Rehabilitation outcomes of survivors of cardiac arrest admitted to ICUs in Australia and New Zealand (ROSC ANZ): A data linkage study

Introduction: Rehabilitation outcomes in cardiac arrest survivors are largely unknown, with no data comparing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA). This study aimed to describe and compare inpatient rehabilitation outcomes in these patients who were admitted from intensive care units (ICU). Methods: A retrospective linkage and analysis of cardiac arrest patients in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database and the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre inpatient dataset discharged to inpatient rehabilitation between January 2017 and June 2018. Primary outcome was the functional improvement during rehabilitation (difference between the Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) score on admission and discharge). Multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with functional improvement. Results: In the 240 (84 OHCA and 156 IHCA) patients included, the median length of inpatient rehabilitation was 15 days [1st–3rd quartile (Q1-Q3): 9–24]. OHCA patients were more likely to be admitted to rehabilitation for neurological issues (41.7%) and IHCA for medical reasons (51.9%). Median (Q1-Q3) change in total FIM scores was similar between the two groups (24.5[10–37]) vs 21[11–31], adjusted p = 0.20), with most of the FIM change seen in the motor items, and this was only associated with a lower admission FIM score. The majority of OHCA and IHCA patients were discharged home (91.5% and 89.7%, respectively), although with an increased need for a carer at home compared to baseline (27.2% to 55.6%). Conclusion: Patients discharged from ICU following OHCA and IHCA achieved reasonable and similar functional improvement during inpatient rehabilitation.