Employment status 1 year after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in comatose patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia for comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has improved survival and neurologic outcome. This study focused on return to work 1 year after therapeutic hypothermia. METHODS: From June 2004 to June 2009, patients between 18 and 65 years of age with OHCA, who were treated with hypothermia from two regions, representing one third of the national population, were identified from the Danish National Patient Registry, and from hospital and ambulance records. The patients' employment status was obtained from the Danish Ministry of Employment. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-three comatose patients after OHCA treated with hypothermia were identified. One hundred and four (78%) patients were employed, or able to work, at the time of cardiac arrest. This particular group of patients showed significant lower in-hospital mortality compared to the group of patients who were not able to work before cardiac arrest; 13% vs. 48%, respectively (P < 0.001). The workable group had a lower Charlson comorbidity score (P = 0.004), a higher incidence of witnessed cardiac arrest (P = 0.004) and a higher incidence of shockable heart rhythm (P < 0.001). Eighty-seven patients (84%), who were able to work prior to cardiac arrest, survived, and 55 (65%) of these patients were employed or able to work at 1 year follow-up. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients employed, or able to work prior to OHCA, had returned to work at one year follow-up. Predictors of return to work in comatose patients treated with hypothermia have to be identified in a larger-scale study.

Concomitant use of clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors is not associated with major adverse cardiovascular events following coronary stent implantation.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 inhibition by proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may attenuate the effectiveness of clopidogrel. AIM: To examine whether PPI use modifies the association between clopidogrel use and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation, using time-varying drug exposure ascertainment. METHODS: We conducted this population-based cohort study in Western Denmark (population 3 million) using medical databases. We identified all 13,001 patients with coronary stent implantation between 2002 and 2005 and ascertained their reported comorbidities. During the recommended 12-month postintervention treatment period, we tracked use of clopidogrel and PPI and the rate of MACE. We used Cox regression to compute hazard ratios (HRs), controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: During follow-up, one or more prescriptions were redeemed by 91% of patients for clopidogrel and by 21% of patients for PPIs. Of the patients, 15% experienced a MACE. The adjusted HR for MACE comparing clopidogrel use with non-use was 0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44-0.74] among PPI users and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.42-0.53) among PPI non-users, yielding an interaction effect (i.e. relative rate increase) of 1.20 (95% CI: 0.91-1.58). PPI users treated from before PCI had a 25% increased rate of MACE compared to PPI non-users, independent of clopidogrel use [adjusted HR = 1.24 (95% CI: 0.97-1.58) for clopidogrel users and 1.26 (95% CI: 0.97-1.63) for clopidogrel non-users]. CONCLUSIONS: The use of PPIs as a class did not modify the protective effect of clopidogrel, but its use was associated with major adverse cardiovascular events itself, particularly among patients having used PPIs before percutaneous coronary intervention.