AI Summary
Approximately 300 million adults undergo non-cardiac surgery yearly, resulting in a significant number of stroke cases. Perioperative stroke has a high mortality rate and often leads to severe disability. Covert brain infarctions, more common than overt strokes, contribute to postoperative delirium, cognitive decline, and future cerebrovascular events. Older age, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and especially prior strokes are significant risk factors for perioperative stroke.
About 300 million adults undergo non-cardiac surgery annually. Although, in this setting, the incidence of perioperative stroke is low, the absolute number of patients experiencing a stroke is substantial. Furthermore, most patients with this complication will die or end up with severe disability. Covert brain infarctions are more frequent than overt strokes and are associated with postoperative delirium, cognitive decline, and cerebrovascular events at 1 year after surgery. Evidence shows that traditional stroke risk factors including older age, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation are also associated with perioperative stroke; previous stroke is the strongest risk factor for perioperative stroke.