Intraoperative Electroencephalography Alpha-Band Power Is a Better Proxy for Preoperative Low MoCA Under Propofol Compared With Sevoflurane

BACKGROUND:

Preoperative abnormal cognitive status is a risk factor for postoperative complications yet remains underdiagnosed. During propofol general anesthesia, intraoperative electroencephalography (EEG) variables, such as alpha band power (α-BP), correlate with cognitive status. This relationship under sevoflurane is unclear. We investigated whether EEG biomarkers of poor cognitive status found under propofol could be extended to sevoflurane.

METHODS:

In this monocentric prospective observational study, 106 patients with intraoperative EEG monitoring were included (propofol/sevoflurane = 55/51). We administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale to identify abnormal cognition (low MoCA) 1 day before intervention. EEG variables included delta to beta frequency band powers. Results were adjusted to age and drug dosage. We assessed depth of anesthesia (DoA) using the spectral edge frequency (SEF₉₅) and maintained it within (8–13) Hz.

RESULTS:

The difference in α-BP between low and normal MoCA patients was significantly larger among propofol patients (propofol: 4.3 ± 4.8 dB versus sevoflurane: 1.5 ± 3.4 dB, P = .022). SEF₉₅ and age were not statistically different between sevoflurane and propofol groups. After adjusting to age and dose, low α-BP was significantly associated with low MoCA under propofol (odds ratio [OR] [confidence interval {CI}] = 0.39 [0.16–0.94], P = .034), but not under sevoflurane, where theta-band power was significantly associated with low MoCA (OR [CI] = 0.31 [0.13–0.73], P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS:

We suggest that intraoperative EEG biomarkers of abnormal cognition differ between propofol and sevoflurane under general anesthesia.