Hospital Cardiac Arrest Research Articles

Oxygen targets and 6-month outcome after out of hospital cardiac arrest: a pre-planned sub-analysis of the targeted hypothermia versus targeted normothermia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (TTM2) trial

BackgroundOptimal oxygen targets in patients resuscitated after cardiac arrest are uncertain. The primary aim of this study was to describe the values of partial pressure of oxygen values (PaO2) and the episodes of hypoxemia and hyperoxemia occurring within the first 72 h of mechanical ventilation in out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. The secondary aim was to evaluate the association of PaO2 with patients’ outcome.MethodsPreplanned secondary analysis of the targeted hypothermia versus targeted normothermia after OHCA (TTM2) trial. Arterial blood gases values were collected from randomization every 4 h for the first 32 h, and then, every 8 h until day 3. Hypoxemia was defined as PaO2 < 60 mmHg and severe hyperoxemia as PaO2 > 300 mmHg. Mortality and poor neurological outcome (defined according to modified Rankin scale) were collected at 6 months.Results1418 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 64 ± 14 years, and 292 patients (20.6%) were female. 24.9% of patients had at least one episode of hypoxemia, and 7.6% of patients had at least one episode of severe hyperoxemia. Both hypoxemia and hyperoxemia were independently associated with 6-month mortality, but not with poor neurological outcome. The best cutoff point associated with 6-month mortality for hypoxemia was 69 mmHg (Risk Ratio, RR = 1.009, 95% CI 0.93–1.09), and for hyperoxemia was 195 mmHg (RR = 1.006, 95% CI 0.95–1.06). The time exposure, i.e., the area under the curve (PaO2-AUC), for hyperoxemia was significantly associated with mortality (p = 0.003).ConclusionsIn OHCA patients, both hypoxemia and hyperoxemia are associated with 6-months mortality, with an effect mediated by the timing exposure to high values of oxygen. Precise titration of oxygen levels should be considered in this group of patients.Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT02908308, Registered September 20, 2016.

Impact of admitting department on the management of acute coronary syndrome after an out of hospital cardiac arrest.

This study aimed to analyze the influence of the hospital admitting department on adherence to the Guidelines of European Society of Cardiology for management of acute coronary syndromes in patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of coronary etiology. We studied retrospective-prospective register of 102 consecutive patients with OHCA as a manifestation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients were admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) 52, general intensive care unit (GICU) 21, or GICU after initial Cath lab treatment (CAG-GICU) 29. This study compared the differences in the management of ACS in patients with OHCA of coronary etiology based on the admitting department in a tertiary care institution. Twelve of the 21 (57.1%) patients admitted to the GICU were evaluated as having ACS on-site where they experienced OHCA. In the CCU group, 50 out of 52 (96.2%) and 28 of 29 (100%) patients in the CAG-GICU group (P<0.001). Coronary angiography was performed in 10 of 21 patients (48%) admitted to the GICU. It was performed in 49 out of 52 (94%) CCU patients and, in the CAG-GICU group, 28 out of 29 patients. The mean time to CAG differed significantly across groups (that is, GICU 200.7 min., CCU 71.2 min., and CAG-GICU 7.5 min. (P<0.001)). Aspirin was used in 48% of GICU, 96% of CCU, and 79% of CAG-GICU patients (P<0.001), while in the pre-hospital phase, aspirin was used in 9.5% of GICU, 71.2% of CCU, and 50% of CAG-GICU patients (P<0.001). P2Y12 inhibitor prescriptions were lower in patients admitted to the GICU (33% vs. 89% CCU and 57% CAG-GICU, P<0.001). The department's choice significantly affected the time to initiation of antithrombotics, which was the longest in the GICU. The choice of admission department for patients with OHCA caused by ACS was found to affect the extent to which the recommended treatments were used. An examination of OHCA patients by a cardiologist upon admission to the hospital increased the likelihood of an early diagnosis of ACS as the cause of OHCA.

