Discover In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Discover In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Prospective Multicenter Study of Post-In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Management Practices

The Discover In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (IHCA) study is a multicenter, prospective observational study aimed at better understanding variations in practice for the post-in-hospital cardiac arrest patient.

There is considerable debate among experts concerning many components of intra- and post-arrest care. This study aims to increase the evidence base of these components, particularly temperature control, and prognostication in post-in-hospital cardiac arrest patients. In addition to providing insights regarding immediate and long-term post-arrest care, data collected will also be useful in studying variations in cardiopulmonary resuscitation practices.

This project is endorsed by the Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (≥18 years old) patients
• Patients with a cardiac arrest (a lack of palpable pulse or perfusing cardiac activity) while admitted to the hospital
• Patients admitted to a ward (telemetry or non-telemetry) or an intensive care unit, or are admitted but still in the emergency department waiting for a hospital bed
• Patients who achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC defined as >20 minutes of sustained spontaneous circulation) OR initiated on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (eCPR) with chest compressions ongoing
• Patients survived for 6 hours after ROSC

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cardiac arrest in non-inpatients (e.g. outpatients, visitors)
• Patients whose cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) starts outside of the hospital
• Non-index arrests (arrests that are not the patient's first arrest during the hospital admission; this also excludes patients who were initially admitted for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest)
• Patients suffering IHCA in the operating room (OR) or post anesthesia care unit (PACU)
• Patients with cardiac arrest after arriving to an emergency department (ED) but prior to being evaluated and admitted to the hospital
• Cardiac arrests lasting <2 minutes (i.e. chest compressions performed <2 minutes)
• Cardiac arrests where the patient is transitioned to comfort focused care within 6 hours of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)