Key result
Age ≥75 linked to ~3-fold greater risk of death and poor neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest.
Why the study?
Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death worldwide, and as the population ages, research focusing on cardiac arrest in the elderly is increasingly needed.
Does age ≥ 75 years worsen mortality and neurological outcomes in ICU-treated cardiac arrest patients compared to younger patients?
Cohort (n=1,285)
No
Does age ≥ 75 years worsen mortality and neurological outcomes in ICU-treated cardiac arrest patients compared to younger patients?
Odds Ratio: 3.27 (95% CI 2.12–5.03)
Absolute Event Rate: 76% vs 53%
p-value: p=<0.001
Elderly patients (≥75 years) treated for cardiac arrest in the ICU have significantly higher mortality, worse neurological outcomes, and lower cost-effectiveness compared to younger patients.
Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death worldwide. As population ages, the need for research focusing on CA in elderly increases. This study investigated treatment intensity, 12-month neurological outcome, mortality and healthcare-associated costs for patients aged over 75 years treated for CA in an intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary hospital. Methods: This single-centre retrospective study included adult CA patients treated in a Finnish tertiary hospital’s ICU between 2005 and 2013. We stratified the study population into two age groups: <75 and 75 years. We compared interventions defined by the median daily therapeutic scoring system (TISS-76) between the age groups to find differences in treatment intensity. We calculated cost-effectiveness by dividing the total one-year healthcare-associated costs of all patients by the number of survivors with a favourable neurological outcome. Favourable outcome was defined as a cerebral performance category (CPC) of 1–2 at 12 months after cardiac arrest. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent association between age group, mortality and neurological outcome. Results: This study included a total of 1,285 patients, of which 212 (16%) were 75 years of age. Treatment intensity was lower for the elderly compared to the younger group, with median TISS scores of 116 and 147, respectively (p < 0.001). The effective cost in euros for patients with a good one-year neurological outcome was €168,000 for the elderly and €120,000 for the younger group. At 12 months after CA 24% of the patients in the elderly group and 47% of the patients in the younger group had a CPC of 1-2 (p < 0.001). Age was an independent predictor of mortality (multivariate OR = 3.36, 95% CI:2.21-5.11, p < 0.001) and neurological outcome (multivariate OR = 3.27, 95% CI: 2.12-5.03, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The elderly ICU-treated CA patients in this study had worse neurological outcomes, higher mortality and lower cost-effectiveness than younger patients. Further efforts are needed to recognize the tools for assessing which elderly patients benefit from a more aggressive treatment approach in order to improve the cost-effectiveness of post-CA management.
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Holmström et al. (2021) conducted a cohort in Cardiac arrest (n=1,285). Age ≥ 75 years vs. Age < 75 years was evaluated on 12-month unfavourable neurological outcome (CPC 3-4) (OR 3.27, 95% CI 2.12-5.03, p=<0.001). Age 75 years or older was independently associated with a higher risk of 12-month unfavourable neurological outcome (OR 3.27) and mortality (OR 3.36) compared to younger patients following intensive care for cardiac arrest.
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