The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score in predicting in-hospital mortality and neurological outcome of patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients admitted to our hospital between October 2009 and October 2015 with OHCA and shockable initial cardiac rhythm who were resuscitated via conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We calculated the GRACE risk score on admission and assessed its usefulness in predicting in-hospital mortality and neurological outcome.

Among 91 patients, 42 (46%) had acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 19 (21%) died in-hospital, and 52 (57%) had favorable neurological outcome. Among all the study patients, GRACE risk score was lower in survivors than in non-survivors (median 211 [interquartile range 176–240] vs. 266 [219–301], p<0.001, respectively) and in favorable than in unfavorable neurological outcome group (202 [167–237] vs. 242 [219–275], p<0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed significant association between GRACE risk score and favorable neurological outcome (odds ratio, 0.975; 95% confidence interval, 0.961–0.990). Areas under receiver-operating characteristic curves, that describe the accuracy of GRACE risk score in predicting in-hospital mortality and favorable neurological outcome, were both 0.79.

GRACE risk score may predict the in-hospital mortality and neurological outcome associated with resuscitated patients with OHCA and shockable initial cardiac rhythm, regardless of the cause of arrest.