“Impact of age on management and prognosis of resuscitated sudden cardiac death patients”

Abstract

Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) has a great impact on healthcare due to cardiologic and neurological complications. Admissions of elderly people in Cardiology Intensive Care Units have increased. We assessed the impact of age in presentation, therapeutic management and in vital and neurological prognosis of SCD patients. Methods: We carried out a retrospective, observational, multicenter registry of patients who were admitted with a SCD in 5 tertiary hospitals from January 2013 to December 2020. We divided our cohort into two groups (patients 1 at admission, time to CPR initiation > 5 min, time to ROSC > 20 min and lactate > 2 mmol/L were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality. Non-shockable rhythm, Killip class > 1 at admission, time to CPR initiation > 5 min and time to ROSC > 20 min but not age were independent predictors for poor neurological outcomes. Conclusions: Age determined a less aggressive management and it was associated with a worse vital prognosis in patients admitted with a SCD. Nevertheless, age was not associated with worse neurological outcomes.

Keywords

• Sudden cardiac death
• Elderly patients
• Neurological outcomes