title: One-year follow-up of neurological status of patients after cardiac arrest seen at the emergency room of a teaching hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe neurological status and associated factors of survivors after cardiac arrest, upon discharge, and at 6 and 12 month follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort, prospective, descriptive study conducted in an emergency room. Patients who suffered cardiac arrest and survived were included. A one-year consecutive sample, comprising 285 patients and survivors (n=16) followed up for one year after discharge. Neurological status was assessed by the Cerebral Performance Category before the cardiac arrest, upon discharge, and at 6 and 12 months after discharge. The following factors were investigated: comorbidities, presence of consciousness upon admission, previous cardiac arrest, witnessed cardiac arrest, location, cause and initial rhythm of cardiac arrest, number of cardiac arrests, interval between collapse and start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and between collapse and end of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the patients treated, 4.5% (n=13) survived after 6 and 12 months follow-up. Upon discharge, 50% of patients remained with previous Cerebral Performance Category of the cardiac arrest and 50% had worsening of Cerebral Performance Category. After 6 months, 53.8% remained in the same Cerebral Performance Category and 46.2% improved as compared to discharge. After 12 months, all patients remained in the same Cerebral Performance Category of the previous 6 months. There was no statistically significant association between neurological outcome during follow-up and the variables assessed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was neurological worsening at discharge but improvement or stabilization in the course of a year. There was no association between Cerebral Performance Category and the variables assessed.
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cássia Regina
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Vancini-Campanharo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Luiz
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Vancini
authors.affiliation: Human Physiology and Exercise Department, Faculdade de Educação Física e Dança, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudio Andre Barbosa
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Lira
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Carolina Barbosa Teixeira
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Meiry Fernanda Pinto
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ruth Ester Assayag
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Álvaro Nagib
authors.initials: ÁN
authors.lastname: Atallah
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aécio Flávio Teixeira de
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Góis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003243:Consciousness / Q000145:classification; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult