Table 1 Selected baseline characteristics of the study patientsa
Characteristic | Hydrocortisone (n = 25) | Placebo (n = 25) |
|---|---|---|
Demographics | Â | Â |
 Age (years) | 71 (13) | 66 (15) |
 Sex (female) | 9 (36) | 8 (32) |
 Race (white) | 21 (84) | 18 (78) |
Co-morbidities | Â | Â |
 Coronary artery disease | 11 (44) | 9 (36) |
 Congestive heart failure | 6 (24) | 8 (32) |
 Hyperlipidemia | 7 (28) | 9 (36) |
 Hypertension | 11 (44) | 19 (76) |
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 2 (8) | 1 (4) |
 Diabetes | 5 (20) | 6 (24) |
 Liver disease | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
 Renal disease | 6 (24) | 2 (8) |
 Cancer | 2 (8) | 1 (4) |
Location of the arrest | Â | Â |
 In-hospital | 6 (24) | 6 (24) |
 Out-of-hospital | 19 (76) | 19 (76) |
Arrest characteristics | Â | Â |
 Initial rhythm (shockable) | 9 (36) | 10 (40) |
 Downtime (minutes) | 21 (10, 30) | 16 (10, 38) |
Presumed cause of the arrest | Â | Â |
 Primary cardiac | 13 (52) | 12 (48) |
 Pulmonary embolism | 1 (4) | 1 (4) |
 Respiratory | 5 (20) | 6 (24) |
 Metabolic/electrolyte | 2 (8) | 1 (4) |
 Sepsis | 1 (4) | 0 (0) |
 Other/unknown | 3 (12) | 5 (20) |
Vital signs at enrollment | Â | Â |
 Heart rate | 84 (18) | 82 (21) |
 Systolic blood pressure | 103 (97, 132) | 109 (93, 130) |
 Diastolic blood pressure | 61 (51, 70) | 59 (48, 67) |
 Respiratory rate | 22 (5) | 23 (5) |
 Glasgow coma scale | 3 (3, 6) | 3 (3, 4) |
Laboratory values at enrollment | Â | Â |
 Lactate (mmol/L) | 2.8 (1.9, 5.3) | 3.9 (1.9, 6.5) |
 Glucose (mg/dL) | 237 (108) | 226 (99) |
 pH | 7.25 (0.14) | 7.24 (0.13) |
Time from ROSC to study drug (hours) | 9.9 (7.3, 19.6) | 12.7 (7.8, 15.6) |
Time from start of vasopressor(s) to study drug (hours) | 9.7 (6.3, 18.0) | 11.4 (7.5, 15.0) |
APACHE II score at enrollment | 29 (5) | 30 (7) |
Induced hypothermia | 19 (76) | 16 (64) |