WASHINGTON – The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has released an expert consensus statement describing recommendations for the management of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The statement, published today in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, was presented during the SCAI 2020 Scientific Sessions Virtual Conference.

OHCA continues to present as significant public health problem due to high mortality and morbidity. Coronary artery disease is often the cause for cardiac arrest in patients with a presenting rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia.

“Interventional cardiologists are often consulted to assess patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest for emergent invasive evaluation,” said Amir Lotfi, MD, FSCAI, chair of the writing group and interventional cardiologist at Baystate Cardiology in Springfield, MA. “We created a document based on evidence-based and patient oriented management to assess and treat patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest.”

“We emphasized that out of hospital cardiac arrest treatment is a continuum from pre-hospital, hospital, and post-hospital care which requires a multidisciplinary approach to enhance both survival and return to a good quality of life,” Lotfi continued. “With this document our goal is to increase standardized language and decrease variation in care in order to improve outcome.”