Unsuccessful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Research Articles

Perceived stress and coping strategies after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation among pre-hospital emergency technicians: A multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundEffective stress management after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) requires the determination of perceived stress and identification and reinforcement of effective coping strategies. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine perceived stress and coping strategies after unsuccessful CPR for the first time among Iranian pre-hospital emergency technicians. MethodsA cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational, multicenter study was conducted in 2022. The research population included all pre-hospital emergency technicians working in 44 urban, road, and aerial pre-hospital emergency stations in 22 counties of Ilam Province, west of Iran. A total of 374 technicians worked in these stations, which were included in the study by census method according to the inclusion criteria. The data collection tools were the Questionnaire of perceived stress after unsuccessful CPR and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software version 27 using descriptive and analytical statistics (Pearson correlation test, multiple linear regression analysis, independent sample T-test, and ANOVA) at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. ResultsThe perceived stress was at a moderate level with a mean score of 65.56 ± 14.21. Among six coping strategies, problem-focused coping had the highest (3.01 ± 0.59) and denial had the lowest mean value (1.94 ± 0.79). Perceived stress had a significant direct relationship with 5 coping strategies, including problem-focused coping, support-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, self-distraction, and religion (p < 0.05). The strongest relationship was found between perceived stress and self-distraction followed by emotion-focused coping. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, emotion-focused coping and self-distraction had predictive roles. ConclusionThe participants used different coping strategies to cope with the stress of unsuccessful CPR. The most common coping mechanisms used by the participants were problem-focused, emotion-focused, and support-focused coping. Pre-hospital emergency officials can assist pre-hospital emergency technicians in coping with occupational stress, including the stress of unsuccessful CPR, through organizing educational courses, teaching effective coping strategies, and offering support programs.

Pulmonary fat embolism in non-survivors after cardiopulmonary resuscitation

BackgroundBlunt trauma acting against the human body presents the fundamental cause of pulmonary fat embolism (PFE) and fat embolism syndrome. The aim of the present study was to investigate PFE in non-survivors after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study conducted in University Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic. Within a 4-year study period, all non-survivors after CPR because of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were assessed for the study eligibility. The presence/seriousness of PFE was determined by microscopic examination of cryo-sections of lung tissue (staining with Oil Red O). ResultsIn total, 106 persons after unsuccessful CPR were enrolled in the study. The most frequent cause of death in the study population (63.2% of cases) was cardiac disease (ischemic heart disease); PFE was not determined as the cause of death in any of our study cases. Sternal fractures were identified 66.9%, rib fractures (usually multiple) in 80.2% of study cases; the median number of rib fractures was 10.2 fractures per person. Serious intra-thoracic injuries were found in 34.9% of cases.Microscopic examination of lung cryo-sections revealed PFE in 40 (37.7%) study cases; PFE was most frequently evaluated as grade I or II. Occurrence of sternal and rib fractures was significantly higher in persons with PFE than between persons without PFE (p = 0.033 and p = <0.001). Number of rib fractures was also significantly higher in persons with PFE. The occurrence of serious intra-thoracic injuries was comparable in both our study groups (p = 0.089). ConclusionsPFE presents a common resuscitation injury which can be found in more than 30% of persons after CPR. Persons with resuscitation skeletal chest fractures have significantly higher risk of PFE development. During autopsy of persons after unsuccessful CPR, it is necessary to distinguish CPR-associated injuries including PFE from injuries that arise from other mechanisms.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a patient with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction complicated by electrical storm, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest: a case report

