A Simple Risk Score for Predicting Neurologic Outcome in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients After Targeted Temperature Management*

OBJECTIVES: Although several risk factors for outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients have been identified, the cumulative risk of their combinations is not thoroughly clear, especially after targeted temperature management. Therefore, we aimed to develop a risk score to evaluate individual out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patient risk at early admission after targeted temperature management regarding poor neurologic status at discharge. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Two large academic medical networks in the United States. PATIENTS: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors treated with targeted temperature management with age of 18 years old or older. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Based on the odds ratios, five identified variables (initial nonShockable rhythm, Leucocyte count < 4 or > 12 K/mu L after targeted temperature management, total Adrenalin [epinephrine] >= 5 mg, lack of oNlooker cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and Time duration of resuscitation >= 20 min) were assigned weighted points. The sum of the points was the total risk score known as the SLANT score (range 0-21 points) for each patient. Based on our risk prediction scores, patients were divided into three risk categories as moderate-risk group (0-7), high-risk group (8-14), and very high-risk group (15-21). Both the ability of our risk score to predict the rates of poor neurologic outcomes at discharge and in-hospital mortality were significant under the Cochran-Armitage trend test (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of poor neurologic outcomes and in-hospital mortality of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors after targeted temperature management is easily assessed using a risk score model derived using the readily available information. Its clinical utility needed further investigation.