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Background: No practical tool quantitates the risk of circulatory-etiology death (CED) immediately after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients without ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. We developed and validated a prediction model to rapidly determine that risk and facilitate triage to individualized treatment pathways. Methods: With the use of INTCAR (International Cardiac Arrest Registry), an 87-question data set representing 44 centers in the United States and Europe, patients were classified as having had CED or a combined end point of neurological-etiology death or survival. Demographics and clinical factors were modeled in a derivation cohort, and backward stepwise logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with CED. We demonstrated model performance using area under the curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test in the derivation and validation cohorts, and assigned a simplified point-scoring system. Results: Among 638 patients in the derivation cohort, 121 (18.9%) had CED. The final model included preexisting coronary artery disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; confidence interval [CI], 1.83–4.49; P ≤0.001), nonshockable rhythm (OR, 1.75; CI, 1.10–2.77; P=0.017), initial ejection fractionP =0.002), shock at presentation (OR, 2.27; CI, 1.42–3.62; P25 minutes (OR, 1.42; CI, 0.90–2.23; P=0.13). The derivation model area under the curve was 0.73, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test P=0.47. Outcomes were similar in the 318-patient validation cohort (area under the curve 0.68, Hosmer-Lemeshow test P=0.41). When assigned a point for each associated factor in the derivation model, the average predicted versus observed probability of CED with a CREST score (coronary artery disease, initial heart rhythm, low ejection fraction, shock at the time of admission, and ischemic time >25 minutes) of 0 to 5 was: 7.1% versus 10.2%, 9.5% versus 11%, 22.5% versus 19.6%, 32.4% versus 29.6%, 38.5% versus 30%, and 55.7% versus 50%. Conclusions: The CREST model stratified patients immediately after resuscitation according to risk of a circulatory-etiology death. The tool may allow for estimation of circulatory risk and improve the triage of survivors of cardiac arrest without ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction at the point of care. more...

Background— Target temperature management is recommended as a neuroprotective strategy after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Potential effects of different target temperatures on cognitive impairment commonly described in survivors have not been investigated sufficiently. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether a target temperature of 33°C compared with 36°C was favorable for cognitive function; the secondary aim was to describe cognitive impairment in cardiac arrest survivors in general. Methods and Results— Study sites included 652 cardiac arrest survivors originally randomized and stratified for site to temperature control at 33°C or 36°C within the Target Temperature Management trial. Survival until 180 days after the arrest was 52% (33°C, n=178/328; 36°C, n=164/324). Survivors were invited to a face-to-face follow-up, and 287 cardiac arrest survivors (33°C, n=148/36°C, n=139) were assessed with tests for memory (Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test), executive functions (Frontal Assessment Battery), and attention/mental speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test). A control group of 119 matched patients hospitalized for acute ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction without cardiac arrest performed the same assessments. Half of the cardiac arrest survivors had cognitive impairment, which was mostly mild. Cognitive outcome did not differ ( P >0.30) between the 2 temperature groups (33°C/36°C). Compared with control subjects with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, attention/mental speed was more affected among cardiac arrest patients, but results for memory and executive functioning were similar. Conclusions— Cognitive function was comparable in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest when a temperature of 33°C and 36°C was targeted. Cognitive impairment detected in cardiac arrest survivors was also common in matched control subjects with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction not having had a cardiac arrest. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01946932. more...

