The effects of cognitive impairment on mortality among hospitalized patients with heart failure

Purpose Cognitive impairment is a common, potentially reversible condition among older patients with heart failure. Because cerebral metabolic abnormalities have been associated with reduced survival in younger patients with advanced heart failure, we assessed the effect of cognitive impairment on the survival of older patients with heart failure. Methods The association between cognitive dysfunction and in-hospital mortality was assessed in 1113 patients (mean [± SD] age, 78 ± 9 years) who had been admitted for heart failure to 81 hospitals throughout Italy. One-year mortality was assessed in 968 patients with heart failure (age, 76 ± 10 years) participating in the same study. Cognitive impairment was defined as a Hodkinson Abbreviated Mental Test score <7. Results In-hospital death occurred in 65 (18%) of the 357 participants with cognitive impairment and in 26 (3%) of the 756 patients with normal cognition (P <0.0001). Out-of-hospital mortality was 27% (51/191) among patients with cognitive impairment and 15% (115/777) among other participants (P <0.0001). In multivariate Cox regression models, decreasing levels of cognitive functioning were associated with increasing in-hospital mortality; cognitive impairment was associated with an almost fivefold increase in mortality (relative risk = 4.9; 95% confidence interval: 2.9 to 8.3) after adjusting for several potential confounders. Conclusion Cognitive impairment is an independent prognostic marker in older patients with heart failure. Assessment of cognitive functioning, even by simple screening tests, should be part of the routine assessment of elderly patients with heart failure.