Post-discharge outcomes after resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A ROC PRIMED substudy.

Importance: Assessment of morbidity is an important component of evaluating interventions for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Objective: We evaluated among survivors of OHCA cognition, functional status, health-related quality of life and depression as functions of patient and emergency medical services (EMS) factors.

Design: Prospective cohort sub-study of a randomized trial.

Setting: The parent trial studied two comparisons in persons with non-traumatic OHCA treated by EMS personnel participating in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium.

Participants: Consenting survivors to discharge.

Main Outcome Measures: Telephone assessments up to 6 months after discharge included neurologic function (modified Rankin score, MRS), cognitive impairment (Adult Lifestyle and Function Mini Mental Status Examination, ALFI-MMSE), health-related quality of life (Health Utilities Index Mark 3, HUI3) and depression (Telephone Geriatric Depression Scale, T-GDS).

Results: Of 15,794 patients enrolled in the parent trial, 729 (56% of survivors) consented. About 644 respondents (88% of consented) completed ≥ 1 assessment. Likelihood of assessment was associated with baseline characteristics and study site. Most respondents had MRS ≤ 3 (82.7%), no cognitive impairment (82.7% ALFI-MMSE ≥ 17), no severe impairment in health (71.6%, HUI3 ≥ 0.7) and no depression (90.1% T-GDS≤10). Outcomes did not differ by trial intervention or time from hospital discharge.

Conclusions And Relevance: The majority of patients in this large cohort who survived cardiac arrest and were interviewed had no, mild or moderate health impairment. Concern about poor quality of life is not a valid reason to abandon efforts to improve an EMS system's response to cardiac arrest.