Assessment of early cognitive recovery after surgery using the Post-operative Quality of Recovery Scale

Background Cognitive problems early after surgery are often considered transient in nature. Neuropsychological performance and its relation to other recovery parameters have rarely been systematically assessed during this period. Methods A subanalysis of the Post-operative Quality of Recovery Scale (PQRS) feasibility study included patients who completed the PQRS on day 3, and were categorised as recovered or not recovered in the cognitive domain using the revised scoring method. Results Of the 449 patients included in this paper, 388 (86.4%) recovered in the cognitive domain and 61 (13.6%) had not recovered at 3 days. Cognitive recovery in the early post-operative time points up to day 1 was significantly lower in patients who had not recovered at day 3 (P