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Aim: A multimodal approach is advised for neurological prognostication in comatose patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Grey-white matter differentiation (grey-white ratio, GWR) obtained from a brain CT scan performed < 24 hours after return of circulation can be part of this approach. The aims of this study were to investigate the frequency and method of reporting the GWR in brain CT scan reports and their association with outcome.Methods: This is a post-hoc descriptive analysis of the COACT trial. The primary endpoint was the reporting of GWR by the radiologist. Secondary endpoints were APACHE IV score, Cerebral Performance Categories at discharge and 90-day follow-up, Glasgow Coma Scale at discharge, GWR-stratified 1-year survival, and RAND-36 stratified by normal versus abnormal GWR. Associations were analysed using multivariable analysis.Results: A total of 427 OHCA patients were included in this study, 234 (55%) of whom underwent a brain CT scan within 24 hours after ROSC. Median time between arrest and initial CT scan was 12 hours. In 195 patients (83%), the GWR was described in the reports, but always expressed qualitatively. The GWR was deemed abnormal in 57 (29%) CT scans. No differences were found in secondary endpoints between the two groups.Conclusion: GWR was frequently described in CT scan reports. Early abnormal GWR, as assessed qualitatively by a radiologist within 24 hours after ROSC, was a poor predictor of neurological prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indications and timing of coronary angiography in patients surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remain controversial. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of an early invasive strategy in patients presenting with an OHCA and no obvious extracardiac cause., Methods: Between January 1st 2009 and December 31st 2014 a total 612 survivors of OHCA were admitted to our institution. Patients with no obvious extracardiac cause (n=507) were stratified into two groups: patients that underwent cardiac catheterization ≤3h (early invasive; n=291) and patients not undergoing cardiac catheterization within 3h (non-early invasive; n=216). Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality at 30days., Results: All-cause 30-day mortality was 28.9% in the early invasive group vs. 36.6% in the non-early invasive group (log-rank p=0.071). After propensity analyses, an early invasive strategy, as compared to a non-early strategy, was not associated with 30-day mortality (adjusted Hazard ratio [HR] 0.69; 95% CI 0.35-1.37; p=0.029). Cox multivariable regression analyses demonstrated age (HR 1.04/year; 95% CI 1.02-1.07) and presentation with cardiogenic shock (HR 5.1; 95% CI 1.8-14.0) to be the sole independent predictors of 30-day mortality., Conclusions: In this retrospective study, early coronary angiography (<3h), as compared to a non-early invasive strategy, was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality in patients hospitalized after OHCA, irrespective of the presence of ST segment elevation or cardiogenic shock at presentation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)