BACKGROUND

Immediate cardiac catheterisation (CC) is recommended in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) following sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Guidelines advise urgent CC for SCA patients without-STEMI, at clinician discretion. We examined the clinical and angiographic factors predicting mortality in SCA patients having CC.

METHODS

Consecutive SCA patients having CC at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney (January 2011-September 2015) were retrospectively analysed. Patient data were retrieved from hospital records, and angiographic SYNTAX scores (SS) were quantified online. Independent predictors of mortality were derived using multivariate logistic analysis.

RESULTS

The study cohort comprised 104 SCA patients; mean age 61±12years, and 79% male. Immediate CC (<2hours post-SCA) was performed in 35% overall. Compared to the without-STEMI subgroup, STEMI patients had more ventricular fibrillation (91 vs 50%; p<0.0001), and higher mean peak serum high-sensitivity troponin-T (8.25±14.7 vs 1.97±6.13 ug/L; p=0.006); in the context of higher median SS (18 vs 6.5; p=0.002) and target-lesion SS (tSS, 10 vs 0; p<0.001). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; 75 vs 23%; p<0.0001) and target vessel revascularisation (11 vs 0%; p=0.005) were more frequent for STEMI. All-cause mortality was 39%, at 1.3±1.5years follow-up. Independent mortality predictors were: delayed CC (HR 4.08), serum lactate >7mmol/L (HR 3.47), and tSS (HR 1.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated serum lactate, tSS, and delayed CC, were predictive of longer-term mortality in SCA patients having CC. Late CC in patients without-STEMI suggest scope for improvement in real-world systems of care. Closer scrutiny of target lesion complexity may aid prognostication in SCA survivors.