Association between early post-resuscitation heart rate and survival with neurological recovery in a pig model of cardiac arrest.

Objective: Heart rate (HR), a readily available clinical parameter, has proven prognostic value in cardiovascular disease and may provide similar insights following cardiac arrest. This study investigated whether post-resuscitation HR might predict functional recovery in a preclinical porcine model of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods: Retrospective analyses were conducted in data from earlier prospective animal studies. Ninety-six pigs successfully resuscitated after 8-12 min of ischemically induced ventricular fibrillation, followed by 5 min of CPR prior to defibrillation attempt, were included in the study. HR, arterial and central venous pressures were continuously monitored for 4 h after resuscitation. Survival with neurological function was assessed up to 96 h post-resuscitation by the optimal performance category (OPC) score, with 1-2 considered as good outcome and 3-5 as poor outcome. Results: Fifty-four animals (56%) presented a 96-h good outcome, while 42 (44%) had a poor outcome. Animals with favorable neurological outcome showed significantly lower HR during the 4-h post-resuscitation period compared with those with poor outcome ( Conclusions: In this model, lower post-resuscitation HR was independently associated with survival with favorable neurological recovery.