Implementation of a standardised treatment protocol for post resuscitation care after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND: Mortality among patients admitted to hospital after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is high. Based on recent scientific evidence with a main goal of improving survival, we introduced and implemented a standardised post resuscitation protocol focusing on vital organ function including therapeutic hypothermia, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), control of haemodynamics, blood glucose, ventilation and seizures. METHODS: All patients with OHCA of cardiac aetiology admitted to the ICU from September 2003 to May 2005 (intervention period) were included in a prospective, observational study and compared to controls from February 1996 to February 1998. RESULTS: In the control period 15/58 (26%) survived to hospital discharge with a favourable neurological outcome versus 34 of 61 (56%) in the intervention period (OR 3.61, CI 1.66-7.84, p=0.001). All survivors with a favourable neurological outcome in both groups were still alive 1 year after discharge. Two patients from the control period were revascularised with thrombolytics versus 30 (49%) receiving PCI treatment in the intervention period (47 patients (77%) underwent cardiac angiography). Therapeutic hypothermia was not used in the control period, but 40 of 52 (77%) comatose patients received this treatment in the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: Discharge rate from hospital, neurological outcome and 1-year survival improved after standardisation of post resuscitation care. Based on a multivariate logistic analysis, hospital treatment in the intervention period was the most important independent predictor of survival.