The association between intra-arrest arterial blood pressure and return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Background

The optimal haemodynamic parameter for goal-directed resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains uncertain. This study aimed to characterise the association between invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurements and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in adult OHCA patients, to identify this parameter.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted at East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA). Adult (≥18 years) medical OHCA patients attended by EAAA between 01/02/2015 and 01/02/2024, who had arterial IBP measurement during chest compressions were included. The initial, minimum, maximum, average (mean) and Δ (maximum-initial) were calculated for systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial (MAP) components of IBP. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves tested the association between IBP variables and ROSC.

Results

During the study period, 4363 OHCA patients were attended and 80 met inclusion criteria. Thirty-four patients (42.5 %) achieved ROSC and 4 (5.0 %) survived to discharge. The maximum, average and Δ DBP; and maximum and average MAP were positively associated with ROSC. Maximum DBP had an AUC of 0.83 (95 % CI 0.74–0.92) with an optimal cut-off of 35 mmHg (sensitivity 94.1 %; specificity 58.7 %) for predicting ROSC. The odds ratio for ROSC was 1.05 (95 % CI 1.03–1.08) for every 1 mmHg increase in maximum DBP.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of arterial DBP as an important haemodynamic parameter for goal-directed resuscitation in adult OHCA. Maximising DBP may increase the chances of ROSC. These data suggest that a DBP threshold of 35 mmHg is optimal for identifying patients who may achieve ROSC with continued resuscitation.