Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study
Predictors of brain death after hanging-induced cardiac arrest
- Retrospective study
- 34 ICUs in France and Belgium
- Logistic multivariate regression
Authors' conclusion
Our findings emphasise the very high rate of brain death after hanging-induced cardiac arrest. In our population, factors associated with brain death after hanging induced cardiac arrest predominantly reflect initial injury severity.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with return of spontaneous circulation from hanging-induced cardiac arrest admitted to ICUs in France and Belgium between 2000 and 2024patients with hanging-induced cardiac arrest, brain imaging on admission in 443 (80.0%)
- Participants
- 554 adults
- Exposure
- Factors associated with progression to brain death
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Progression to brain death · median time of 3 days, and up to 12 days
All patients
169/554 (30.5%)
Patients with brain imaging
142/443 (32.1%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Factors independently associated with progression to brain death (443 patients with brain imaging)
| Comparison | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| female · higher risk | 1.76 (1.06–2.90) | P = 0.03 | |
| asystole as first recorded rhythm · higher risk | 2.03 (1.27–3.29) | P = 0.004 | |
| low-flow time > 30 min · higher risk | 1.84 (1.07–3.17) | P = 0.03 | |
| cerebral oedema and/or ischemic complication on brain CT scan at ICU admission · higher risk | 1.62 (1.01–2.61) | P = 0.04 | |
| age > 50 years · lower risk | 0.59 (0.35–0.98) | P = 0.04 | |
| status myoclonus ≤ day 2 · lower risk | 0.24 (0.09–0.54) | P = 0.001 | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | OR (per point) (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factors independently associated with progression to brain death (443 patients with brain imaging) — total Logistic Organ Dysfunction System Score at day 1 · higher risk | 1.93 (1.14–3.29) | P = 0.02 | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Predictors of brain death after hanging-induced cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. Published 19 February 2026. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111017
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it