Increasing lay-people’s intentions to initiate CPR in out of hospital cardiac arrest: Results of a mixed-methods ‘before and after’ pilot study of a behavioural text-message intervention (BICeP)

BackgroundPrompt, effective cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, CPR is often not provided, even by people with training. Low confidence, perceptions of risks and high emotion can prevent initiation of CPR. Behaviour-change techniques may be helpful in increasing CPR rates. AimTo pilot a text-message behavioural intervention designed to increase intentions to initiate CPR, explore participant responses and pilot methods for future randomised controlled trial of effectiveness. MethodsA ‘before and after’ pilot study plus qualitative interviews was undertaken. Participants were lay-people who had undertaken CPR training in previous 2 years.Participants were sent an intervention, comprising 35 text-messages containing 14 behaviour-change techniques, to their mobile phone over 4–6 weeks.Primary outcome: intentions to initiate CPR assessed in response to 4 different scenarios.Secondary outcomes: theory-based determinants of intention (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy) and self-rated competence. Results20 participants (6 female, 14 male), aged 20–84 provided baseline data. 17 received the full suite of 35 text messages.15 provided follow-up data. Intentions to perform CPR in scenarios where CPR was indicated were high at baseline and increased (18.1 ± 3.2–19.5 ± 1.8/21) after the intervention, as did self-efficacy and self-rated competency. Self-efficacy, attitudes, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms were positively correlated with intentions. Qualitative data suggest the intervention was perceived as useful. Additional options for delivery format and pace were suggested. ConclusionsPilot-testing suggests a text-message intervention delivered after CPR training is acceptable and may be helpful in increasing/maintaining intentions to perform CPR.

Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study of Prehospital Optimal Shock Energy for Defibrillation (POSED)

AimsThe Prehospital Optimal Shock Energy for Defibrillation (POSED) study will assess the feasibility of conducting a cluster randomised controlled study of clinical effectiveness in UK ambulance services to identify the optimal shock energy for defibrillation. MethodsPOSED is a pragmatic, allocation concealed, open label, cluster randomised, controlled feasibility study. Defibrillators within a single UK ambulance service will be randomised in an equal ratio to deliver one of three shock strategies 120–150–200 J, 150–200–200 J, 200–200–200 J. Consecutive adults (≥18 years) presenting with out of hospital cardiac arrest requiring defibrillation will be eligible. The study plans to enrol 90 patients (30 in each group). Patients (or their relatives for non-survivors) will be informed about trial participation after the initial emergency has resolved. Survivors will be invited to consent to participate in follow-up (i.e., at 30 days or discharge).The primary feasibility outcome is the proportion of eligible patients who receive the randomised study intervention. Secondary feasibility outcomes will include recruitment rate, adherence to allocated treatment and data completeness. Clinical outcomes will include Return of an Organised Rhythm (ROOR) at 2 minutes post-shock, refibrillation rate, Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) at hospital handover, survival and neurological outcome at 30 days. ConclusionThe POSED study will assess the feasibility of a large-scale trial and explore opportunities to optimise the trial protocol.Trial registration: ISRCTN16327029.

Can kids save lives program improve knowledge, skills and attitude of greek students. Preliminary results from three years of implementation

Abstract Background Out of hospital cardiac arrest remains a big issue worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. Many lives could have been saved if more people had been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The World Health Organization endorsed the “Kids Save Lives” project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality, while countries, where children were taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in schools, have higher rates of bystander CPR and higher survival rates. Purpose To evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, willingness to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and active skills of Greek secondary school students on the subject of Basic life Support before and after a “Kids Save Lives” program. Moreover to evaluate the potential benefits of training for 3 consecutive years Material and method Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017–2018, 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly's region. A total of 5823 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the “Kids save Lives” program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. The program was under the approval of Greek Ministry of Education. 709 students followed the program for two consecutive years and 202 for three consecutive years. A 12-question questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the “kid saves lives” program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced Basic Life Support Instructors. Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding CPR, with the percentage of correct answers being 48,65%, 63,88%, 75,70% before the first, second and third years respectively (p&amp;lt;0.001). After the course the percentages of correct answers went up to 83,26%, 87,95% and 92,67% after the first, second and third years of the course respectively (p&amp;lt;0.001). The participants willingness to perform bystander CPR significantly increased after the completion of the first year of course (93,8% before to 97,4% after, p&amp;lt;0.001) and remains highly for the next 2 years. Almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% performed chin lift maneuver and recognized cardiac arrest. More than 90% of the students performed chest compressions with the correct rate and placing their hands on the center of the chest (90,1% and 93.4%, respectively), whereas only 76.4% of the participants achieved the desired compression depth of 5 to 6 cm. One year later there was improvement to their skills and especially to the desired depth of chest compression (87,6%, p&amp;lt;0,001) Conclusions The overall results strongly depict the benefits of “Kids Save Lives” program by improving the theoretical knowledge, the practical skills and the attitude of Greek students towards CPR and indicate the need for its implementation for 3 consecutive years for every student. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Comparison between 2 futility scores in comatosed survivors of out of hospital cardiac arrest in a large tertiary centre in the United Kingdom: MIRACLE2 vs NULL-PLEASE

