Purpose

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Mortality rates of cardiac arrest range from 60-85%, and approximately 80% of survivors are initially comatose. Of those who survive, 50% are left with a permanent neurological disability, and only 10% are able to resume their former lifestyle. Early prognosis of comatose patients after cardiac arrest is critical for management of these patients, yet predicting outcome for these patients remains quite challenging. The primary study objective of MOCHA is to develop an accurate and reliable assessment algorithm for determining neurologic prognosis in patients initially unconscious (no eye opening, GCS-M<6 and not following commands) post-cardiac arrest, using multiple prognostic modalities at standardized time points.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18 years and older (no upper age limit) - Initially unconscious following cardiac arrest from any non-perfusing rhythm (i.e., ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, pulseless electrical activity, asystole) - Sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) as defined by maintained spontaneous circulation for at least 20 minutes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Subjects younger than 18 years of age - Isolated respiratory arrest without concomitant or ensuing cardiac arrest

Study Design

Phase
Study Type
Observational [Patient Registry]
Observational Model
Cohort
Time Perspective
Prospective

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Unresponsive patients post-cardiac arrest As early as possible post-resuscitation, patients should undergo a detailed neurologic examination, comprised of a thorough assessment for consciousness and detailed cranial nerve function and motor response assessments. Neurologic assessment scores such as the Full Outline of Unresponsiveness, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and Pittsburgh Cardiac Arrest Category Score will be also be used. On the first assessment (day of cardiac arrest), the PCAC score should be assigned only on the basis of the best neurologic exam in the first 6 hours after ROSC. Patients that are sedated or intubated will have the verbal score of GCS be estimated by a derivation of motor and eye scores. The presence of potential confounders, including core body temperature, medications, and/or intoxicants, as well as metabolic derangements should be noted.

Recruiting Locations

Boston Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts 02118
Contact:
David Greer, MD MA
617-638-5127
dgreer@bu.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Boston Medical Center

Study Contact

David Greer, MD MA
617- 638-5127
dgreer@bu.edu

Detailed Description

The investigators will conduct a prospective, international, observational study of cardiac arrest survivors using guideline-recommended prognostic assessment tools with central adjudication of results, while avoiding premature withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST). The investigators will prospectively collect data on demographics, premorbid characteristics, details of cardiac arrest and resuscitation, post-cardiac arrest care, detailed neurological examination findings, electrophysiologic studies, chemical biomarkers and neuroimaging at standardized time points, and will assess functional outcomes at discharge, 6- and 12-month follow-up, as well as annually up to 5 years. The international cohort will have a derivation subset that will be used to create a multimodal outcome prediction model (using regression analysis), which will then be confirmed by the validation subset. A substudy of MOCHA will also explore the impact of the practice of WLST in the prediction model by analyzing its performance in a pooled cohort of subjects unexposed to WLST originating from countries where this practice is not common.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.