Long-term outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors in New Zealand: A prospective, longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Objective: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a devastating event that can have ongoing neurological and functional sequelae for survivors, which impact their whānau/family and society. Information on long-term survival remains incomplete. We aimed to understand the long-term neurological, functional, and health-related quality of life outcomes and survival of patients with OHCA at 24 months in New Zealand. Design: We performed a preplanned prospective, longitudinal cohort study. Setting: New Zealand Participants: Participants enrolled in the Targeted Therapeutic Mild Hypercapnia after resuscitated Cardiac Arrest (TAME trial) in New Zealand. Main outcome measures: Participants had a comprehensive follow-up at 6 and 24 months using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended to determine neurological outcome as well as multiple other patient-centred functional outcome assessment tools. Results: We included all 200 TAME participants enrolled in New Zealand, of whom 194 (97%) had 24-month data. There was no difference in the primary and secondary TAME study outcomes between groups, with overall 56.3% of participants having a favourable neurological outcome at 6 months. In the New Zealand subpopulation, functional and health-related quality of life status at 24 months was not worse than at 6 months for most survivors, with very few participants reporting more than slight disability. Conclusions: Among New Zealand TAME trial participants, neurological and functional outcomes measured across multiple domains generally remained stable or improved between 6 and 24 months. These findings provide important information for survivors of OHCA, their whānau/family, clinicians, and researchers on the timing and trajectory of neurological and functional recovery. Source: Parke RL et al. Critical Care and Resuscitation (2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccrj.2026.100212. Abstract retrieved from OpenAlex (https://openalex.org/W7211997410). Reproduced under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Abstract wording unchanged; section-heading formatting adapted.