Impact of Advanced Cardiac Life Support Medications on Discharge Neurological Function for Survivors of Cardiac Arrest When Using ECPR.

BACKGROUND: While the immediate goal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to achieve return of spontaneous circulation, the patient-centered goal is to minimize neurological injury. Several medications used during cardiac arrest have been associated with poor neurological outcomes. For patients cannulated for veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during cardiac arrest, termed extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the patient-centered impact of these medications has not yet been described.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry-based analysis. The primary outcome was cerebral performance category (CPC) score at hospital discharge. Cumulative odds models assessed the association between either (1) binary receipt of a medication or (2) the number of epinephrine milligrams given, and CPC score. The model reports the probability of having a score lower than each CPC level. To minimize bias in the receipt of advanced cardiovascular life support drugs, we used inverse probability treatment weights.

RESULTS: Antiarrhythmics were associated with better neurological outcomes (amiodarone: CPC ≤ 1 [odds ratio [OR], 1.28 [95% CI, 1.00-1.65]; P=0.048] and CPC ≤ 2 [OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.06-1.78]; P=0.015]; lidocaine: CPC ≤ 1 [OR, 1.69 [95% CI, 1.32-2.17]; P<0.001], CPC ≤ 2 [OR, 1.82 [95% CI, 1.39-2.38]; P<0.001], CPC ≤ 3 [OR, 1.76 [95% CI, 1.30-2.40]; P<0.001]). Intraarrest sodium bicarbonate administration resulted in a lower likelihood of a CPC < 2 to 3 (CPC ≤ 2 [OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.49-0.81]; P<0.001], CPC ≤ 3 [OR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.49-0.86]; P=0.003]). There was no significant difference in CPC score among adults who received intraarrest calcium. The unweighted cumulative effects model demonstrated a dose-dependent increasing relationship between epinephrine doses and harm for all CPC levels (OR, 0.89-0.94; P<0.001 for all).

CONCLUSIONS: Our data support that increasing doses of epinephrine and nonantiarrhythmic advanced cardiovascular life support medications both worsen the probability of neurologically intact survival for patients who undergo extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.