Long-Term Outcomes After Cardiac Arrest: Protocol for the Extended Follow-Up Sub-Study of the STEPCARE Trial

Background: The international multi-center randomized controlled STEPCARE-trial will investigate optimal management of sedation, temperature, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) during intensive care in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients due to various etiologies. The primary outcome is mortality at 6 months. This protocol describes an extended follow-up sub-study of the STEPCARE-trial with the main objective to provide detailed long-term outcomes for survivors and caregivers. It will focus on potential neuroprotection and improved recovery for different targets of sedation, temperature, and MAP management at 6 and 12 months post-OHCA. Methods: All survivors and one caregiver per survivor at selected STEPCARE sites will be invited to participate. Randomization is stratified by site. This sub-study extends the main STEPCARE follow-up at 6 months by undertaking detailed assessments, face-to-face meetings, inclusion of a caregiver, and repeating the assessments at 12 months. Our main outcome for survivors is cognitive function measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and for caregivers, the caregiver burden measured by the Zarit Burden Interview. Additional outcomes include symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigue, physical function, life satisfaction, and life impact (disability), assessed by psychometrically robust measures. The estimated sample size is 600. Efforts to improve interrater reliability and decrease missing data are integral to the study design. Conclusion: These detailed long-term outcomes will explore the possible benefits or risks of fever, sedation, and blood pressure management in post-OHCA survivors. Additionally, this study will explore survivorship after cardiac arrest from various perspectives, including different causes of arrest. Clinicaltrials: gov: NCT0207942.