Effect of Target Temperature Management on Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in Post-Cardiac Arrest Patients

Target Temperature Management (TTM) is a procedure used in post-cardiac arrest (CA) patients to reduce mortality and morbidity. The goal of this study was to investigate the link between intracranial pressure (ICP) and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in this patient group, which has a high mortality rate, despite TTM, and to see if ONSD may be used to predict mortality. The research was designed to be a retrospective observational study. The study comprised patients who were followed up on in a tertiary intensive care unit, had post-CA TTM, and had brain computed tomography (BCT) before and 0–6 hours after TTM. ONSD measurements were acquired from patients' BCT images recorded before and after TTM. The difference in pre-TTM ONSD and post-TTM ONSD measurements in all post-CA patients, as well as the difference in pre-TTM ONSD and post-TTM ONSD measurements in surviving and deceased patients, was compared. The study involved 33 participants. The patients' average age was 60.58–12.39 years, and 75.8% were male. Around 51.5% of the patients died. When the pre-TTM and post-TTM ONSDs of all patients were compared, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.856). When the percentage change (Δ) values between the post-TTM ONSD and pre-TTM ONSD and post-TTM ONSD measures of the surviving patients and the deceased patients were compared, a difference was observed (p < 0.01). Increased ICP in post-CA patients is a significant clinical issue associated with mortality and poor neurological prognosis. ONSD measurement may be useful in monitoring ICP, which may rise, despite TTM, and higher ONSD measurements may be used as an indicator for mortality in post-CA patients, who have received TTM.