Adult post-cardiac arrest interventions: An overview of randomized clinical trials

Abstract Aim To provide an overview of published and registered trials related to post-cardiac arrest interventions. Data source We searched PubMed and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for randomized clinical trials in adults specifically addressing a post-cardiac arrest intervention. Results We identified 65 manuscripts reporting randomized clinical trials. The majority of the trials were published within the last 10 years and the sample sizes were generally low with a median of 90 participants (quartiles: 49, 262; range: 9, 1359). The majority of the trials were conducted in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (79%), while only 6% were conducted specifically in in-hospital cardiac arrest and 15% included both in- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We identified 48 registered trials online. The median target sample size is 100 participants (quartiles: 60, 400; range: 20, 1900). The majority of trials are enrolling patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (71%) while 6% specifically focuses on in-hospital cardiac arrest. Conclusion This review provides an overview of published and registered trials addressing post-cardiac arrest interventions. We believe this information will be relevant to guide future research.