Early coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention for out of hospital cardiac arrest survivors without ST-segment elevation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The meta-analysis aims to identify whether out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors of non ST-segment elevation (NSTE) can benefit from early coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: : The relevant studies from MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase were searched by two independent investigators using a variety of keywords. Stata software (version 12.0, Stata Corp LP, College Station, TX, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Results: : A total of 12 studies (9 observational studies, 1 cohort study and 2 randomized control trials) were identified and incorporated into the meta-analysis. For overall analysis, the strategy of early angiography was associated with decreased short-term (hospital discharged) mortality (RR=0.72, 95% CI=0.56-0.93, P=0.000) and long-term (follow up) mortality (RR=0.84, 95% CI=0.71-0.99, P=0.007). However, when analyzed in the subgroup of randomized controlled study, the strategy of early angiography didn’t have survival benefit in the randomized controlled study group for short-term mortality (RR=1.12, 95% CI=0.89-1.41, P=0.331) and long-term mortality (RR=1.06, 95% CI=0.85-1.32, P=0.572). Meanwhile, our analysis found that, if early CAG performed, PCI followed by CAG is not associated with hospital discharged mortality (RR=1.14, 95% CI=0.96-1.37, P=0.132) compared with CAG alone. No significant differences between the groups were found in the remaining secondary endpoints. Conclusion: Due to the observational nature of the studies available, we may consider that early CAG and PCI is not be recommended for patients with NSTE OHCA.