Patients playing brain games before a surgery can help postoperative delirium, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.
Researchers at Columbus-based The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center studied how 268 patients responded to playing brain game apps before a surgery. Patients played one hour of games daily before undergoing a surgery requiring general anesthesia.
Patients that played any games at all saw benefits. Researchers said patients "were 40 percent less likely to experience postoperative delirium than those who did not, and the results improved the more hours they played."
Patients who played more than 10 hours of games had a 61 percent reduction in delirium when compared to the control group.