Heart rate and diastolic arterial pressure in cardiac arrest patients: A nationwide, multicenter prospective registry

Background Guidelines have recommended monitoring mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) in cardiac arrest patients, but there has been relatively little regard for diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and heart rate (HR). We aimed to determine the prognostic significance of hemodynamic parameters at all time points during targeted temperature management (TTM). Methods We reviewed the SAP, DAP, MAP, and HR data in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors from the prospective multicenter registry of 22 teaching hospitals. This study included 1371 patients who underwent TTM among 10,258 cardiac arrest patients. The hemodynamic parameters were recorded every 6 hours from the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) to 4 days. The risks of those according to time points during TTM were compared. Results Of the included patients, 943 (68.8%) had poor neurological outcomes. The predictive ability of DAP surpassed that of SAP and MAP at all time points, and among the hemodynamic variables HR/DAP was the best predictor of the poor outcome. The risks in patients with DAP < 55 to 70 mmHg and HR > 70 to 100 beats/min were steeply increased for 2 days after ROSC and correlated with the poor outcome at all time points. Bradycardia showed lower risks only at 6 hours to 24 hours after ROSC. Conclusion Hemodynamic parameters should be intensively monitored especially for 2 days after ROSC because cardiac arrest patients may be vulnerable to hemodynamic instability during TTM. Monitoring HR/DAP can help access the risks in cardiac arrest patients.

Automated summary

This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of hemodynamic parameters at all time points during targeted temperature management (TTM) in cardiac arrest patients. The results showed that diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) was a better predictor of poor outcome than systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Patients with DAP < 55 to 70 mmHg and heart rate (HR) > 70 to 100 beats/min had increased risks for poor outcome for 2 days after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Monitoring HR/DAP can help assess the risks in cardiac arrest patients.