Background: Post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) is characterized by systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, which may exacerbate organ failure and may be related to adverse outcome. We sought to investigate the associations between trombomodulin (TM), a marker of endothelial cell injury, and severity of PCAS and the possible prognostic importance in comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). Methods: We included 163 patients, randomly assigned to TTM at 33°C or 36°C for 24 h in the TTM-trial at a single center. Serum TM was analyzed at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours after cardiac arrest and stratified in median value of TM for outcome analysis at each time point to a high or low TM group. Severity of PCAS was assessed daily by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Survival status was recorded at 180 days. Results: Corresponding values of TM and severity of PCAS correlated at each time point, baseline (r=0.31, p=0.0001), 24 h (r=0.52, pinteraction =0.32. At 24 h, the 180-day mortality rate in patients with high TM levels (> 6.9 ng·ml -1 = median) was 42% compared to 18% in patients with low TM levels, p=0.002 (Figure), corresponding to an unadjusted hazard ratio of 2.6 (95%CI: 1.4-4.9), p=0.003. When adjusting for pre-hospital prognostic factors the hazard ratio for high TM levels at 24 h was 1.5 (95%CI: 0.7-3.1), p=0.31, with no significant interaction between level of TM and TTM-group, p=0.74. Analysis of TM at 48 and 72 hours showed similar results. Conclusions: Levels of TM are significantly elevated and associated with severity of PCAS with no effect of target temperature at 33°C or 36°C. High TM levels were associated with increased mortality, but the association was explained by confounding factors. more...

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are life threatening, even in patients admitted to an intensive care unit following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Post cardiac arrest care includes hemodynamic stabilization and targeted temperature management (TTM) and while most patients are stabilized, VA may occur. We assessed the prognosis of OHCA patients with in-hospital VA and whether the number of pre-hospital defibrillations was predictive of in-hospital arrhythmic events. Method: We studied 934 (99%) comatose OHCA survivors from the TTM-trial (year: 2010-13) with available data on VA during the first 2 days of post cardiac arrest care and the number of pre-hospital defibrillation used to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The TTM trial showed no benefit of TTM at 33°C over 36°C in terms of mortality and neurological outcome. Results: The prevalence of VA was 16% and did not differ between the TTM groups (33°C= 82 (17%) vs. 36°C= 67 (15%), p=0.23). Patients with VA had similar 180-day survival rates (VA= 52% vs. no-VA= 53%, plog-rank= 0.63, Figure) and odds of unfavorable neurological outcome (OR=1.04 (0.73-1.48, p=0.83), compared to patients without VA. The number of pre-hospital defibrillations ranged from 0 to >20 and a twofold increase was associated with significantly higher odds of in-hospital VA, both combined (OR= 1.39 (1.22-1.59, p Conclusion: Risk of VA is directly related to the number of pre-hospital defibrillations, which may be of value in predicting patients at risk of arrhythmia. VA occurring during post cardiac arrest care has no significant impact on prognosis, which supports continued active treatment in patients with recurrent VA after OHCA. more...

Introduction: Prolonged time to Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ttROSC) after Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) has consistently been associated with adverse outcome by a plausible direct relation to severity of anoxic injury. Hypothesis: Target temperature management (TTM) is assumed effective against anoxic brain injury and we hypothesized that TTM at 33 degrees would be more beneficial with prolonged time to ROSC compared to 36 degrees. Methods: In a post hoc analysis of the TTM trial, which showed no overall benefit of targeting 33 °C over 36 in 939 patients (NEJM 2013), we investigated the relation of time to ROSC and mortality and neurological outcome as assessed by the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) and Modified Ranking Scale (mRS) after 180 days. Results: Prolonged ttROSC was significantly and independently associated with increased mortality, pinteraction =0.85. In survivors prolonged ttROSC was associated with increased odds of surviving with an unfavorable neurological outcome for CPC (p=0.008 for CPC 3-4) and a similar trend, albeit not statistically significant was observed for mRS (p=0.17, mRS 4-5). Odds for unfavorable neurological outcome (CPC>2, mRS>3) was not modified by levels of TTM overall. Conclusion: Time to ROSC remains a significant prognostic factor in comatose patients resuscitated from OHCA with regards to risk of death and risk of adverse neurological outcome in survivors. TTM at 33 degrees offers no advantage over targeting 36 degrees with regards to mortality or neurological outcome in patients with prolonged time to ROSC. Figure: Mortality rates stratified by quartiles of tome to ROSC and by TTM level. Differences tested by log rank test in between TTM in strata more...