Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 117251
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.117251
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.117251
Goal-directed fluid therapy and cognitive outcomes in elderly surgical patients with anxiety and depression
Hui Li, Lei Han, Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Beijing 100039, China
Jin-Liang Teng, Li Yuan, Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, Hebei Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Li Yuan and Lei Han.
Author contributions: Li H performed the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript; Li H and Teng JL collected and organized the clinical data; Li H and Han L conceived and designed the study; Teng JL and Yuan L critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; Yuan L and Han L supervised the study design and methodology as co-corresponding authors; Han L provided overall project supervision; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
AI contribution statement: AI-assisted tools (ChatGPT and DeepSeek) were used solely for language translation and linguistic refinement to improve the clarity and readability of the manuscript. These tools did not contribute to the generation of scientific ideas, research content, data analysis, image creation, or any experimental or computational procedures. All study design, data collection, data interpretation, and scientific conclusions were completed entirely by the authors.
Supported by the Zhangjiakou Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, No. 2311041D.
Institutional review board statement: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, No. K2023137.
Informed consent statement: This was a retrospective cohort study based on anonymized clinical data. The requirement for written informed consent was waived by the Medical Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Lei Han, Chief Physician, Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, No. 3 Yongding Road East Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100039, China. lee91192025@163.com
Received: December 9, 2025
Revised: January 16, 2026
Accepted: March 24, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 6.8 Hours
Revised: January 16, 2026
Accepted: March 24, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 6.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study demonstrates that goal-directed fluid therapy significantly improves perioperative cerebral oxygen supply-demand balance and reduces postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly surgical patients. The protective effect is especially strong in patients with preoperative anxiety and depression, a high-risk population with impaired cerebrovascular regulation and altered oxygen metabolism. By stabilizing hemodynamics and preserving regional cerebral oxygen saturation, goal-directed fluid therapy promotes both cognitive recovery and improvements in psychological status, highlighting its value for precision perioperative brain protection.