.94, I2 = 0%), so a fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis [8, 9]. The results showed that the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.13–0.35, P<0.00001) (Figure 2).Figure 2
Forest plot of POCD incidence on day 1 after deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.Compared with conventional anesthesia (NTS D0), the incidence of POCD at 7 days postoperatively, there was no heterogeneity among the studies (P=0.94, I2 = 0%), and the fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis. The results showed that the incidence of POCD 7 days after deep anesthesia was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23–0.91, P=0.03) (Figure 3).Figure 3
Forest plot of the incidence of POCD at 7 days after deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.A total of five studies compared the incidence of POCD 7 days after surgery of NTS D2 and NTS D0 in conventional anesthesia. There was no heterogeneity among the studies (P=0.87, I2 = 0%), and thus the fixed effects model was used for the meta-analysis. The results showed that the NTS POCD incidence of the postoperative NTS D2 group was significantly lower than the NTS D0 group (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24–0.71, P=0.001) (Figure 4).Figure 4
Forest plot of POCD incidence at 7 days after NTS D2 and NTS D0. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; NTS, XXXXX. NTS: negative correlation is currently the most appropriate EEG description; Nd can subdivide the original EEG into six stages and 15 levels (Nd Sg, NTS), or A (state of wakefulness) state, B0 B2 (sedated state), C0 C2 (light anesthetic state), and D0 D2 (general anesthesia).


### 3.3. Sensitivity Analysis

A sensitivity analysis was carried out by changing the model, removing the maximum weight, and removing the minimum weight literature. The results showed that after three changes, the result has little change from the original OR value. Therefore, it can be considered that the sensitivity was low and the results of this study were relatively stable and reliable [10].In the end, six studies met the inclusion criteria, including five Chinese studies and one English article, with a total of 521 patients. Four studies did not describe the method of random sequence generation, five studies did not describe the hiding of randomized sequences, and none of the studies described whether blinding was used; however, the subjects were blinded (i.e., single-blind) (Table2). Furthermore, all of the included studies described the reasons for loss to follow-up as well as the treatment of these cases, and it could be considered that there is no incomplete data bias. The methodological quality evaluation of the included studies was detailed in four studies comparing the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) and conventional anesthesia (BIS 40–60). There was no heterogeneity among the studies, and the fixed effects model was used for the analysis. The results showed that under deep anesthesia, the incidence of POCD was significantly lower than that under conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22–0.73, P=0.002) (Figure 5) [11–13].Table 2
Methodological quality evaluation of the included studies.
StudyRandom methodBlindingAllocation hidingLost to follow-up/exitImproved Jadad scoreXicai Li, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Dong Hao, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Bulong Bian, 2019Computer random number methodNot sureNot sureWithout4Feixiang Wang, 2019Not sureNot sureNot sureWith4Bo Hong, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Figure 5
Comparison of the incidence of POCD on the first postoperative day between deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.The incidence of early postoperative POCD was compared between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60 in conventional anesthesia. There was heterogeneity among the research results, and thus, the random-effects model was used for analysis (Kant et al.) [14]. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of early postoperative POCD between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.24–5.24, P=0.90) (Figure 6).Figure 6
Comparison of the incidence of POCD in the early postoperative period between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; BIS, bispectral index.The deep anesthesia state (BIS 30–40) and the conventional anesthesia state (BIS 40–60) were compared on the third day after surgery, the incidence of POCD. There was no obvious heterogeneity between the studies, and the fixed-effects model was used for analysis. The results showed that after the first three deep anesthesias in anaesthetic-day conventional POCD, the difference in the incidence was not statistical significance (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.13–1.71,P=0.25) (Figure 7).Figure 7
Comparison of the incidence of POCD between BIS 30–40 and BIS 40–60 on postoperative day 3. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; BIS, bispectral index.


