Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
Heart rhythm at hospital admission: A factor for survival and neurological outcome among extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) recipients?
Corrected 23 Oct 2026: Measure wording clarified; no values changed.
Authors' conclusion
The rhythm at hospital admission affects ECPR outcomes. Patients presenting with and maintaining ventricular fibrillation have a higher chance of favorable neurological survival, whereas those presenting with or converting to asystole have poor outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Patients who underwent ECPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), January 2012–December 2023196 analysed
- Participants
- 210 patients
- Exposure
- Rhythm at hospital admission in ECPR recipients
- VF/VFn = 67
- Asystole/asystolen = 17
- Outcome
- 30-day survival and neurological outcome
- Follow-up
- 30 days; neurological outcome at discharge
Methodological detailssingle-centre, Median time to ECPR initiation 61 min (IQR 54-72)
- Single-centre
- Median time to ECPR initiation 61 min (IQR 54-72)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
30-day survival · 30 days
Asystole at admissionEstimate (95 % CI)P value
30-day mortality; adjusted for age, sex, initial rhythm, resuscitation time, location, bystander, witnessed status
OR for 30-day mortality 4.03(1.49–12.38)
P = 0.009Worse neurological outcome (CPC 3-5) at discharge; adjusted
OR for Cerebral Performance Category 3-5 4.61(1.49–17.62)
P = 0.013- Survival across rhythm groups (log-rank)
- P < 0.00001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Heart rhythm at hospital admission: A factor for survival and neurological outcome among ECPR recipients? Resuscitation. Published 16 October 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →