Feasibility of Contrasting Brain Connectivity Patterns in Cognitive and Motor Cerebral Networks to Clinical Outcomes in Patients Surviving Acute Respiratory Failure: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of research regarding the feasibility and association of cerebral cortex function to patient outcomes after acute respiratory failure (ARF). PURPOSE To determine the feasibility of functional connectivity measures and examine the association of functional connectivity to a multifaceted battery of outcomes in survivors of ARF. METHODS Eight ARF patients (age:58±3.7, ICU days:10.4±8.6) completed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), cognitive, physical-function, anxiety, depression, and driving simulator tests at one month post-hospital discharge. Pearson's correlations assessed the relationship between functional connectivity within the default mode network (FPN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and frontoparietal network (FPN) to outcomes. RESULTS Low physical-function (r=0.75, p=0.03) and divided-attention (r=-0.86, p=0.03) during the driving simulator task correlated with low FPN connectivity. Low SMN connectivity demonstrated relationships to slower gait speed (r=0.82, p=0.01) and low short physical performance battery (SPPB) scores (r=0.81, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS fMRI is feasible to assess ARF patients' post-ICU limitations, as low post-ARF brain connectivity may be linked to low physical function, providing potential development of therapeutic interventions.