Abstract Background The management of patients presenting with an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is resource intensive, and mortality remains very high. Several scoring systems have been developed to predict mortality and adverse neurological outcomes, and thus aid decision making for patients arriving to heart attack centres. Two of the most commonly used scoring systems are NULL-PLEASE (1) and MIRACLE2 (2). Purpose The MIRCALE2 score predicts poor neurological outcome at 6 months, as measured by Cerebral Performance Category (CPC). The NULL-PLEASE score predicts in-hospital morality. We aimed to compare both scores in predicting their primary end-points in a large tertiary centre in the UK. Method and results This was a retrospective analysis of 435 patient who were admitted with OHCA via the primary PCI pathway to a large tertiary cardiac centre between January 2016 and September 2020. Only comatosed OHCA survivors requiring pre-hospital ventilatory support were included. 319 patients were eligible 238 patients had complete set of data and were included in the final analysis. The association of the primary outcome was examined using logistic regression analysis. The predictive ability of the scores for the primary endpoint was tested using AUC analysis. In-hospital mortality was 45% (108 patients), with 53% having good neurological outcome at 6 months (CPC &amp;lt;3). The median MIRACLE2 score for our cohort was 5 (total score 10). The median neurological outcome measured by CPC was 2. The median NULL-PLEASE score was 2 (total 14). A ROC curve for both scores was plotted, with area under the curve at 0.73 for the MIRACLE2, and 0. 0.81 for NULL-PLEASE (figure 1 and 2). Our final analysis demonstrated a MIRACLE2 score of 5 or more had sensitivity of 67% to predict poor neurological outcome (CPC 3–5). The NULL-PLEASE, score of &amp;gt;3 had 74% sensitivity to predict in hospital mortality. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare the MIRCLE2 and NULL-PLEASE scoring systems. Both scores did not perform as expected in our large retrospective analysis. The NULL-PLEASE was more sensitive in predicting in-hospital mortality, although MIRACLE 2 score was easier to use as it had less variables to collect. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Prevalence of illicit drug use in young sudden cardiac death patients; an Australian prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Illicit drug use may accelerate coronary disease and cardiac hypertrophy or stimulate arrhythmias. Rates of illicit drug use in young sudden cardiac death (SCD) patients are uncertain. Purpose To identify rates of illicit drug use in young SCD patients in Australia. Methods A prospective multi-centre registry identified out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients aged 1–50 years between April 2019 and April 2020. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without illicit drug use (defined by toxicological results or reported regular use). Illicit drugs included stimulants such as amphetamine-type substances and cocaine, or non-stimulants such as heroin, cannabis and novel psychoactive substances (cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids). Results 770 OHCAs occurred, with 555 patients undergoing forensic assessment. 287 patients had confirmed cardiac cause of OHCA, with 274 undergoing toxicological assessment and 79 (28.8%) having positive toxicology for illicit drugs (n=60) or reported regular drug use (n=19). An additional 121 patients experienced non-cardiac SCD due to illicit drug toxicity, resulting in a total of 200 patients (36.0% of OHCAs) with illicit drug use. Patients with SCD and illicit drug use were more commonly male (86.1% vs 72.3%, p=0.015), regular smokers (36.7% vs 21.5%, p=0.009), had cardiomegaly (76.5% vs 57.5%, p=0.007), and higher rates of coronary disease and cardiomyopathy (coronary disease 44.3% vs 33.3%, cardiomyopathy 30.4% vs 18.5%, p=0.003). Methamphetamines (n=42, 53.1%) were the most common illicit drug identified and polysubstance abuse occurred frequently (n=15, 19.0%). Conclusion Approximately one-third of young SCD patients use illicit drugs, with high rates of polysubstance abuse. Illicit drug use in SCD patients is associated with coronary disease and cardiomyopathy. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Myocardial scarring and recurrence of ventricular arrhythmia in patients surviving a ventricular fibrillation out of hospital cardiac arrest

