PronÓstico de vida a tres meses y factores asociados de pacientes con alteraciÓn del estado mental en emergencia de medicina de un hospital nacional en PerÚ

Objectives. Determine the prognosis at three months and associated factors of patients with altered mental status (AMS). Materials and methods. Cross-sectional study that included patients over 18 years of age admitted to the emergency room in a national hospital, with AMS, within twenty-four hours of onset and that required observation. The demographic, clinical and functional assessment information were taken from the medical record. A follow-up was made at three months by telephone. Results. The study included 290 patients, representing 4.1% of the total patients in the emergency room. Overall mortality was 24.2%, whereas in the subgroup of older adults was 28.1%; 19.3% in adults and 15.2% in young adults. The average age was 63.5 years and the elderly group constituted nearly two thirds of the population. 51% were males. The average hospital stay was 7 days. The most frequently associated causes were infectious diseases (44.1%), neurological (40.3%), respiratory (28.3%), metabolic (18.6%), and cardiovascular (17.2%) disorders. Mortality was associated with a) GCS levels <7 (OR 2.9, p<0.001) and b) functionality score of 5 on the modified Rankin scale (OR 8.2, p=0.03). Conclusions. AMS, present in 4% of emergency admissions, is associated with mortality in one in four people. The predominant cause infectious diseases. The commitment of the functionality was the main predictor of mortality.