Abstract 17: Cognitive, Psychological, and Functional Limitations After Sudden Cardiac Arrest Among a Racially and Ethnically Diverse United States Population

Abstract

Background: To estimate the frequency of post-sudden cardiac arrest survivorship (PSCAS) problems (i.e., cognitive impairment, disability in activities of daily living, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)). Methods: We prospectively enrolled adults with return of spontaneous circulation after in-hospital or out-of-hospital CA between 9/2015-8/2018 at a high-volume, major academic center. A consecutive sample of survivors at hospital discharge and at one-year follow-up able to engage in the Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) or Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), Barthel Index (BI) as a measure of disability, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and PTSD Checklist - Specific (PCL-S) were included. Results: Of 159 patients included, average age was 54±15 years, 41% were women, 30% identified themselves as Latinos and 18% as African-American. There were 14 deaths and 13 lost to follow-up at one-year. As shown in table 1, 1 out of 2 patients at discharge, and 1 out of 4 at one-year had global cognition scores similar to scores for patients with moderate traumatic brain injury and patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. The majority had physical disability at hospital discharge, which showed improvement within one-year. A significant proportion of patients experienced depressive and PTSD symptoms at hospital discharge and the symptoms persisted at one-year. Conclusions: In a racial and ethnically diverse cohort in a major academic center in the US, one or more PSCAS problems were present and persisted in the majority of CA survivors, and co-occurring problems were present in one out of four at one-year. Future studies are needed to understand better the heterogeneous subtypes of PCAS and to identify modifiable risk factors and potential ameliorating factors. Table 1. Estimates of post-sudden cardiac arrest survivorship problems at discharge and one-year