Abstract Introduction Prediction of ventricular arrhythmia recurrence in survivors of ventricular fibrillation out of hospital cardiac arrest (VF-OHCA) is important, but currently difficult. Risk of recurrence may be related to presence of myocardial scarring and dedicated late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) software allows for characterization of left ventricular scarring, including differentiation between core, border zone (BZ) and BZ channels that represent potential electrical circuits of slow conductivity responsible for ventricular arrhythmic events. Purpose Our study aims to characterize myocardial scarring as defined by LGE-CMR in survivors of a VF-OCHA and investigate its potential role for the risk of new ventricular arrhythmia. Methods Between 2018 and 2021, a total of 130 VF-OHCA patients had CMR, of which we included 28 patients with LGE-CMR before ICD implantation for secondary prevention. A total of 15 (54%) patients had signs of acute or chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD); and 13 (46%) patients had arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Scar tissue including core, BZ and BZ channels were automatically detected by specialized investigational software. To differentiate BZ from healthy tissue and BZ from core, thresholds of 40% ± 5% and 60% ± 5% of the maximum signal intensity were applied. A BZ channel in the LGE-CMR reconstruction was defined as a continuous corridor of BZ between 2 core areas or between a core area and a valve annulus (Figure 1A+B). Results The median age was 56 years; 86% were men and the median left ventricular ejection fraction was 50±11%. A total of 16 (57%) patients had an inferior scar on LGE-CMR, and 8 (29%) patients with IHD were incompletely revascularized. After a median follow-up of 98 days, 9 (32%) patients (6/9 with IHD, including 5/6 incompletely revascularized; 3/9 with ACM) had recurrence of ventricular arrhythmia (6/9 monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT)). A significantly higher number of patients with BZ channels had recurrence of ventricular arrhythmia compared with patients without BZ channels (7/11 vs. 2/17; P=0.01) (Figure 2). The number of BZ channels (3±1 vs. 2±1; P=0.13); scar mass (21±8g vs. 14±11g; P=0.21); core mass (7±4g vs. 4±5g; P=0.14); and BZ mass (11±5g vs. 9±7g; P=0.42) were insignificantly higher in patients with recurrent ventricular arrhythmia compared with patients without. Conclusion Borderzone channels analyzed by LGE-CMR were associated with subsequent recurrence of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Variation in health-care quality and outcomes according to time of chest pain presentation: a state-wide prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Previous studies examining temporal variation in cardiovascular care have largely been limited to assessing weekend and after-hours effects whereby those presenting on the weekend or after-hours have a poorer outcome. However, emerging evidence suggests more complex patterns in patterns and outcomes may exist. Purpose We aimed to determine patterns of temporal variation in chest pain presentations and subsequent health-care quality and outcomes. Methods This was an observational, prospective-cohort study of adult patients aged 18 and over who were attended by emergency medical services for non-traumatic chest pain between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2019 in Victoria, Australia. Major exclusion criteria included pre-hospital diagnosis of ST elevation myocardial infarction or an out of hospital cardiac arrest. The exposure variable was time of day and day of week stratified into 168 hourly time periods. The primary outcome measure was 30-day mortality. Results The study cohort comprised 196,365 ambulance attendances for acute non-traumatic chest pain; mean age 62.4 years (SD 18.3) and 99,497 (50.7%) females. Three temporal patterns were observed for chest pain presentations (Figure 1): (1) a diurnal pattern with a sharp increase in presentations from 8 am, peaking around midday, before decreasing into late evening with a nadir between 3–4 am, (2) a weekend effect where Saturday and Sunday had a relatively lower rate of presentations compared to during the week, and (3) a Monday – Sunday gradient where more presentations were likely earlier in the week, than later. Six patterns were identified across pre-hospital and hospital key performance indicators (KPI) (diurnal, in/after-hours, weekend effect, Monday – Sunday gradient, a peak period and morning vs afternoon/evening effect. Risk of 30-day mortality was associated with weekend presentation (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06–1.24, p=0.001) and morning presentation between midnight and midday (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.09–1.25, p&amp;lt;0.001) (Figure 2). Conclusion Chest pain presentations, care quality and outcomes demonstrate complex temporal variation beyond the already established weekend and after-hours effect. Such relationships should be considered during resource allocation and quality improvement programs in order to improve treatment quality across all days and times of the week. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

