Association between post-arrest 12-lead electrocardiographic features and neurologically intact survival for patients of in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Twelve-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) may provide prognostic information for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). This study aimed to identify post-arrest ECG features and their temporal changes associated with IHCA outcomes. This single-center retrospective study included patients experiencing IHCA between 2005 and 2022. Post-arrest ECGs were obtained within 48 h after an IHCA, admission ECGs upon hospital admission, and pre-arrest ECGs within 72 h before an IHCA. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify ECG features associated with neurologically intact survival. A total of 708 patients were included, with 131 (18.5%) achieving neurologically intact survival. The median age was 70.4 years (interquartile range: 59.2-82.6), and 362 (62.7%) patients were male. Four post-arrest ECG features were associated with survival: sinus rhythm (odds ratio [OR]: 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.93), QRS duration between 80 and 120 ms (OR: 1.91, 95% CI 1.19-3.08), low QRS voltage (OR: 0.50, 95% CI 0.25-0.99), and prolonged QTc (OR: 1.89, 95% CI 1.08-3.28). Comparing with admission ECGs, new-onset right bundle branch block (OR: 0.39, 95% CI 0.16-0.95) and increases in the number of leads with ST depression (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.77-0.94) on post-arrest ECGs were inversely associated with survival. Compared with pre-arrest ECGs, increases in the number of leads with ST depression (OR: 0.91, 95% CI 0.88-0.96) on post-arrest ECGs were also inversely associated with survival. Post-arrest ECGs may serve as a valuable prognostic tool for IHCA. Further exploration is warranted to determine whether incorporating these ECG features can enhance the performance of prediction models for IHCA outcomes.