Background:
Emerging data have supported a strategy of earlier access to cardiac catheterization in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, there are as yet no randomized controlled trials (RCT) addressing the issue, and the impact of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on outcome is unclear in the absence of STEMI. We report here the characteristics and outcomes of patients with OHCA without STEMI undergoing coronary angiography (CA) with PCI vs. no PCI, in contrast to patients not undergoing CA.
Methods:
Single center, retrospective study of 195 patients with OHCA without STEMI between July 2007 and April 2014. Patients were categorized into CA vs. no CA (control), and among those undergoing CA we compared those treated with PCI vs. no PCI. Mortality was assessed along with key relevant clinical and angiographic variables in each group (Table).
Results:
195 cases with OHCA without STEMI were reviewed, among which 102 (52%) did not undergo CA. 93 (48%) patients underwent CA, of which 21 (23%) underwent PCI, whereas 72 (77%) did not require PCI. Acute culprit lesion was identified in only 19 out of 93 (20.4%) Inpatient mortality was similar in those undergoing PCI vs. no PCI (19% vs. 14%, p=0.56). Patients that did not undergo CA had a significantly worse mortality, in comparison to patients undergoing CA (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
In this series of consecutive patients with OHCA without STEMI, culprit lesions were uncommon when CA was performed. Overall outcomes in patients receiving CA were better than in those not receiving CA, likely reflecting referral bias based on disease severity. However, successful PCI in patients with obstructive CAD and culprit lesions was not associated with improved inpatient survival. These findings emphasize the need for RCTs to guide the need for CA and/or PCI in these patients.