Cognitive impairment after sudden cardiac arrest.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Psychology

Background:

• Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors may face long-term cognitive deficits.
• Understanding the extent and nature of these impairments is crucial for patient recovery and management.
• Comparison with myocardial infarction (MI) patients without SCA and healthy controls provides essential context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the incidence and severity of cognitive function impairment in SCA survivors versus MI survivors without SCA and healthy subjects.
• To analyze the influence of sociodemographic, clinical parameters, and cardiac arrest duration on cognitive disorders.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 30 SCA survivors, 31 MI survivors without SCA, and 30 healthy controls.
• Cognitive functions assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Digit Span test, Bender's Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, and Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT).
• An original questionnaire was used for overall mental state assessment.

Main Results:

• SCA survivors showed significantly higher incidence and severity of visual-motor skill impairment compared to controls (Bender test).
• BVRT and MMSE indicated increased cognitive impairment in SCA survivors (53.3% and 40% on specific scales) versus controls (32.3% and 12.9%).
• No correlation was found between the duration of cardiac arrest and the severity of cognitive impairment.

Conclusions:

• Individuals after SCA exhibit more frequent and severe impairments in visual-motor skills, short-term visual memory, concentration, and coordination than healthy individuals.
• Memory trace storage and recall after delay are more frequently impaired in SCA patients compared to MI patients without SCA and healthy individuals.
• Cardiac arrest duration does not influence the severity of cognitive impairments observed post-SCA.