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(Stroke. 2006;37:1792.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Efficacy and Safety of Endovascular Cooling After Cardiac Arrest

Cohort Study and Bayesian Approach

Michael Holzer, MD; Marcus Müllner, MD, MSc; Fritz Sterz, MD; Oliver Robak, MD; Andreas Kliegel, MD; Heidrun Losert, MD; Gottfried Sodeck, MD; Thomas Uray, MD; Andrea Zeiner, MD Anton N. Laggner, MD

From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University Vienna, Austria.

Correspondence to Prof Dr Fritz Sterz, Universitätsklinik für Notfallmedizin, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/6D, 1090 Wien, Austria. E-mail fritz.sterz{at}meduniwien.ac.at

Background and Purpose— Recently 2 randomized trials in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest documented that therapeutic hypothermia improved neurological recovery. The narrow inclusion criteria resulted in an international recommendation to cool only a restricted group of primary cardiac arrest survivors. In this retrospective cohort study we investigated the efficacy and safety of endovascular cooling in unselected survivors of cardiac arrest.

Methods— Consecutive comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, who were either cooled for 24 hours to 33°C with endovascular cooling or treated with standard postresuscitation therapy, were analyzed. Complication data were obtained by retrospective chart review.

Results— Patients in the endovascular cooling group had 2-fold increased odds of survival (67/97 patients versus 466/941 patients; odds ratio 2.28, 95% CI, 1.45 to 3.57; P<0.001). After adjustment for baseline imbalances the odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI, 1.19 to 3.23; P=0.008). When discounting the observational data in a Bayesian analysis by using a sceptical prior the posterior odds ratio was 1.61 (95% credible interval, 1.06 to 2.44). In the endovascular cooling group, 51/97 patients (53%) survived with favorable neurology as compared with 320/941 (34%) in the control group (odds ratio 2.15, 95% CI, 1.38 to 3.35; P=0.0003; adjusted odds ratio 2.56, 1.57 to 4.17). There was no difference in the rate of complications except for bradycardia.

Conclusion— Endovascular cooling improved survival and short-term neurological recovery compared with standard treatment in comatose adult survivors of cardiac arrest. Temperature control was effective and safe with this device.

Key Words: brain • cardiopulmonary resuscitation • heart arrest • hypoxia

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