Long-Term Neurological Outcome of Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients With Nonshockable Rhythms: A Single-Center, Consecutive, Retrospective Observational Study

Background: Data on extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and initially nonshockable rhythms are limited.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term neurological outcomes of ECPR for patients with OHCA and initially nonshockable rhythms.

Methods: In this single-center, consecutive, retrospective, observational study, patients with OHCA and initially nonshockable rhythms who underwent ECPR between January 2012 and December 2017 were included. All patients with refractory cardiopulmonary arrest were transported while undergoing conventional CPR and received ECPR on arrival in the emergency department. We retrospectively collected characteristics at admission and neurological outcomes at the last visit or telephone interview. Cerebral performance category (CPC) scales 1 and 2 were defined as good neurological outcomes and CPC scales 3, 4, and 5 were defined as poor neurological outcomes.

Results: Of the 39 patients included in this study, 32 died in the hospital and only 7 survived. There were 4, 0, 0, 3, and 32 patients with CPC 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The proportion of good neurological outcomes for all patients was 10.3% (95% CI 2.9-24.2%) and 14.3% (95% CI 4.0-32.7%) for patients with pulseless electrical activity. No patients with asystole had a good neurological outcome. Median follow-up period was 1052 days (interquartile range 116-1589 days) for those who survived to discharge.

Conclusions: Approximately 10% of initially nonshockable patients with OHCA, generally considered to be a poor prognosis, could acquire good neurological outcomes when they underwent ECPR with our indications.