## 3.1. Retrieval Results and Quality Evaluation

A total of 551 documents were obtained from the initial search, including 114 from PubMed, 35 from OVID, 117 from CNKI, 97 from CBM, 137 from Wanfang, and 51 from VIP (Figure1). After carefully reading the abstracts and full texts, a total of eight studies with a total of 714 patients met the inclusion criteria. The basic data of the included studies are shown in Table 1.Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart.∗Consider, if feasible to do so, reporting the number of records identified from each database or register searched (rather than the total number across all databases/registers). ∗∗If automation tools were used, indicate how many records were excluded by a human and how many were excluded by automation tools.Table 1
Basic characteristics of the included studies.
StudyAge (years)ASA rating (level)Type of surgeryResearch designDetection indicator (ASA classification standard for anesthesia)Detection timeChengjin Le, 2019>60N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Preoperative 1 day, after 1 dayTao Feng, 2020>70I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerRandom (unknown method) double-blind(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)7 days before and after operationNian Liu, 2019>60I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerRandom number table(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationDongqing Wu, 2020≥60N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Before operation and 1 day after operationYin Kang, 201860–92I–MLaparoscopic radical resection of bowel cancerComputer random number method(I), (II), (III), (IV), (V)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationLingling Li, 202060–74N–MGeneral anesthesia abdominal surgeryRandom number table(I)Preoperative 1 day, after 1 dayJia Deng, 2020>65I–NAbdominal surgeryRandom (method unknown)(I), (VI)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationShan Gao, 20193–65I–NUpper abdominal general surgeryRandom (method unknown)(I), (VI)1 day before operation, 7 days after operationNote: a total of three studies compared the state of deep anesthesia (NTSE1).


## 3.2. Meta-Analysis Results

A total of three studies compared the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (NTS E0–E1) and conventional anesthesia (NTS D0–D1). There was no significant heterogeneity between the studies (P=0.94, I2 = 0%), so a fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis [8, 9]. The results showed that the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.13–0.35, P<0.00001) (Figure 2).Figure 2
Forest plot of POCD incidence on day 1 after deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.Compared with conventional anesthesia (NTS D0), the incidence of POCD at 7 days postoperatively, there was no heterogeneity among the studies (P=0.94, I2 = 0%), and the fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis. The results showed that the incidence of POCD 7 days after deep anesthesia was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23–0.91, P=0.03) (Figure 3).Figure 3
Forest plot of the incidence of POCD at 7 days after deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.A total of five studies compared the incidence of POCD 7 days after surgery of NTS D2 and NTS D0 in conventional anesthesia. There was no heterogeneity among the studies (P=0.87, I2 = 0%), and thus the fixed effects model was used for the meta-analysis. The results showed that the NTS POCD incidence of the postoperative NTS D2 group was significantly lower than the NTS D0 group (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24–0.71, P=0.001) (Figure 4).Figure 4
Forest plot of POCD incidence at 7 days after NTS D2 and NTS D0. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; NTS, XXXXX. NTS: negative correlation is currently the most appropriate EEG description; Nd can subdivide the original EEG into six stages and 15 levels (Nd Sg, NTS), or A (state of wakefulness) state, B0 B2 (sedated state), C0 C2 (light anesthetic state), and D0 D2 (general anesthesia).


