ACCESS to the Cardiac Cath Lab in Patients Without STEMI Resuscitated From Out-of-hospital VT/VF Cardiac Arrest

Overview

To determine if survival to hospital discharge with good neurological outcome for adults ages 18-75 who are resuscitated from out-of-hospital VT/VF cardiac arrest without clinical signs of a heart attack do better by going straight to the cardiac catheterization laboratory or admitted to the intensive care unit for evaluation. The investigators think a large portion of resuscitated patients presenting with VT/VF have ischemic heart disease which is the cause for the arrest. And prompt access to the cardiac catheterization laboratory to reverse the blocked artery will improve survival with good neurological outcomes.

Primary Aim Determine survival to hospital discharge with Modified Rankin Scale Score (mRS) ≤ 3 in adult (18-75 years old) patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital VT/VF cardiac arrest who do not have ST-segment elevation on emergency department 12-lead ECG (no-STEMI) randomized to receive either: 1) initial CCL admission, or 2) initial ICU admission. Hypothesis: The corresponding hypothesis is that a large proportion of all resuscitated patients presenting with VT/VF have ischemic heart disease as the underlying cause for the participants cardiac arrest and that a strategy to facilitate prompt revascularization in all patients presenting with VT/VF who do not have ST-segment elevation on emergency department 12-lead ECG will improve survival with good neurological outcome. Primary Endpoint Survival to hospital discharge with mRS ≤ 3 Secondary Aims Determine secondary assessments of survival, left ventricular function, hospital duration, and rehabilitation in-hospital and assessment of survival and functional status at 3 months in both groups. Hypothesis: The corresponding hypothesis is that initial CCL admission will result in improved secondary assessment values at 3 months. Secondary Endpoints In-hospital secondary endpoints: Survival to hospital discharge, CPC score, mean peak troponin level, mean ejection fraction, mean length of ICU stay, mean hospitalization duration, the incidence of and mean length of rehabilitation. 3-month post-hospital discharge secondary endpoint: Survival to 3 months, survival to 3 months with mRS ≤ 3, functional status at 3 months (CPC score), incidence and length of rehabilitation, incidence of congestive heart failure, incidence of re-hospitalization over 3 months, and incidence and time to return to work. Pragmatic Clinical Trial The ACCESS Trial will randomize patients to receive one of two standard treatments currently practiced in the United States: either, 1) initial CCL admission, or 2) initial ICU admission. Other than randomizing to one of these two standard treatments, care is not otherwise specified and is completely at the discretion of the treating clinician, including coronary interventions, if any, hemodynamic support, medications, therapeutic hypothermia, and all other interventions and clinical care.