BackgroundHigh-risk patients with coronary heart disease who develop acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have severe coronary lesions. If severe complications occur, such as malignant ventricular arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest, implementation of emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be hindered, leading to a higher perioperative mortality rate. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can pave the way for rapid myocardial reperfusion therapy. When cardiac arrest occurs, hemodynamic support with ECMO can facilitate revascularization with PCI, which can increase the time available for further salvage and treatment and reduce intraoperative risk during PCI.Case presentationHerein, we report a case of a 61-year-old man with AMI who suffered electrical storm of sustained malignant ventricular fibrillation, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest and was successfully treated with PCI with ECMO support. During PCI, repeated aspiration and removal of the right coronary artery thrombus were performed, and blood flow was restored after right coronary artery balloon dilation. One episode of defibrillation was delivered to restore sinus rhythm. Then, stents were implanted in the distal and proximal right coronary artery lesions to achieve revascularization. After PCI with ECMO support, irreversible malignant arrhythmia returned to sinus rhythm through coronary perfusion, which prevented death following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After applying active treatments, including anti-shock, mechanical ventilation, anti-inflammation, and organ support, the patient was discharged after his condition and vital signs stabilized. The patient was followed up once a week after hospital discharge, and his cardiopulmonary function recovered well.ConclusionsWith ECMO support, PCI should be performed immediately in patients with inferior wall AMI complicated by electrical storm of sustained ventricular fibrillation, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest to facilitate stent placement, achieve complete revascularization, restore coronary perfusion, and avoid death

The Aassociation between Pre-Cardiac Arrest Comorbidity and Unsuccessful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Patients with Cardiac Arrest

The Aassociation between Pre-Cardiac Arrest Comorbidity and Unsuccessful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Patients with Cardiac Arrest

Found alive after declared dead

Autoresuscitation, also referred to as Lazarus phenomenon, is a rare occurrence whereby a patient may experience restoration of spontaneous circulation and signs of life after a diagnosis of “death” following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. “Found alive after declared dead” has often appeared as sensational news on print, electronic, and social media, and the medical fraternity falls prey to media trials and court enquiry, but this rare phenomenon remains underreported in the medical literature. In this article, we review the reports of Lazarus phenomenon in the medical literature and discuss possible explanations to throw some light on the medicolegal and social implications of this condition.

Organ Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death in India: A Joint Position Paper.

Organ donation following circulatory determination of death (DCDD) has contributed significantly to the donor pool in several countries. In India, majority of deceased donations happen following brain death (BD). While existing legislation allows for DCDD, there have been only few reports of kidney transplantation following DCDD from India. This document, prepared by a multidisciplinary group of experts, reviews international best practices in DCDD and outlines the path for DCDD in India. Ethical, medical, legal, economic, procedural, and logistic challenges unique to India have been addressed. The practice of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in India, laid down by the Supreme Court of India, is time-consuming, possible only in patients in a permanent vegetative state, and too cumbersome for day-to-day practice. In patients where continued medical care is futile, the procedure for WLST is described. In controlled DCDD (category-III), decision for WLST is independent of and delinked from the subsequent possibility of organ donation. Families that are inclined toward organ donation are explained the procedure including the timing and location of WLST, consent for antemortem measures, no-touch period, and the possibility of stand-down and return to the intensive care unit (ICU) without donation. In donation following neurologic determination of death (DNDD), if cardiac arrest occurs during the process of BD declaration, the protocol for DCDD category-IV has been described in detail. In DCDD category-V, organ donation may be possible following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation of cardiac arrest in the ICU. An outline of organ-specific requisites for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation following DCDD and techniques, such as normothermic regional perfusion (nRP) and ex vivo machine perfusion, has been provided. The outcomes of transplantation following DCDD are comparable to those following DBDD or living donor transplantation. Documents and checklists necessary for successful execution of DCDD in India are described.How to cite this articleSeth AK, Mohanka R, Navin S, Gokhale AGK, Sharma A, Kumar A, et al. Organ Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death in India: A Joint Position Paper. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(4):421–438.

Heart injuries related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a risk often overlooked.

Current studies focus primarily on skeletal injuries following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Few studies report on intrathoracic injuries (ITI) and none, to our knowledge, focus exclusively on cardiovascular injuries related to cardiac massage. This study was based on autopsy findings and assessed the incidence of non-skeletal CPR related injuries related to chest compression. This was a retrospective forensic autopsy cohort study conducted in a single institution after resuscitation. Pathologists recorded autopsy data using standardized protocol contained information from external and internal examination of the body. Thirty-eight autopsy reports (21 males and 17 females), post- CPR-failure were studied. Heart lesions were reported in 19 patients (group A). The average age was 65.7 years (69.05 group A and 66.5 group B). Median weight was 75.2 Kg and was significantly higher in group B (p = 0.01). Pericardial lesions were identified in 6 patients in group A and 2 in group B (p = 0.2 ns). No significant difference was observed among the two groups (Table 4) with the exception of the average number of rib fractures which was higher in group A (p = 0.04). Autopsy findings revealed heart injuries in 50% of patients with a high prevalence (52.6%) of left ventricle injuries. Cardiac lesions represent frequent and serious complications of unsuccessful CPR. Correct performance of chest compressions according to guidelines is the best way to avoid these complications.

