Introduction:
Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH) is an important cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), yet there are no United States (US), European, or Australian prospective studies examining its incidence. A single Japanese prospective study found a high incidence of ICH in survivors of OHCA (18.3% incidence), but that data is not generalizable to the US, which has a far lower overall rate of ICH.
Aim:
This study aims to identify the incidence of ICH in US patients with OHCA who obtain return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).
Methods:
We prospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with OHCA who achieved ROSC at a single US hospital over a 15-month period from 2018-2020. A standardized order set, including non-contrast head computed-tomography (NCH-CT), was recommended as part of the initial management for all patients with ROSC after OHCA. Patient and cardiac arrest variables were recorded, as were NCH-CT findings.
Results:
During the study period, 194 patients presents to the emergency department with OHCA, and 95 patients achieved ROSC and survived to hospital admission. A NCH-CT was obtained in 85/95 patients (89.5%). Twenty-four of 85 patients (28.2%) survived to hospital discharge. Three of 85 patients with NCH-CT had ICH (3.5%). Survival with good neurologic outcome was seen in 14/82 (17.1%) patients without ICH and in 0/3 patients with ICH. Patients with ICH were significantly older than patients without ICH (86.7 years versus 64.4 years, p=0.01).
Conclusions:
In our US cohort, ICH was an uncommon finding in patients who sustained OHCA and survived to hospital admission. The incidence of ICH in survivors of OHCA was 3.5%, lower than previously reported retrospective data in the US, and much lower than reported in a prospective Japanese study. No patients with ICH survived with good neurologic outcome.
Chest Compression Rates during CPR Are Suboptimal: A Prospective Study during In-hospital Cardiac Arrest
