Neuropsychological Outcome following Resuscitation after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A One-Year Follow-Up

Case study: A positive cognitive outcome following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

OBJECTIVE

Time is critical with any out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The possibility of brain cell death increases, and the likelihood of a "good" outcome decreases with time. The most prominent impairments involve memory and attentional difficulties. Limited research and few cases have shown positive cognitive results following an OHCA to the extent that this case study depicts.

METHOD

The current case study presents a right-handed male in his late 40s, with master's and law degrees, and a high-level functioning in the workplace who experienced an OHCA. He was treated for his OHCA and subsequently underwent neuropsychological testing less than 2 months following his hospital discharge.

RESULTS

Expected results suggest impairments in key cognitive areas; however, a neuropsychological exam less than 2-months post-incident, testing pre-morbid IQ, overall cognitive ability, processing speed, attention, executive functioning, language, visuospatial abilities, and memory; each showing normal or better results. Additionally, self and collateral report questionnaires examining cognitive and emotional functioning reported no difficulties and no major changes since his cardiac arrest.

CONCLUSIONS

We speculate that this patient's exceptional outcome might be due to his cognitive reserve, and the immediateness of his intervention (5-10 min of CPR and return-of-spontaneous-circulation from an AED shock) and use of a saline cooling procedure upon arrival to the hospital. Overall, we highlight a patient with a remarkable cognitive outcome, utilizing data from neuropsychological testing within 2-months post-incident, and propose protective factors in neuropsychological functioning following an OHCA.

Neuropsychological recovery during the first 12 months after severe traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal study with monthly assessments

Neuropsychologists are commonly asked practical questions about cognitive recovery in the first year following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), however guiding evidence to provide answers is limited. The design of this longitudinal study rectifies methodological problems in the literature by taking serial assessments on a monthly basis from 3- to 12-months post-trauma in a severe TBI sample (n = 23), and using four alternate forms of a brief yet sensitive cognitive assessment battery. Fifteen variables sampling seven cognitive domains were used: orientation, attention, processing speed, executive function, memory, language and visuospatial function. A matched control group (n = 23) was used to establish equivalence of the four alternate forms (no statistically significant differences), document practice effects (no statistically significant differences), and provide a comparison standard of cognitive functioning against which to interpret the TBI recovery curves. Twenty-one of 23 consenting TBI participants continued with the serial assessments. Hierarchical growth model analyses typically revealed linear recovery trajectories over the first 12 months. However, by 12-months post-trauma, a significant proportion (up to 36%) had residual mild to severe impairments in various cognitive domains. These results provide detailed information about patterns of cognitive recovery that also have direct clinical application.