Outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in patients with ischaemic and non-ischaemic heart disease: A Danish tertiary-center cohort study

BACKGROUND: Mortality following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is high, and studies on return to work show varying results. It remains uncertain whether mortality and return to work differs between patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and non-ischaemic heart disease (non-IHD). AIM: To investigate all-cause mortality, cardiac death, and return to work among patients admitted after OHCA with IHD and non-IHD. METHODS: We included 234 consecutive patients admitted to Aarhus University Hospital with OHCA, who were not declared dead in the prehospital setting or upon arrival. Patients were divided into an IHD and a non-IHD group based on history of myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or signs of obstructive IHD on the admission coronary angiography. Outcome in terms of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, and return to work was evaluated. RESULTS: All-cause mortality after one month, one year, and five years was 41.9%, 49.1%, and 54.3%. There was no difference in all-cause mortality or cardiac death between IHD and non-IHD patients (all-cause mortality: adjusted HR 0.78, 95% CI, 0.53–1.14; P = 0.19) and cardiac death: adjusted HR 0.93, 95% CI, 0.60–1.43; P = 0.73). Among patients working prior to OHCA the cumulative incidence of patients returning to work was 62.3% after five years with no statistically significant difference between groups. CONCLUSION: A favourable outcome was observed in patients admitted after OHCA with a non-significant trend toward a higher mortality in non-IHD patients, possibly indicating that IHD is a favourable cause of cardiac arrest.