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Coronary artery bypass grafting has been associated with cognitive decline in some studies, but most have not included a control group. Investigators at Johns Hopkins collected serial measurements on neuropsychological tests in 152 patients who underwent CABG and in 92 patients with coronary artery disease who were treated nonsurgically; tests were administered at baseline and at 12 and 72 months of follow-up.
CABG recipients were slightly younger and were significantly more likely than controls to be hypertensive, to have peripheral vascular disease, and to smoke. CABG recipients also had a significantly higher mean number of diseased vessels as determined by cardiac catheterization. Mild cognitive decline was seen at 72 months in both the …