FEMALE SEX IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SURVIVAL AFTER NON-TRAUMATIC OUT OF HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

FEMALE SEX IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SURVIVAL AFTER NON-TRAUMATIC OUT OF HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

The influence of extreme cold ambient temperature on out of hospital cardiac arrest: A systemic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective Many researches have demonstrated the effects of the extreme cold ambient temperature on the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); yet, the results have been inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate whether extreme cold ambient temperature is related to OHCA. Methods We searched for time-series studies reporting associations between extreme cold ambient temperature and OHCA in PubMed, web of science and Cochrane database. Results Six studies involving 2 337 403 cases of OHCA were qualified for our meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) of OHCA was significantly increased in extreme cold weather (defined as the 1st or 5th centile temperature year-round) compared to reference temperature (as the 25th centile temperatures or daily mean temperature with minimum risk of OHCA) (OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.18–1.88). The subgroup analysis for the elderly and the female failed to detect the influence of extreme cold weather on OHCA, the ORs are 1.25 (95% CI 0.89–1.75) and 1.19 (95% CI 0.87–1.64), respectively. Conclusion The risk of OHCA is significantly higher in extreme cold ambient temperatures than in reference temperature, according to a relative temperature scale with percentiles of the region-specific temperature distribution.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest during COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective study from north east of Italy

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak affected the epidemiology and the outcomes of Out-Of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). We performed a retrospective observational study in the Western district of Vicenza (Veneto, Italy) to evaluate patients affected by non-traumatic OHCA and we analyzed epidemiological and clinical characteristics associated with sustained Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC). We collected 114 cases from January 2019 to May 2021 and we compared data of the pre-pandemic period (2019) with the pandemic one (2020-2021). During the pandemic we found an increase of bystander CPR, of OHCA with a cardiac cause and of shockable presenting rhythms. All these observations weren’t associated with an increase of sustained ROSC, which could be determined by both the reorganization of the health care system with the reduction of medical screenings and by the interruption of training courses reducing the efficacy of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. On the other hand, the higher percentage of presenting shockable rhythm reinforces the importance of bystander rule and of short time to start CPR.

Cardiac arrest due to intentional yew tree (Taxus baccata) ingestion

A 22-year-old woman with a history of bulimia, depression, and one suicidal attempt was admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) after out of hospital cardiac arrest. Her co-workers were proceeding with basic life support with an automated external defibrillator. After the arrival of the emergency service, advanced life support proceeded and ventricular fibrillation was the first rhythm recorded.

A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of EMS Clinicians in Recognizing and Treating Witnessed Cardiac Arrests

Background Survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) increases when effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation are performed early. Patients who suffer OHCA in front of emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians have greater likelihood of survival, but little is known about how EMS clinicians think about and experience those events. We sought to understand how EMS clinicians assessed patients who devolved to cardiac arrest in their presence and uncover the perceived barriers and facilitators associated with recognizing and treating witnessed OHCAs. Methods EMS clinicians who had attended an EMS-witnessed OHCA and consented to participate were interviewed within 72 hours of the index case. Transcripts of the interviews were coded through the consolidated framework for implementation research to understand enabling and constraining factors involved and the predictability and anticipation of OHCA and subsequent management of patient care. Utstein data points, interventions, and associated times were extracted from the medical records. Results We interviewed 29 EMS clinicians who attended 27 EMS-witnessed OHCAs. Twenty-six (96.3%) of the EMS-witnessed OHCAs were preceded by prodromal symptoms and were classified as predictable. Of the predictable cases, clinicians anticipated 53.8% of them and attributed the prodromes of other cases to serious but not peri-arrest etiologies. Participants described various environmental, crew, and intrapersonal enabling and constraining factors associated with recognizing and treating EMS-witnessed OHCAs. Environmental elements included issues of safety and physical locations, crew elements included familiarity with their partners and working with them in the past, and intrapersonal elements included abilities to collect information and stress associated with responding to and managing the calls. Conclusion Recognition and treatment of EMS-witnessed OHCAs are influenced by numerous environmental, crew, and intrapersonal factors. Future training and education on OHCA should include diverse locations, situations, and crew make-up, along with nontraditional patient complaints to broaden experiences associated with cardiac arrest management.

