title: Impact of percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting on outcome after nonfatal cardiac arrest outside the hospital.
abstract: Survivors of cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmias are at risk for recurrent events. The role of revascularization in secondary prevention for survivors of cardiac arrest has been addressed in various studies with conflicting results. A total of 142 survivors of cardiac arrest with coronary artery disease were evaluated according to a standardized protocol, including 2-dimensional echocardiography, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, coronary angiography, and electrophysiologic testing. Revascularization of scintigraphically documented ischemic myocardial regions was performed in 44 patients (31%). Final therapy was based on the results of electrophysiologic testing. Four-year survival rates were 100% for revascularized noninducible patients, 84% for revascularized inducible patients, 91% for nonrevascularized noninducible patients, and 72% for nonrevascularized inducible patients. Only 1 patient (<1% of study population) died suddenly. Recurrences were much more frequent in patients without revascularization (38% vs 7%, p <0.001) and the recurrence rate was 0% in the revascularized noninducible patients. Thus, revascularization of ischemically jeopardized myocardium in survivors of cardiac arrest resulted in excellent survival; moreover, in absence of inducible ventricular arrhythmias, the recurrence rate was 0%. Systematic evaluation of survivors of cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmias allows risk stratification and guidance of subsequent antiarrhythmic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alida E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Borger van der Burg
authors.forename: Jeroen J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bax
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boersma
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bootsma
authors.forename: Lieselot
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Erven
authors.forename: Ernst E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: van der Wall
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schalij
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004452:Echocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012008:Recurrence; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome