Serum Magnesium Levels and Neurological Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Targeted Temperature Management After Cardiac Arrest.

Introduction: Magnesium plays a neuroprotective role at the physiologic level, but its neuroprotective role in patients undergoing targeted temperature management for cardiac arrest is not well established. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate whether magnesium levels can predict neurological outcomes in patients undergoing targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated data on 86 patients who had undergone targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest between December 2015 and November 2017. The primary outcome was to determine whether magnesium levels predict unfavorable neurological outcomes for patients with return of spontaneous circulation after targeted temperature management. Cerebral Performance Category 3, 4, or 5 indicated unfavorable neurological outcomes. We performed multiple logistic regression to evaluate the primary outcome, adjusting for the time to return of spontaneous circulation, motor score of the Glasgow Coma Scale, first-recorded cardiac rhythm, pH, and magnesium levels.

Results: Of the 86 patients, 58 had unfavorable neurological outcomes. The mean hospital stay was 19 days. Multivariable analysis indicated that magnesium levels were not associated with an unfavorable neurological outcome. In contrast, a time to return of spontaneous circulation greater than 30 minutes and Glasgow Coma Scale motor score of 1 were significantly associated with an unfavorable neurological outcome.

Discussion: Magnesium levels were not associated with an unfavorable neurological outcome according to multivariable analysis. We found that a time to return of spontaneous circulation greater than 30 minutes and Glasgow Coma Scale motor score of 1 might predict an unfavorable neurological outcome.