Comparison of sedation using propofol vs. midazolam in patients admitted to the intensive care unit after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a multicentre observational study

Aims Optimal sedation regimens for patients after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) remain unclear. This study compared the outcomes of patients who received propofol and midazolam for sedation post-ECPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods and results A retrospective cohort study analysed data from the Study of Advanced Life Support for Ventricular Fibrillation with Extracorporeal Circulation in Japan, including patients admitted to 36 intensive care units (ICUs) in Japan post-ECPR for OHCA of cardiac aetiology between 2013 and 2018. One-to-one propensity score-matched analysis compared outcomes between patients post-ECPR for OHCA who received exclusive treatment with a continuous propofol infusion (propofol users) and those who received exclusive treatment with a continuous midazolam infusion (midazolam users). The cumulative incidence and competing risk methodology were used to compare the time to liberation from mechanical ventilation and ICU discharge. Propensity score matching created 109 matched pairs of propofol and midazolam users with balanced baseline characteristics. Competing risk analysis for the 30-day ICU period showed no significant difference in the probability of liberation from mechanical ventilation (0.431 vs. 0.422, P = 0.882) and ICU discharge (0.477 vs. 0.440, P = 0.634). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the proportion of 30-day survival (0.399 vs. 0.398, P = 0.999), 30-day favourable neurological outcome (0.176 vs. 0.185, P = 0.999), and vasopressor requirement within 24-h post-ICU admission (0.651 vs. 0.670, P = 0.784). Conclusion This multicentre cohort study revealed no significant differences in mechanical ventilation duration, ICU stay length, survival, neurological outcomes, and vasopressor requirement between propofol and midazolam users admitted to the ICU after ECPR for OHCA.