CONGRESS ABSTRACT

Introduction: Average survival following an Out-of-Hospital Cardiac arrest (OHCA) is around 5-10%. Most survivors show a good physical recovery but may be burdened by mental and cognitive difficulties and fatigue, which negatively affect their and their relatives’ quality of life. Recent European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Guidelines on the treatment of OHCA patients recommend a systematic follow-up of survivors, including screening for cognitive and emotional problems, fatigue, and provision of information to patients and their families. There are currently few structured projects aimed at providing long-term psychological support globally. Aims: Our aim is to assess the prevalence of psychological distress, cognitive impairment, fatigue and quality of life in an italian cohort of OHCA patients survivors with a good neurological outcome, defined as CPC (Cerebral Performance Category) score of 1-2 or mRS (modified Rankin Scale) ≤ 3. Material and Methods: OHCA survivors, discharged with a good neurological outcome from one of the 22 Hospitals involved in the Cardiac Arrest Registry of the Lombardy region ("Lombardia CARe" registry), will be enrolled in this multicentric, prospective study. Consented patients will be included and evaluated by a clinical psychologist, in presence or via remote assessment (by telephone or remote health check/telemedicine), using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for the assessment of cognitive deficits, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to screen anxiety and depression, the EQ-5D-5L to assess Quality of Life (QoL) and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) for an assessment of event-related trauma. Assessments will be carried out pre-discharge or within 15 days after discharge, and subsequently at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Established cut-offs will be used to identify clinical issues. Where appropriate, patients will be offered psychological support sessions and, if necessary, they will be referred onward to a community rehabilitation program. Discussion: This will be the first sub-regional study in Italy to estimate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, fatigue and quality of life in a large cohort of OHCA survivors, with the aim of helping them to move beyond mere survival to achieve a comprehensive psycho-physical recovery. As most of the patients are generally discharged from a Cardiology Unit, we believe it is crucial for cardiologists to address this important issue.