Electrocardiographic changes during induced therapeutic hypothermia in comatose survivors after cardiac arrest

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study population

Patients	47
Age (median, range)	65.9 (19-85)
Male	40 (85.1%)
Cardiogenic shock at admission	15 (31.9%)
Urgent coronary angiography	28 (59.6%)
Left ventricular ejection fraction	43.2 (15.3%)
Initial Rhythm, n (%)
Ventricular Fibrillation	30 (63.8)
Asystole	14 (29.8)
Pulseless Electrical Activity	3 (6.4)
Rhythm at admission, n (%)
Sinus rhythm	31 (66)
Atrial fibrillation	8 (17)
AV block/nodal rhythm/paced rhythm	8 (17)
TH protocol
Temperature at admission	35.7 (0.7)
Induction time (from admission to TH, h)	4.8 (2.6)
Time in TH (median, range, h)	20.8 (5-28.5)
Temperature during TH	32.8 (0.5)
Rewarming time (from TH to 36 °C, h)	11.3 (7.4)
Cause of CA, n (%)
Acute coronary syndrome	21 (44.7)
Chronic coronary disease1	8 (17.0)
Chronic heart failure	4 (8.5)
Others/unknown2	14 (29.8)

¹This group represents those patients with known preexisting coronary disease but without an acute coronary syndrome diagnosis at admission. Presumed cause were ventricular arrhythmias secondary to chronic coronary disease;

²No final diagnosis of the cardiac arrest could be made for this group, all of these patients died during admission. TH: Therapeutic hypothermia. Data are number (percentage) or mean (standard deviation).