Cardiothoracic & vascular anaesthesia
The effect of near-infrared spectroscopy guided intraoperative care on neurocognitive and functional outcomes after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Pooled result · Early postoperative cognitive declineResult — go to the resultRelative risk 0.65 95% CI 0.42–0.99Authors' conclusion
Although NIRS-guided intraoperative care shows promise for reducing early postoperative cognitive decline after cardiac surgery, evidence of benefit for other neurocognitive or clinical outcomes remains limited.
Study context
- Population
- Adults undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery
- Participants
- 2,288 adults · 17 RCTs
- Comparison
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-guided intraoperative management vs usual care
- Outcome
- Early postoperative cognitive decline
Methodological detailsrandom-effects meta-analysis, GRADE certainty assessment, Mostly small, single-centre trials with heterogeneous NIRS thresholds and algorithms; few outcomes beyond 30 days; none assessed validated quality of life or function
- Random-effects meta-analysis
- GRADE certainty assessment
- Mostly small, single-centre trials with heterogeneous NIRS thresholds and algorithms; few outcomes beyond 30 days; none assessed validated quality of life or function
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Relative risk
0.65
95% CI 0.42–0.99
NIRS-guided vs Usual care
RR 0.65 (95% CI 0.42–0.99)
Further pooled results
| Outcome | RR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| StrokeLow certainty | 0.89 (0.42–1.91) | |
| MortalityLow certainty | 0.84 (0.47–1.52) | |
| DeliriumI2=32%, low certainty | 0.78 (0.56–1.09) | |
| 0.512Relative risk (log scale) |
Original publication
The effect of near-infrared spectroscopy guided intraoperative care on neurocognitive and functional outcomes after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Anaesth. Published 22 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →