On general cognitive functioning. Descriptive study in post-intensive care syndrome patients after COVID-19 infection in a functional rehabilitation unit in Spain. A pilot study

INTRODUCTION: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) is a physical, cognitive, emotional and functional condition resulting from prolonged stays in ICU (Intensive Care Unit). In pathologies with clinical characteristics similar to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, most patients showed cognitive deficits after discharge from ICU. Further studies are needed to explore global cognitive impairment among PICS patients after COVID-19 infection. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the global cognitive functioning in patients with PICS after COVID-19 infection in a Functional Rehabilitation Unit in Madrid (Spain) using the Spanish version of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S). METHODS: This study was conducted in the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja, in Madrid (Spain). A sample of 17 PICS adult patients was included, with age ranging from 56 to 74 years old (mean = 68.35 years; 13 males). Patients were assessed around three weeks after referral from their reference hospital. The total score of the SCIP-S was used as outcome. Descriptive analyses were conducted (mean and standard deviation) on standardized scores (z) based on age-adjusted general population norms. Significant impairment was set at z < -1.5. RESULTS: Mean total z-score on SCIP-S was -1.08 (S.D. = .82) from the total sample, with 52.9% of cases with significant impairment (mean = -1.74; S.D. = .21). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results show the probable presence of mild-moderate global cognitive impairment in a relevant proportion of patients after COVID-19 infection. Longitudinal studies, with larger samples, are needed where the premorbid cognitive level is considered. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships.