Prognosis Post Cardiac Arrest

Prognosis post Cardiac Arrest

GENERAL

- diagnosis of underlying cause of cardiac arrest (overdose vs cerebral metastatic cancer)

- serious co-morbidities

- cooled or not

- inhospital cardiac arrest

NEURO

- assessed at 24-72 hours

- no sedation or neuromuscular blocking agents required (bad sign)

- pupillary response to light (absent -> poor sign)

- best motor response (absent/extensor -> poor sign)

- presence of myoclonic jerks

- biochemical evidence of damage (neurone specific enolase, S-100 neuroprotein)

- electrophysiological evidence of damage (SSEP’s)

CARDIOVASCULAR

- the most important cardiovascular parameter = response to therapy

- downtime (time to return of spontaneous circulation < 10min)

- whether CPR performed & quality of CPR

- shockable (better) or non-shockable rhythm (worse)

- successful revascularisation of STEMI (if underlying cause)

- EF (less -> poor prognostic sign)

Jeremy Fernando (2011)