title: Prolonged cognitive dysfunction in survivors of critical illness.
abstract: A prospective study using neuropsychological testing explored cognitive performance, and specifically executive function, in survivors of critical illness during the first year of recovery. Fifty-one patients who had survived 3 days or more in the intensive care unit were studied approximately 3 months after discharge; 45 of them were studied again 6 months later. General health was assessed using the Short-Form 36. Cognitive and executive functions were measured using Raven's Progressive Matrices, the Hayling Sentence completion test and the Six-Element Test. Three months after discharge from intensive care, all eight domains of Short-Form 36 were impaired among survivors; by 9 months, four of the eight domains showed significant improvement. At 3 months, 35% of patients scored at or below a level equivalent to the lowest performing 5% of a normal population (i.e. the fifth percentile) on two or more tests of cognitive function; by 9 months only 4% of patients were impaired to this extent. Although cognitive performance improved with time, it remained below normal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hammersmith Hospital, Ducane Road, London W12 0HS, UK.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Sukantarat
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: R C N
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Brett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*