In a breakthrough study, experts have developed a risk score to predict cardiac arrest patient outcomes.
The study published in European Heart Journal, by a team of researchers from King's College London and King's College Hospital, details a novel risk score for heart attack centres to predict brain damage in patients who have had an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Out of hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health challenge and can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality.
Patients have an extremely high risk of long-term brain damage after cardiac arrest, but this can be difficult to predict early on after admission.
The risk score, known as MIRACLE2, has been developed to help clinical decisions, improve the selection of appropriate treatments and inform family discussion early after admission.
The study examined data on 400 patients who have had an out of hospital cardiac arrest.