Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Sep 2015
ReviewCognitive function, quality of life and mental health in survivors of our-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a review.
There is growing interest in the long-term outcomes of patients surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This paper aims to summarise the available literature on the long-term cognitive, health-related quality of life (QoL) and mental health outcomes of survivors of OHCA. Between 30% and 50% of survivors of OHCA experience cognitive deficits for up to several years post-discharge. ⋯ Carers of survivors of OHCA report high rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, with insufficient social and financial support. The heterogeneous range of instruments used to assess cognitive function and QoL prevent any clear conclusions being drawn from the available literature. The potential biases inherent in this patient population and the interaction between QoL, cognitive performance and mental health warrant further investigation, as does the role of post-discharge support services in improving long-term patient outcomes.