## 3.3. Sensitivity Analysis

A sensitivity analysis was carried out by changing the model, removing the maximum weight, and removing the minimum weight literature. The results showed that after three changes, the result has little change from the original OR value. Therefore, it can be considered that the sensitivity was low and the results of this study were relatively stable and reliable [10].In the end, six studies met the inclusion criteria, including five Chinese studies and one English article, with a total of 521 patients. Four studies did not describe the method of random sequence generation, five studies did not describe the hiding of randomized sequences, and none of the studies described whether blinding was used; however, the subjects were blinded (i.e., single-blind) (Table2). Furthermore, all of the included studies described the reasons for loss to follow-up as well as the treatment of these cases, and it could be considered that there is no incomplete data bias. The methodological quality evaluation of the included studies was detailed in four studies comparing the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) and conventional anesthesia (BIS 40–60). There was no heterogeneity among the studies, and the fixed effects model was used for the analysis. The results showed that under deep anesthesia, the incidence of POCD was significantly lower than that under conventional anesthesia (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22–0.73, P=0.002) (Figure 5) [11–13].Table 2
Methodological quality evaluation of the included studies.
StudyRandom methodBlindingAllocation hidingLost to follow-up/exitImproved Jadad scoreXicai Li, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Dong Hao, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Bulong Bian, 2019Computer random number methodNot sureNot sureWithout4Feixiang Wang, 2019Not sureNot sureNot sureWith4Bo Hong, 2020Not sureNot sureNot sureWithout3Figure 5
Comparison of the incidence of POCD on the first postoperative day between deep anesthesia and conventional anesthesia. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction.The incidence of early postoperative POCD was compared between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60 in conventional anesthesia. There was heterogeneity among the research results, and thus, the random-effects model was used for analysis (Kant et al.) [14]. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of early postoperative POCD between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.24–5.24, P=0.90) (Figure 6).Figure 6
Comparison of the incidence of POCD in the early postoperative period between BIS 40–50 and BIS 50–60. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; BIS, bispectral index.The deep anesthesia state (BIS 30–40) and the conventional anesthesia state (BIS 40–60) were compared on the third day after surgery, the incidence of POCD. There was no obvious heterogeneity between the studies, and the fixed-effects model was used for analysis. The results showed that after the first three deep anesthesias in anaesthetic-day conventional POCD, the difference in the incidence was not statistical significance (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.13–1.71,P=0.25) (Figure 7).Figure 7
Comparison of the incidence of POCD between BIS 30–40 and BIS 40–60 on postoperative day 3. POCD, postoperative cognitive dysfunction; BIS, bispectral index.


