RÉSUMÉ
SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To compare the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tests for the identification of cognitive deficit (CD) in elderly patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with an observational design involving 43 elderly patients with HF of both sexes, treated by the Unified Health System, who were able to understand and follow the study instructions. A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the MMSE and MoCA neurocognitive tests were applied. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 67 years; 67.44% were male; 53.49% were white; 58.14% had 1-4 years of schooling; 58.14% had an income of half to one minimum wage; 55.81% were married; 53.49% had a family history of HF; 90.7% denied smoking; 83.72% denied alcohol intake; 65.12% did not practice physical activity; 83.72% were hypertensive; 30.23% were diabetic; 57.89% had LVEF ≥ 50%; 39.53% have NYHA II; and 88.37% did not have a pacemaker. In the identification of CD, the MMSE test detected it in 25.58% of the patients, while the MoCA test identified it in 23.26% (p=0.043). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the MMSE test performed better than the MoCA test in the identification of CD in elderly patients with HF.