Question

A 60 year old man had undergone cardiac bypass surgery 2 days back. Now he started forgetting things and was not able to recall the names and phone numbers of his relatives. What is the probable diagnosis?

• A. Depression
• B. Post-traumatic psychosis
• C. Cognitive dysfunction
• D. Alzheimer's disease

Hint:

Acute memory loss days after bypass surgery equals post-operative cognitive dysfunction.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Note the timeline. The memory problems appeared just 2 days after coronary artery bypass surgery, an acute post-operative onset.
Step 2: Recognise the syndrome. Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a well known complication after cardiac bypass, with impaired memory, attention and recall. It is linked to anaesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass, microemboli and cerebral hypoperfusion, and is common in older patients.
Step 3: Match the picture. Recent memory failure (forgetting relatives' names and numbers) appearing acutely after bypass fits cognitive dysfunction precisely.
Step 4: Exclude the others. Alzheimer's disease develops insidiously over years, not over 2 days, so the sudden post-op onset rules it out. Depression can cause poor concentration but is not the best fit for acute isolated memory loss after surgery. Post-traumatic psychosis would feature delusions or hallucinations, which are absent.
Step 5: Therefore the answer is cognitive dysfunction.
Answer: Cognitive dysfunction.