The association between long-term glycaemic control, glycaemic gap and neurological outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrest in diabetics: A retrospective cohort study

Aim: Resuscitation guidelines do not recommend a target blood glucose (BG) level specifically tailored for diabetics experiencing an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). The glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level may be associated with neurological prognosis and used to identify the optimal BG level for diabetic IHCA patients. Methods: This study was a retrospective study in a single medical centre. Patients with an IHCA between 2006 and 2015 were screened. The estimated average glucose (eAG) level was converted from the HbA1c level measured within three months prior to the IHCA. The minimum glycaemic gap was calculated from the post-resuscitation minimum BG level minus the eAG level. Results: A total of 141 patients were included in this study. The mean HbA1c was 7.2% (corresponding eAG: 160.2 mg/dL [8.9 mmol/L]). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated an eAG level of less than 196 mg/dL (10.9 mmol/L; corresponding HbA1c: 8.5%) was positively associated with a favourable neurological outcome at hospital discharge (odds ratio [OR]: 5.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–23.70; p-value = 0.04). An absolute minimum glycaemic gap of less than 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) was also positively associated with a favourable neurological outcome (OR: 5.41, 95% CI: 1.41–20.78; p-value = 0.01). Conclusion: For diabetic patients, poor long-term glycaemic control correlated with worse neurological recovery following an IHCA. The HbA1c-derived average BG level could be used as a reference point for glycaemic management during the early stage of post-cardiac arrest syndrome. The glycaemic gap could be used to identify the optimal glycaemic range around the reference point.