Clinical characteristics and outcomes of neurogenic stress cadiomyopathy in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is an often devastating form of stroke. Aside from the initial hemorrhage, cardiac complications can occur resulting in neurogenic stress cardiomyopathy (NCM), leading to impaired cardiac function. We investigated whether aSAH patients with NCM had poorer long term functional outcomes than patients without NCM. Mortality, vasospasm, and delayed ischemic complications were also evaluated.

METHODS: A retrospective study of all patients admitted for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) from January 2006 to June 2011 (n=299) was conducted. Those patients who underwent an echocardiogram were identified (n=120) and were assigned to the NCM (n=49) category based on echocardiographic findings defined by a depressed ejection fraction (EF%) along with a regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) in a non-vascular pattern. Primary outcome measures included in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes as measured by the Modified Barthel Index (mBI) at 3 months and one year. Secondary analysis determined if there was an association between NCM, cerebral vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia.

RESULTS: 16% of aSAH patients developed NCM. Mortality was higher (p<.001) in the NCM group (n=23[46.9%]) than in the non-CM group (n=28[11.2%]). Patients with NCM had poorer functional outcomes as measured by the mBI at both 3 months (p=.002) and 12 months (p=.014). The Hunt-Hess score was predictive of functional outcome as measured by the mBI at both 3 months (p=.002) as well as at 1 year (p=.014). NCM was associated with both death (p=.047 CI, 1.012-7.288) and vasospasm (p=.008 CI, 1.34-6.66) after correction for Hunt-Hess grade. Tobacco use (p<.001) and a history of diabetes mellitus (p<.009) were also associated with vasospasm. NCM was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (p=.047) in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION: NCM is seen in a substantial number of aSAH patients and when present, it is associated with higher mortality and poorer long-term functional outcomes. This finding may guide further prospective studies in order to determine if early recognition of NCM as well as optimization of cardiac output would improve mortality.