The difference between arterial pCO2 and etCO2 after cardiac arrest – Outcome predictor or marker of unfavorable resuscitation circumstances?

IntroductionIn former studies, the arterio-alveolar carbon dioxide gradient (ΔCO2) predicted in-hospital mortality after initially survived cardiac arrest. As early outcome predictors are urgently needed, we evaluated ΔCO2 as predictor for good neurological outcome in our cohort. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed all patients ≥18 years of age after non-traumatic in- and out of hospital cardiac arrest in the year 2018 from our resuscitation database. Patients without advanced airway management, incomplete datasets or without return of spontaneous circulation were excluded. The first arterial pCO2 after admission and the etCO2 in mmHg at the time of blood sampling were recorded from patient's charts. We then calculated ΔCO2 (pCO2 – etCO2). For baseline analyses, ΔCO2 was dichotomized into a low and high group with separation at the median. Good neurological outcome on day 30, expressed as Cerebral Performance Category 1–2, defined our primary endpoint. Survival to 30 days was used as secondary endpoint. ResultsOut of 302 screened patients, 128 remained eligible for analyses. ΔCO2 was lower in 30-day survivors with good neurological outcome (12.2 mmHg vs. 18.8 mmHg, p = 0.009) and in 30-day survivors (12.5 mmHg vs. 20.0 mmHg, p = 0.001). In patients with high ΔCO2, a cardiac etiology of arrest was found less often. They had a higher body mass index, longer duration of resuscitation, higher amounts of epinephrine, lower pO2 levels but both higher pCO2 and blood lactate levels, resulting in lower blood pH and HCO3− levels at admission.In a crude binary logistic regression analysis, ΔCO2 was associated with 30-day neurological outcome (OR = 1.041 per mmHg of ΔCO2, 95% CI 1.008–1.074, p = 0.014). This association persisted after the adjustment for age, sex, witnessed arrest and shockable first rhythm. However, after addition of the duration of resuscitation or the cumulative epinephrine dosage to the model, ΔCO2 lost its association. ConclusionΔCO2 at admission after a successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest is associated with 30 days survival with good neurological outcome. However, a higher ΔCO2 may rather be a surrogate for unfavorable resuscitation circumstances than an independent outcome predictor.

Targeted temperature management: a transatlantic view.

Targeted temperature management (TTM) following out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and successful resuscitation has been introduced in order to reduce potential damage of the brain and the heart representing the key organ systems that are highly vulnerable following periods of low-level oxygen supply. Past clinical trials with TTM have demonstrated reduced organ damage caused by ischaemia/reperfusion and survival with better neurological outcome after OHCA. However, the recent TTM2 trial1 did not show a clinical benefit of lowering the body temperature below normothermia in survivors of OHCA thereby leading to a recently updated European Resuscitation Council (ERC)/European Society of Intensive Medicine (ESICM) recommendation for post-resuscitation care.2 SciencePulse has asked two leading experts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who recently joined their forces to recap on the history of clinical trials in this field,3 about their current approach to temperature management of patients in post resuscitation care.

When not to treat could be the best option.

Treatment strategy of people who experienced an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest without a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is still a matter of debate. Recent randomized trials and a meta-analysis comparing early. Against delayed coronary angiography in these patients did not find any improvement in short-term survival with the immediate approach strategy. Further studies are ongoing, whose results will help clarify the correct management of these OHCA-non STEMI patients.

Cardiac Arrest Caused by Anaphylaxis Refractory to Prompt Management

BackgroundAnaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs in the emergency department (ED). Although anaphylaxis is rapidly recognized and treated in the hospital compared with that in the community, in some cases, it does not respond to proper management. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe our experience of cases of refractory anaphylaxis leading to cardiac arrest in hospital, to review their characteristics compared with those seen in the community, and to discuss the best management practices for anaphylaxis-induced cardiac arrest with a literature review. MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of patients referred to the ED with possible in-hospital anaphylaxis between January 2017 and May 2021. According to the anaphylaxis protocol, epinephrine, corticosteroid, and antihistamine were administered immediately on-site at our institution before the study period. Refractory anaphylaxis was defined as the development of anaphylaxis-induced cardiac arrest even after following the anaphylaxis protocol. ResultsA total of 246 cases were evaluated for possible anaphylaxis, with 236 cases meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of anaphylaxis. Among them, 178 patients showed the signs and symptoms of shock, and cardiac arrest occurred in 6 patients (2.5%). Of the six patients, three had a return of spontaneous circulation before admission to the ED, while two died due to refractory cardiac arrest despite resuscitation in the ED. Following post-cardiac arrest care, including temperature management, one patient who received extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation survived neurologically intact. ConclusionWe present our case series to highlight the risk of developing refractory anaphylaxis with subsequent in-hospital cardiac arrest. Patients may progress to cardiac arrest within minutes despite prompt recognition and management. If patients present with potentially fatal symptoms, a more aggressive approach, including intravenous adrenaline infusion, should be taken.

