Playing video games before major surgery prevents delirium and helps speed up recovery, study finds

Exercising your brain by playing video games before major surgery can prevent delirium and help speed up the recovery process, scientists claim. Researchers from Ohio State College of Medicine gave a tablet with a brain game application to 268 patients over the age of 60 scheduled to have major surgery. Patients were asked to play brain games - a practice called'neurobics' - for an hour per day before major surgery as part of the study - and experts found it reduced the risk of postoperative delirium in those who played regularly by over 60 per cent. Doctors already recommend prehabilitation techniques for patients due to undergo surgery - but usually in the form of exercise and a healthy diet to help the body. None of the existing prehabilitation techniques address postoperative delirium, according to Ohio researchers - a condition that can slow down recovery.