Predictors of Long-term Survival After Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest: the Impact of Activities of Daily Living and Cerebral Performance Category Scores

Background: Current focus on immediate survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has diverted attention away from the variables potentially affecting long-term survival.

Aim: To determine the relationship between neurological and functional status at hospital discharge and long-term survival after OHCA.

Methods: Prospective data collection for all OHCA patients aged >18 years in the Jerusalem district (n=1043, 2008-2009).

Primary Outcome Measure: Length of survival after OHCA. Potential predictors: Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scores at hospital discharge, age and sex.

Results: There were 52/279 (18.6%) survivors to hospital discharge. Fourteen were discharged on mechanical ventilation (27%). Interviews with survivors and/or their legal guardians were sought 2.8±0.6 years post-arrest. Eighteen died before long-term follow-up (median survival 126 days, IQR 94-740). Six improved their ADL and CPC scores between discharge and follow-up. Long-term survival was positively related with lower CPC scores (p=0.002) and less deterioration in ADL from before the arrest to hospital discharge (p=0.001). For each point increment in ADL at hospital discharge, the hazard ratio of death was 1.31 (95%CI 1.12, 1.53, p=0.001); this remained unchanged after adjustment for age and sex (HR 1.26, 95%CI 0.07, 1.48, p=0.005).

Conclusions: One-third of the patients discharged from hospital after OHCA died within 30 months of the event. Long-term survival was associated both with better neurological and functional level at hospital discharge and a smaller decrease in functional limitation from before to after the arrest, yet some patients with a poor neurological outcome survived prolonged periods after hospital discharge.