Speakers
Dr. Sarah SAXENA
Anesthesiologist
Department of Anesthesiology
AZ Sint Jan Brugge-Oostende
Bruges, Belgium
Prof. Dr. Sarah Saxena is a dynamic, young anesthesiologist associated with the Université Libre de Bruxelles, who recently joined the department of Anesthesiology, AZ Sint-Jan, Bruges, Belgium. She is highly active in perioperative neurocognitive research, a subject she presented her PHD thesis in. She has a particular interest in investigating preventative and therapeutic strategies to mitigate perioperative neurocognitive disorders. On a personal level, she is actively involved in improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in anesthesiology.
Post-operative neurocognitive disorders were not key considerations of anesthesiologists in their daily management until the “Recommendations for the nomenclature of cognitive change associated with anesthesia and surgery-2018” (Evered, L et al, 2018) were published in the British Journal of Anesthesia. In this lecture, Prof. Jan P Mulier and Prof. Sarah Saxena will present on the prevention of Post-operative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) in pre- and peri-operative settings, especially in elderly. For instance, how pre-operative checkups and the choice of anesthesia drugs can influence delirium and other post-operative outcomes.
Though the use of opioids was prevalent, recently there are researches showing that prolonged opioid use in elderly can disrupt cognitive function. Among opioid-free anesthetics, the speakers will share particularly their experience with sugammadex on post-operative cognition after elective surgery, followed by their views on the recommendations regarding neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal guidelines to be published by the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) in January 2023.
