On delayed verbal learning. Descriptive study in postintensive care syndrome patients after COVID-19 infection in a functional rehabilitation unit in Spain. A pilot study

ABSTRACT

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. In particular, earlier studies describe impairment on verbal learning among PICS patients. Objective(s) To analyse the delayed verbal-learning performance 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). Method(s) 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 Verbal Learning Test-Delayed (VLT-D) 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. Result(s) Mean z-score on VLT-D was -1.02 (S.D. = .96) from the total sample, with 41.2% of cases with significant impairment (mean = -1.97;S.D. = .23). Conclusion(s) These preliminary results show the probable presence of mild-moderate impairment on delayed verbal learning in a relevant proportion of patients, which was already observed in PICS patients with other medical conditions. Longitudinal studies, with larger samples, are needed where the premorbid cognitive level is considered.