Rate and Predictors of Unanticipated Surgical Evacuation in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Post Hoc Analysis of ATACH 2 Trial

Background: We performed this analysis to identify the rates, predictors, and associated outcomes of unexpected neurosurgical evacuation in a multicenter randomized clinical trial, Antihypertensive Treatment of Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage (ATACH) 2.

Methods: The ATACH 2 trial determined the efficacy of antihypertensive treatment in patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of ≥5 and intraparenchymal hematoma volume of <60 cm³ on initial computed tomographic scan. We determined the proportion of ICH patients requiring unanticipated surgical evacuation and identified baseline factors associated with evacuation.

Results: Among the 992 subjects analyzed, 44 (4.4%) subjects required unanticipated surgical evacuation of hematoma. The proportion of subjects with initial GCS score of 13 or less was significantly higher among those who required surgical evacuation (43.2% vs. 26.8%, P < 0.001). In the logistics regression analysis, hematoma volume ≥18 cm³ (odds ratio, 4.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-8.8) and right-sided hematoma (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-5.9) were significantly associated with surgical evacuation. Age, location, GCS score strata, and allocated treatment (intensive vs. standard systolic blood pressure reduction) were not associated with surgical evacuation. Among the 44 patients who underwent surgical evacuation, death or disability at 3 months postrandomization was seen in 32 (73%) of 44 subjects.

Conclusions: In the large cohort of ATACH 2 subjects with good grade ICH, the rates of unanticipated surgical evacuation were low and were associated with relatively high rates of death or disability at 3 months.