Abstract 112: One Year Later: Patient-reported Outcomes Among Survivors of In-hospital Cardiac Arrest in Veterans Administration Hospitals

Abstract

Background: Short term mortality following in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA) is well understood. However, little is known about long term patient-reported outcomes - such as activities of daily living, cognitive function, and depression among survivors of IHCA. Objective: To assess the patient-reported outcomes in IHCA survivors 12-months after cardiac arrest. Methods: Veteran survivors of IHCA (ICD-9-CM codes 99.60, 99.63 or 427.5) who were discharged alive from a U.S. Veterans Administration Medical Center from September 1, 2013 to October 31, 2013 were identified. After confirmation of eligibility by medical record review, they were mailed a research information packet. Those who did not opt-out were contacted by phone two weeks later. Veterans who consented were surveyed by phone or mail. The survey encompassed Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), self-reported depressive symptoms (via the PHQ-9) and an assessment of cognition (via the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS) as used by the Health and Retirement Study). Results: Among 50 IHCA survivors, 37 (74%) completed surveys; survey operations are detailed in another abstract. Among those 37 who completed the survey, answers to all patient-reported outcomes items were obtained from 29 (78%). Respondents’ median age was 66 years old (range 38 to 87) and 95% were male. The survivors self-reported health assessment of their health was poor, with 8% and 40% describing their health as “poor” or fair” respectively, but only 5% saying “very good” and none reporting “excellent”. Similarly, 27% reported having 4 or more health-related difficulties in their basic and instrumental activities of daily living, 24% reported 1-3, and 46% none. On the PHQ-9, 19% had scores consistent with severe depression. Of those tested for cognitive impairment, 32% were at risk for at least some cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Among survivors of IHCA, we found that few patients at 12-months reported an overall sense of good health, and a significant number of patients had high-levels of disability, cognitive impairment and depression. There is an urgent need to understand the epidemiology and trajectory of this poor health, and develop interventions to improve the long term outcomes of IHCA.