Work

The impact of cerebral oxygen saturation monitoring on perioperative neurocognitive disorders: a meta-analysis and economic analysis

Year: 2026

Type: review

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Background Inadequate intraoperative cerebral oxygen supply is one of the inciting causes of postoperative cognitive disturbances. Numerous studies have investigated the association between regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO 2 ) monitoring and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. However, results are inconsistent, owing to differences in surgery type, patient population, and monitoring protocols. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the association between rScO 2 monitoring and the incidence of postoperative neurocognitive disorders. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases from their inception to June 2025 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the impact of rScO 2 monitoring versus no monitoring on cognitive function. The primary outcome was the incidence of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs). Secondary outcomes were the incidences of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and postoperative delirium (POD), as well as the economic indicators of the number needed to treat (NNT) and cost–benefit ratio (CBR). Results A total of 28 RCTs were included. Overall, we found that intraoperative rScO 2 monitoring significantly reduced the incidence risk of PND (relative risk [RR] = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41, 0.54), POCD (RR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.57), and POD (RR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.57). Subgroup analyses based on surgery type (cardiac, orthopedic, abdominal, and others) demonstrated consistent protective effects of monitoring. Sensitivity analyses using leave-one-out analysis, excluding Chinese-language publications, low-quality studies, and studies with a baseline rScO 2 < 80%, confirmed the robustness of results. The economic evaluation showed that rScO 2 monitoring is both clinically beneficial and cost-effective, as reflected in the low NNT values and favorable CBRs, which indicated that the cost of prevention is substantially lower than that of managing complications. Conclusion Intraoperative rScO 2 monitoring significantly reduces the incidence of PND, including POCD and POD. Consistent protective effects were observed across a wide range of surgery types, demonstrating its broad clinical applicability. Furthermore, its favorable cost–benefit profile demonstrated that the prevention of neurocognitive complications has a substantially lower cost than the estimated economic burden of managing these complications. Widespread adoption of rScO 2 monitoring is recommended to improve postoperative cognitive outcomes.

Source: Frontiers in Medicine

DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1677218