Opioid-Free Anesthesia and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction After Minor Urological Surgery: A Case Series Study

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a complication that mainly occurs in adult patients and refers to a new-onset decline in cognitive function after anesthesia and surgery. The literature lacks evidence regarding opioid-free anesthesia and its impact on mental function postoperatively. OBJECTIVES: The effect of opioid-free anesthesia on POCD following urological surgery has not been previously reported. Accordingly, we present a case series of 15 adult patients undergoing transurethral urological surgery under general anesthesia using an opioid-free protocol with dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and lidocaine. METHODS: Patients that underwent simple transurethral elective urological procedures under general opioid-free anesthesia were included. This case series is part of a prospective clinical study regarding opioid-free anesthesia and served as a pilot sample. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) test, performed preoperatively and 12 hours postoperatively, was applied to assess POCD. RESULTS: Fifteen patients with a mean age of 68 years old were included in the study. The opioid-free protocol was associated with non-statistically significant changes of the MMSE test after minor urological procedures. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, an opioid-free protocol of general anesthesia, using a mixture of dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and lidocaine, did not seem to have a negative impact on postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing transurethral urological surgery. Further studies specifically designed to identify this effect are certainly required to further prove such an effect.