Dr. Martin Angst, a Stanford anesthesiology professor, delves into why some surgical patients face cognitive decline while others recover seamlessly. He discusses groundbreaking research following cardiac surgery patients, analyzing blood biomarkers and cognitive performance. Martin emphasizes the importance of personalized pre-surgical assessments and highlights how interventions, like young plasma infusion, might enhance resilience. The insights could lead to improved recovery strategies and better patient outcomes.
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insights INSIGHT
Surgery Reveals Brain Resilience
Surgery acts as a significant biological stress revealing brain resilience or vulnerability.
Understanding why some brains bounce back after major surgery can inform patient care and resilience research.
insights INSIGHT
Surgery as a Human Biology Lab
Surgery provides a unique human model to study biology of healing from injury.
Anesthesiologists are well-positioned to optimize patient recovery and study resilience.
insights INSIGHT
Cognitive Outcomes Vary Widely
Major surgeries can cause measurable cognitive decline but effects vary greatly among patients.
Biological and clinical factors influence which patients are vulnerable or resilient.
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We've all heard stories about someone who went in for surgery and came out...different. A grandmother who struggled with names after hip replacement, or an uncle who seemed foggy for months following cardiac bypass. But why does this happen to some people while others bounce right back?
This week, we explore this question with Dr. Martin Angst, a professor of anesthesiology at Stanford who's studying the biological factors that determine cognitive outcomes after surgery. With support from the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, Martin and his team are following hundreds of cardiac surgery patients, tracking everything from blood biomarkers to cognitive performance both before and after their procedures.
Their findings are revealing fascinating insights about what makes some brains more resilient than others when faced with the significant stress of major surgery - insights that could help physicians better advise patients and potentially lead to interventions that enhance resilience.
This episode was produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios, with sound design by Morgan Honaker. Our logo is by Aimee Garza. The show is hosted by Nicholas Weiler at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and supported in part by the Knight Iniative for Brain Resilience.
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