## 4. Discussion

At present, the pathogenesis of POCD is not clear. It may be based on the ageing of the nervous system, which is induced or aggravated by adverse stresses such as anesthesia and surgical trauma. Although the depth of anesthesia may have a certain relationship with the occurrence of POCD, there is currently no unified view. The intervention measures of this article are to perform anesthesia and surgical operations on patients, so it is difficult to double-blind the study subjects [14].In this study, six articles with different BIS values were systematically evaluated, and the effects of different BIS values on the incidence of early postoperative POCD were compared. Four studies compared deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) and general anesthesia (BIS 40–60) after the first day. At 1 day postoperatively, the incidence of POCD was significantly lower under general anesthesia than under deep anesthesia.Systematic analysis of conventional anesthesia states such as BIS 40–50 and 50–60 showed that there was heterogeneity between the included studies. After analyzing and processing the existing heterogeneity, the results showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence of POCD under conventional anesthesia. This may be due to different studies using different surgical methods and anesthesia protocols. In addition, the sample size of this study is too small, which leads to deviations in the results.This study further compared the incidence of POCD on the 3rd day after surgery under deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) and conventional anesthesia (BIS 40–60), and the results showed that there was no significant difference between the two methods. This result may be compared with the literature method included in the study; poor learning quality is related to factors such as small sample size. Therefore, it is necessary to design more large-sample and high-quality randomized controlled trials for further systematic analysis.In addition, this study found that under deep anesthesia, such as when BIS was 30–40, the incidence of POCD in the early postoperative period was lower than that of conventional anesthesia, which is consistent with the research conclusions. Previous studies have shown that deep anesthesia can significantly reduce the cerebral oxygen metabolism rate, thereby reducing the incidence of POCD in patients. Other studies have shown that deep anesthesia can inhibit the levels of cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, etc., and reduce the body’s stress response [15–17].In summary, deep anesthesia has a certain effect on reducing POCD in the early postoperative period. However, due to the lack of multicenter studies in the literature included in this study, as well as the insufficient number and quality of randomized controlled trials, it was impossible to compare the incidence on the third or even the seventh day after surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop rigorously designed and high-quality randomized controlled trials [18, 19].POCD is the result of a combination of multiple factors, including the preoperative application of anticholinergic drugs, the patient’s age, the preoperative underlying disease, the type of operation, the method and duration of anesthesia, the depth of anesthesia, as well as intraoperative hypotension and hypoxia. Older age is a definite influencing factor for the occurrence of POCD; the older the age, the higher the incidence of POCD and the longer the duration. The application of Narcotrend to select an appropriate depth of anesthesia is more conducive to reducing the incidence of various adverse reactions. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the influence of different depths of anesthesia on POCD [20, 21].Narcotrend anesthesia trend is a new type of EEG/consciousness depth monitoring system with a professional EEG signal collection amplifier, which can accurately collect, monitor, and analyze real-time EEG signals at any position of the brain through ordinary ECG electrodes. Studies in China and abroad have found that Narcotrend can accurately reflect the changes in the depth of anesthesia during intravenous and inhalation anesthesia, and the depth of anesthesia is negatively correlated with NTS, which is currently the most suitable description for EEG [22, 23].Narcotrend can subdivide the original EEG into six stages and 15 levels (NTS), namely, A (awake state), B0–B2 (sedation state), C0–C2 (light anesthesia state), D0–D2 (conventional anesthesia state), E0–E2 (deep anesthesia state), and F0–F2 (burst suppression state), and use the 0–100 dimensionless anesthesia depth index (Narcotrend index (NI)) to reflect the whole process from awake to deep anesthesia. Compared with BIS, Narcotrend not only distinguishes the state of consciousness over a large span but also provides the advantage of monitoring sudden changes in the depth of anesthesia [24, 25].This study included eight articles and compared the effects of Narcotrend monitoring of different depths of anesthesia on POCD. The results showed that the incidence of early postoperative POCD under Narcotrend monitoring of deep anesthesia (E0–E1) was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (D0–D1). The depth of anesthesia was maintained at the level of NTS D2 under conventional anesthesia. Compared with NTS D0, the incidence of postoperative POCD was significantly reduced.Whether anesthesia has adverse effects on cognitive function is an area of particular interest for clinical anesthesiologists. The mechanism of deep anesthesia to protect cognitive function remains unclear. It may be that deep anesthesia reduces brain metabolism and produces neuroprotective effects, which further reduces the incidence of POCD in patients. In addition, surgery to stimulate the body’s release of inflammatory factors and activation of glial cells can cause POCD cold. Studies such as FIDALGO have shown that an appropriate depth of anesthesia can also inhibit the inflammatory stress response and help protect the brain. However, in recent years, there have been limitations and controversies in the monitoring of the depth of anesthesia, and there are still reports of the awakening of patients under deep anesthesia. Therefore, this requires further study.This systematic review has certain limitations that should be noted. At present, there are few studies on Narcotrend monitoring the influence of different depths of anesthesia on POCD in China and abroad. Due to the high literature requirements for meta-analysis, only eight articles met the final inclusion criteria. The sample sizes and the numbers of studies are insufficient, and thus, more large-sample and high-quality multicenter studies and randomized controlled trials need to be designed for further systematic analysis. In addition, due to the particularity of the anesthesia and surgeries to be performed on patients, it was difficult to implement rigorous blinding of the study subjects. The inclusion criteria did not report the allocation concealment, so the results of this study should be cautiously interpreted and applied [26].In conclusion, deep anesthesia under Narcotrend monitoring can reduce the occurrence of early postoperative POCD, which can provide certain evidence-based medical assistance for the clinical work of anesthesiologists. Thus, deep anesthesia has a certain mitigating effect on POCD in the early postoperative period. However, the literature included in this study lacks multicenter research as well as a comparison of the incidences on postoperative days 3 or even 7, and therefore, more well-designed, high-quality controlled trials are needed to validate our findings.



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*Source: 8554188-2022-03-17.xml*