Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and delirium are both common cognitive failures that especially elderly patients experience after surgery. There is some data suggesting that the two conditions are associated, although this assumption is rather uncertain. However, the two conditions have important differences. Delirium has a sudden onset, the consciousness is fluctuating, inattention is present and in the hyperactive form these patients are easy to spot in the ward. Contrary to delirium, the patients with POCD usually lack clinical symptoms, and can only be detected by using a battery of neuropsychological tests. Delirium is usually present for hours or days after surgery, whereas POCD can last for weeks or months. In concern with treatment most attention has been on avoiding precipitating factors, since there is no apparent medical treatment at least for POCD. Some studies suggest that the anaesthetic strategy during surgery can affect the incidence of postoperative delirium, but this has not been clearly established in relation to POCD. Both conditions are important since they are associated with a higher mortality and other potential serious long term consequences.
| Born 1970. M.D. at the University of Aarhus, Denmark in January 1998; Specialist (Anaesthesia) May 2006; Ph.D. September 2009 at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark - thesis “Aetiology, Identification and Consequences of Cognitive Dysfunction after Non-cardiac Surgery”. |
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| Postgraduate training | ||
| Anaesthesiology | 9 yrs & 8 months | |
| Surgery | 8 months | |
| Internal medicine | 2 yrs & 10 months | |
| Neonatology | 6 months | |
Currently at Rigshospitalet, Traumacentre (Traumamanager) & Dep Anaesthesia (consultant).
Part time working as physician at the Mobile Emergency Care Unit (Prehospital fast response vehicle) & Helicopter emergency medical system, Capital Region and Sealand.
Teaching
Associate professor at the University of Copenhagen.
Currently supervisor for 6 medical & phd students.
Co-Editor for Emergency Medicine: Free Online recommendations aimed for GP’s and the public. Funded by the Ministry of Health and Prevention www.laegehaandbogen.dk
Around 300 hours of lectures for medical students, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and others
Research
- 28 peer-reviewed publications,
- 21 published editorials, letters and abstracts,
- 9 posters.
- 8 lectures in scientific societies.
- Book chapters:
- ”Fluidtherapy” in “The acute patient” (2. Edition), Munksgaard 2010 and
- „Dementia“ in „5 Minute Anesthesia Consult“ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins – Wolters Kluwer, in press.
- National investigator, EMS responsible in Denmark for the EUROMAX study (European multicentre study of 3680 STEMI patients).
- Reviewer for
- Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica;
- Ugeskrift for læger;
- Journal of Clinical Anesthesia;
- Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management;
- Drug Design, Development and Therapy;
- Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer;
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;
- External expert reviewer of research grant proposal for NHMRC Academy, Australien.