Cognitive function three months post cardiac arrest

From a recent study:

Aim

To describe cognitive functioning with neuropsychological tests and examine predictors of cognitive outcome in adult survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of cardiac cause...

Results

45 survivors (4 women) completed the assessment. Neuropsychological tests of fine motor functioning, memory, attention and executive functions were significantly below normative means. Depending on the test, impairment ranged from 9 to 31%. For twenty-five survivors (56%), all cognitive tests were within the normal range. Shorter coma duration and induced hypothermia treatment were associated with favourable cognitive outcomes and explained 45% of the variability in the cognitive composite score. Coma duration was predictive across all cognitive tests, hypothermia treatment of specific tests of memory, attention and executive functioning.

Conclusions

Cognitive outcome was normal in more than half of the survivors. Shorter coma duration and induced hypothermia were associated with favourable cognitive outcomes in the participating survivors three months after OHCA.