Intracranial Hemorrhage as a Cause of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Korea

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a known cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), especially in East Asia (NEJM JW Emerg Med Nov 2009 and Resuscitation 2009; 80:977). Investigators reviewed charts from three emergency departments in Korea over a 6-year period to determine the proportion of patients with return of spontaneous circulation after OHCA who had ICH.

Of 2716 patients with OHCA, 804 had return of spontaneous circulation and underwent head computed tomography (CT). Of these 804 patients, 11% were found to have ICH. Of the patients with ICH, 11% survived to discharge and none had good neurological outcome at 1 month, whereas among patients without ICH, 40% survived and 16% had good neurological outcome.