Immediate Catheterization for Survivors of Cardiac Arrest Without STEMI?

For patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and evidence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after cardiac arrest, American Heart Association guidelines recommend immediate cardiac catheterization. Guidelines are less clear for patients without STEMI. These authors conducted a systematic review to compare outcomes of catheterization in patients with ROSC after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with and without STEMI.

The authors identified 11 retrospective studies that included 2885 cardiac arrest survivors. Patients with STEMI were significantly more likely to have urgent catheterization than those without STEMI (92.5% vs. 41.5%). A culprit lesion was identified for 71.9% of patients with STEMI versus 32.2% of patient…