The Value of the Biomarkers Neuron-Specific Enolase and S100 Calcium-Binding Protein for Prediction of Mortality in Children Resuscitated After Cardiac Arrest

The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of the biomarkers neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 calcium-binding protein b (S100b) to predict 30 day mortality in children resuscitated from cardiac arrest (CA). It was a prospective observational study at a single tertiary heart centre. Consecutive children were admitted after resuscitated in-hospital and out-of-hospital CA. Levels of NSE and S100b were analyzed from 12 to 24 hours, from 24 to 48 hours, and from 48 to 72 hours after admission. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Differences in biomarker levels between survivors and non-survivors were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were applied to assess the predictive ability of the biomarkers and the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were presented. A total of 32 resuscitated CA patients were included, and 12 (38%) patients died within 30 days after resuscitation. We observed significantly higher levels of NSE and S100b in non-survivors compared to survivors at all timepoints from 12 to 72 hours after CA. NSE achieved AUCs from 0.91–0.98 for prediction of 30 day mortality, whereas S100b achieved AUCs from 0.93–0.94. An NSE cut-off of 61 μg/L sampled between 12–24 hours from admission achieved a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 100% for prediction of 30 day mortality. In children resuscitated from CA, the biomarkers NSE and S100b appear to be solid predictors of mortality after 30 days.