Comparison of cognitive dysfunction between patients admitted in intensive cardiac care unit and general medical ward in a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Introduction: A substantial decline in cognitive function has been found to be associated with the diagnoses of cardiovascular diseases in the general population. Aims and Objective: To compare the cognitive dysfunctions in patients with heart disease admitted in the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) with that of the patients admitted in general medical wards with heart diseases. Materials and Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study done on a total of 30 patients admitted to ICCU and 30 patients with heart disease admitted in general medical ward of a tertiary care hospital. The tools used were a semi-structured proforma, Hospital anxiety-depression scale, Standardized Mini-Mental Status Examination, and Brief Cognitive Rating Scale. Statistical tests used were Student ‘t’ test and Chi-Square test using SPSS software. Results: Comparison of the two groups illustrates that patients with heart disease admitted in ICCU had greater levels of anxiety (p= 0.00).These two groups differ statistically significantly in all five items of the BCRS-concentration, recent memory, remote memory, orientation, functioning with p= 0.00 in each item and with respect to Orientation to time (p= 0.00), orientation to city (p=0.01) and orientation to floor of building (p=0.00), in Registration. (p= 0.03), Spelling WORLD backward (p=0.00), Recall (p= 0.026), Identifying Wristwatch. (p= 0.039), repeat “No Ifs, and or buts”. (p= 0.0004), Reading. (p= 0.009) using SMMSE. Conclusion: The study has shown that heart disease patients admitted in ICCU have more cognitive impairment compared to those admitted in general medical ward and that early intervention can potentially revert the condition to improve the quality of life in heart disease patients. Keywords: Heart disease, Cognitive impairment, Intensive cardiac care unit.