Organ Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death in India

Organ donation following circulatory determination of death (DCDD) has contributed significantly to the donor pool in several countries, without compromising the outcomes of transplantation or the number of donations following brain death (BD). In India, majority of deceased donations happen following BD. While existing legislation allows for DCDD, there have been only a few reports of kidney transplantation following DCDD from the country. This document, prepared by a multi-disciplinary group of experts, reviews the international best practices in DCDD and outlines the path for furthering the same in India. The ethical, medical, legal, economic, procedural, and logistic challenges unique to India for all types of DCDD based on the Modified Maastricht Criteria have been addressed. India follows an opt-in system for organ donation that does not allow much scope for uncontrolled DCDD categories I and II. The practice of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in India is in its infancy. The process of WLST, laid down by the Supreme Court of India, is considered time-consuming, possible only in patients in a permanent vegetative state, and considered too cumbersome for day-to-day practice. In patients where continued medical care is determined to be futile following detailed and repeated assessment, the procedure for WLST, as laid down and published by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in conjunction with leading medical experts is described. In controlled DCDD (category-III), the decision for WLST is independent of and delinked from the subsequent possibility of organ donation. Once families are inclined toward organ donation, they are explained the procedure including the timing and location of WLST, consent for antemortem measures, no-touch period, and the possibility of stand down and return to the intensive care unit without donation. While donation following neurologic determination of death (DNDD) is being increasingly practiced in the country, there are instances where the cardiac arrest occurs during the process of declaration of BD, before organ retrieval has been done. Protocol for DCDD category-IV deals with such situations and is described in detail. In DCDD category V, organ donation may be possible following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation of cardiac arrest in the intensive care. An outline of organ-specific requisites for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation following DCDD and the use of techniques such as normothermic regional perfusion and ex vivo machine perfusion has been provided. With increasing experience, the outcomes of transplantation following DCDD are comparable to those following DBDD or living donor transplantation. Documents and checklists necessary for the successful execution of DCDD in India are described.

Abstract 13412: Gender Based Differences in Duration of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Inpatient Setting

Introduction: The decision to terminate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) may be impacted by resuscitation parameters or by patient demographics. Studies show that longer resuscitation efforts have a higher likelihood of ROSC and survival to discharge. It is unclear if gender of the code leader and the patient may be associated with duration of unsuccessful CPR attempt. Methods: Retrospective chart review of inpatient CA that occurred at the UC San Diego Health System between 2011-2019. All adult inpatients with an index cardiac arrest who expired within three days of admission were included. Exclusion criteria included patients who achieved ROSC, CA that occurred outside of the wards or ICU, those with active pre-arrest DNR status, and patients with CA &gt; 3 days after admission (done to minimize provider bias based on prior knowledge of the patient). Data were identified from an internal cardiac arrest quality improvement database. Patient gender was self-reported and code leader gender was identified. Primary outcome was duration of resuscitation efforts. To determine differences in duration of CPR between code leader and patient gender a one-sided ANOVA test was used. A p value &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We identified 91 patients between 2011 and 2019 that met inclusion criteria. Thirty-eight patients (41.8%) identified as female, fifty-three identified as male (58.2%), the average age was 62.7 years old, and seventeen (18.7%) had initial shockable rhythm. Thirty (33%) of the code leaders identified as female and sixty-one (67%) identified as male. Average duration of CPR was 31.6 minutes (2 - 135 minutes) for male patients with male code leader, 32.2 minutes (9 - 71 minutes) for male patients with female code leader, 27.0 minutes (7 - 60 minutes) for female patients with female code leader, and 33.7 minutes (10 - 73 minutes) for female patients with male code leader. No significant difference in duration of unsuccessful CPR attempt associated with gender of code leader and gender of patient in ANOVA analysis was found (p = 0.512). Conclusions: We did not identify a significant association between code leader and patient gender on duration of CPR in the inpatient setting.

