Table 1 Patient characteristics before- and after inclusion
| Â | Treatment group | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Placebo, N = 58 | Methylprednisolone, N = 56 | p value | |
Before inclusion | |||
Demographic characteristics | |||
 Age, years, median (IQR) | 67 (57, 75) | 66 (58, 72) | 0.7 |
 Male, n (%) | 45 (78%) | 45 (80%) | 0.7 |
 Ischemic heart disease, n (%) | 15 (26%) | 9 (16%) | 0.2 |
 Heart failure, n (%) | 10 (17%) | 14 (25%) | 0.4 |
 Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 11 (19%) | 7 (12%) | 0.4 |
Prehospital variables | |||
 Witnessed arrest, n (%) | 53 (91%) | 45 (80%) | 0.09 |
 Bystander CPR, n (%) | 49 (84%) | 50 (89%) | 0.4 |
 Epinephrine administered, n (%) | 28 (48%) | 39 (70%) | 0.02 |
 Amiodarone administered, n (%) | 14 (24%) | 27 (48%) | 0.007 |
 Time to ROSC, min, median (IQR) | 14 (10, 20) | 18 (15, 21) | 0.02 |
Post-resuscitation ECG rhythm, n (%) | Â | Â | 0.4 |
 Sinus rhythm | 44 (76%) | 40 (71%) |  |
 Atrial fibrillation | 12 (21%) | 10 (18%) |  |
 Other* | 2 (3%) | 6 (11%) |  |
Post-resuscitation ECG, signs of ischemia, n (%) | Â | Â | 0.2 |
 STEMI | 24 (41%) | 24 (43%) |  |
 LBBB or RBBB | 19 (33%) | 15 (27%) |  |
 Unspecific ischemia†| 7 (12%) | 2 (4%) |  |
 No ischemia | 8 (14%) | 15 (27%) |  |
After inclusion, in-hospital | |||
Hospital arrival characteristics | |||
 LVEF at arrival, (%), median (IQR) | 38 (25, 45) | 40 (29, 50) | 0.6 |
 Lactate at arrival, mmol/L, median (IQR) | 4.6 (2.8, 6.8) | 5.3 (3.6, 6.8) | 0.3 |
 Cardiogenic shock at arrival, n (%) | 6 (10%) | 2 (4%) | 0.3 |
 Acute CAG, n (%) | 38 (66%) | 31 (55%) | 0.3 |
 Acute PCI, n (%) | 22 (58%) | 18 (60%) | 0.9 |
During admission | |||
 ICU length of stay, days, median (IQR) | 5.1 (2.6, 7.6) | 4.1 (2.1, 6.5) | 0.5 |
 Ventilator, days, median (IQR) | 2.7 (1.3, 4.3) | 1.9 (1.0, 3.5) | 0.2 |
 Best LVEF in the ICU, (%), median (IQR) | 40 (30, 50) | 45 (35, 50) | 0.4 |
 Day 1, SOFA cardiovascular score, median (IQR) | 4.0 (3.0, 4.0) | 4.0 (3.0, 4.0) | 0.2 |
 Day 2, SOFA cardiovascular score, median (IQR) | 4.0 (3.0, 4.0) | 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) | 0.01 |
 Day 3, SOFA cardiovascular score, median (IQR) | 3.0 (0.0, 3.3) | 0.0 (0.0, 3.0) | 0.009 |
 Day 1, SOFA total score, median (IQR) | 12.0 (11.0, 13.0) | 12.0 (11.0, 13.0) | 0.6 |
 Day 2, SOFA total score, median (IQR) | 11.5 (8.8, 12.3) | 11.0 (9.5, 12.0) | 0.3 |
 Day 3, SOFA total score, median (IQR) | 8.0 (5.2, 11.0) | 7.5 (4.2, 10.0) | 0.3 |
 Death before hospital discharge, n (%) | 21 (36%) | 14 (25%) | 0.2 |
 Death from any cause at 180 days, n (%) | 22 (38%) | 15 (27%) | 0.2 |