Bedside interpretation of cerebral energy metabolism utilizing microdialysis in neurosurgical and general intensive care.

The microdialysis technique was initially developed for monitoring neurotransmitters in animals. In 1995 the technique was adopted to clinical use and bedside enzymatic analysis of glucose, pyruvate, lactate, glutamate and glycerol. Under clinical conditions microdialysis has also been used for studying cytokines, protein biomarkers, multiplex proteomic and metabolomic analyses as well as for pharmacokinetic studies and evaluation of blood-brain barrier function. This review focuses on the variables directly related to cerebral energy metabolism and the possibilities and limitations of microdialysis during routine neurosurgical and general intensive care. Our knowledge of cerebral energy metabolism is to a large extent based on animal experiments performed more than 40 years ago. However, the different biochemical information obtained from various techniques should be recognized. The basic animal studies analyzed brain tissue homogenates while the microdialysis technique reflects the variables in a narrow zone of interstitial fluid surrounding the probe. Besides the difference of the volume investigated, the levels of the biochemical variables differ in different compartments. During bedside microdialysis cerebral energy metabolism is primarily reflected in measured levels of glucose, lactate and pyruvate and the lactate to pyruvate (LP) ratio. The LP ratio reflects cytoplasmatic redox-state which increases instantaneously during insufficient aerobic energy metabolism. Cerebral ischemia is characterized by a marked increase in intracerebral LP ratio at simultaneous decreases in intracerebral levels of pyruvate and glucose. Mitochondrial dysfunction is characterized by a moderate increase in LP ratio at a very marked increase in cerebral lactate and normal or elevated levels of pyruvate and glucose. The patterns are of importance in particular for interpretations in transient cerebral ischemia. A new technique for evaluating global cerebral energy metabolism by microdialysis of the draining cerebral venous blood is discussed. In experimental studies it has been shown that pronounced global cerebral ischemia is reflected in venous cerebral blood. Jugular bulb microdialysis has been investigated in patients suffering from subarachnoid hemorrhage, during cardiopulmonary bypass and resuscitation after out of hospital cardiac arrest. Preliminary results indicate that the new technique may give valuable information of cerebral energy metabolism in clinical conditions when insertion of an intracerebral catheter is contraindicated.

Training, knowledge, experience and perceptions regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation of doctors at an academic hospital in central South Africa.

BackgroundCardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves immediate survival and survival to discharge in patients with cardiac arrest in hospital. Without frequent retraining in CPR, healthcare providers may lose their skills and knowledge earlier than the recommendation of CPR retraining every two years.ObjectivesTo determine the competencies of doctors at an academic hospital regarding CPR training, knowledge, experience and perceptions.MethodsA custom-designed questionnaire reviewed by CPR providers was distributed to doctors to obtain information on CPR training, exposure to and perceptions of CPR retraining, and CPR knowledge. The knowledge component of the questionnaire comprised questions on basic, advanced cardiac, paediatric, neonatal and obstetric life support.ResultsOf the 245 participants, 22.5% achieved competency (a mark of ≥ 80%) for the knowledge component of the questionnaire. The majority of participants had not undertaken retraining after two years, although 96.7% of participants felt that keeping up-to-date with CPR guidelines would improve patient outcomes. The most common reasons provided for not feeling confident in performing CPR were related to training.ConclusionDoctors at the academic hospital in this study are currently not adequately trained in CPR, which is reflected by their lack of CPR knowledge. Lack of training seems to be the most common reason for not feeling confident, and being too busy to attend these retraining courses was reported as the most common reason. It further seems that very few of the departments have CPR training for their doctors. A regular in-hospital CPR training program may improve doctor's CPR knowledge.