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Mini-cog performance: novel marker of post discharge risk among patients hospitalized for heart failure
Apurva Patel1, Roosha Parikh1, Erik H Howell1
1From the Department of Internal Medicine, Medicine Institute (A.P., R.P., E.H.H.), Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, Tomsich Family Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart and Vascular Institute (E.H., E.Z.G.), and Center for Connected Care (E.Z.G.), Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ (S.H.L.); and Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, Red Bank, NJ (S.H.L.).
Insights
Cognitive impairment (CI) in heart failure (HF) patients, identified by the Mini-Cog, predicts higher readmission and mortality risk. Discharging HF patients with CI to a facility may offer protection compared to home discharge.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Geriatrics
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Current heart failure (HF) guidelines recommend screening for cognitive impairment (CI) but lack specific methods.
- The Mini-Cog, an ultrashort cognitive assessment tool, has not been evaluated in HF patients post-hospitalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if CI, measured by the Mini-Cog, correlates with increased risk of readmission or mortality after HF hospitalization.
- To determine the predictive value of Mini-Cog performance for post-discharge outcomes in HF patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 720 HF patients who underwent Mini-Cog screening during hospitalization.
- Primary outcome: time to first readmission or mortality post-discharge.
- Utilized random survival forest analysis to identify key predictors among 55 variables.
Main Results:
- A significant prevalence of CI (23%) was found using the Mini-Cog.
- Poor Mini-Cog performance independently predicted a composite outcome of readmission or mortality (aHR=1.90).
- Mini-Cog inclusion improved risk model accuracy and reclassification, demonstrating its clinical utility.
Conclusions:
- Mini-Cog performance serves as a novel and significant marker for post-hospitalization risk in HF patients.
- Discharging HF patients with CI to a facility, rather than home, may be a protective strategy.
- Further research is needed to explore structured in-home support for HF patients with CI.
Background:
Heart failure (HF) guidelines recommend screening for cognitive impairment (CI) but do not identify how. The Mini-Cog is an ultrashort cognitive "vital signs" measure that has not been studied in patients hospitalized for HF. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether CI as assessed by the Mini-Cog is associated with increased readmission or mortality risk after hospitalization for HF.
Methods And Results:
We analyzed 720 consecutive patients who completed the Mini-Cog as a part of routine clinical care during hospitalization for HF. Our primary outcome was time between hospital discharge and first occurrence of readmission or mortality. There was a high prevalence of CI as quantified by Mini-Cog performance (23% of cohort). During a mean follow-up time of 6 months, 342 (48%) patients were readmitted, and 24 (3%) died. Poor Mini-Cog performance was an independent predictor of composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-2.44; P<0.0001) and was identified as the most important predictor among 55 variables by random survival forest analysis. Inclusion of Mini-Cog performance in risk models improved accuracy (bootstrapped c-index, 0.602 versus 0.624) and risk reclassification (category-free net reclassification improvement, 27%; 95% confidence interval, 14%-40%; P<0.001). Secondary analysis of initial 30 days post discharge showed effect modification by venue of discharge, whereby patients with CI discharged to a facility had longer time to outcome as compared with those discharged home.
Conclusions:
Mini-Cog performance is a novel marker of posthospitalization risk. Discharge to facility rather than home may be protective for those patients with HF and CI. It is unknown whether structured in-home support would yield similar outcomes.
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