Early Neuroprognostication After OHCA

This is a prospective observational substudy of the STEPCARE trial ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05564754) with the aim to examine whether prognostication of neurological outcome after cardiac arrest can be performed earlier than the 72 h time-point recommended by guidelines today.

Inclusion Criteria:Adult cardiac arrest patients with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of non-traumatic cause treated at hospitals recruiting patients to the STEPCARE neuroprognostication substudy. Other inclusion criteria include:a minimum of 20 minutes without chest compressionsUnconsciousness defined as not being able to obey verbal commands (FOUR-score motor response of <4) or being intubated and sedated because of agitation after sustained ROSCEligible for intensive care without restrictions or limitationsInclusion within 4 hours of ROSCExclusion Criteria:On ECMO prior to randomisationPregnancySuspected or confirmed intracranial hemorrhagePreviously randomised in the STEPCARE trialPatients with limitations in level-of-care due to for example generalized malignancy