Outcomes Following In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in People Receiving Maintenance Dialysis

Rationale & ObjectivePrevious studies showing poor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcomes in the dialysis population have largely been derived from claims data and are somewhat limited by a lack of detailed characterization of CPR events. We aimed to analyze CPR-related outcomes in individuals receiving maintenance dialysis.Study DesignRetrospective chart review.Setting & ParticipantsUsing electronic medical records from a single academic health care system, we identified all hospitalized adult patients receiving maintenance dialysis who had undergone in-hospital CPR between 2006 and 2014.ExposureInitial in-hospital CPR.OutcomesOverall survival, predictors of unsuccessful CPR, predictors of death during the same hospitalization among initial survivors, predictors of discharge-to-home status.Analytical ApproachWe provide descriptive statistics for the study variables and used t tests, χ2 tests, or Fisher exact tests to compare differences between the groups. We built multivariable logistic regression models to examine the CPR-related outcomes.ResultsA total of 184 patients received in-hospital CPR: 51 (28%) did not survive the initial CPR event, and 77 CPR survivors died (additional 42%) later during the same hospitalization (overall mortality 70%). Only 18 (10%) were discharged home, with the remaining 32 (17%) discharged to a rehabilitation facility or a nursing home. In the multivariable model, the only predictor of unsuccessful CPR was CPR duration (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.24-1.61; P < 0.001). Predictors of death during the same hospitalization after surviving the initial CPR event were CPR duration (OR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.04-1.27; P = 0.007) and older age (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.23-2.2; P < 0.001). Older people also had lower odds of discharge-to-home status (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.11-0.54; P < 0.001).LimitationsRetrospective study design, single-center study, no information on functional status.ConclusionsPatients receiving maintenance dialysis experience high mortality following in-hospital CPR and only 10% are discharged home. These data may help clinicians provide useful prognostic information while engaging in goals of care conversations.

Association between emergency medical service transport time and survival in patients with traumatic cardiac arrest: a Nationwide retrospective observational study

BackgroundPatients with traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) are known to have poor prognoses. In 2003, the joint committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma proposed stopping unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) sustained for > 15 min after TCA. However, in 2013, a specific time-limit for terminating resuscitation was dropped, due to the lack of conclusive studies or data. We aimed to define the association between emergency medical services transport time and survival to demonstrate the survival curve of TCA.MethodsA retrospective review of the Japan Trauma Data Bank. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 16, at least one trauma with Abbreviated Injury Scale score (AIS) ≥ 3, and CPR performed in a prehospital setting. Exclusion criteria were burn injury, AIS score of 6 in any region, and missing data. Estimated survival rate and risk ratio for survival were analyzed according to transport time for all patients. Analysis was also performed separately on patients with sustained TCA at arrival.ResultsOf 292,027 patients in the database, 5336 were included in the study with 4141 sustained TCA. Their median age was 53 years (interquartile range (IQR) 36–70), and 67.2% were male. Their median Injury Severity Score was 29 (IQR 22–41), and median transport time was 11 min (IQR 6–17). Overall survival after TCA was 4.5%; however, survival of patients with sustained TCA at arrival was only 1.2%. The estimated survival rate and risk ratio for sustained TCA rapidly decreased after 15 min of transport time, with estimated survival falling below 1%.ConclusionThe chances of survival for sustained TCA declined rapidly while the patient is transported with CPR support. Time should be one reasonable factor for considering termination of resuscitation in patients with sustained TCA, although clinical signs of life, and type and severity of trauma should be taken into account clinically.

Determination of Lidocaine in Postmortem Whole Blood Samples after Unsuccessful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Forensic toxicologists often detect lidocaine in the biological fluids of the deceased, due to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts prior to death. Here, we describe the development of a rapid, sensitive and robust method for the detection of lidocaine in postmortem whole blood using liquid−liquid extraction (LLE) followed by GC/MS analysis. The method showed a dynamic linear range of 100 to 6000 ng/mL with a linearity expressed by the regression coefficient (R2) and a value of 0.9947. The quantitation limit (LOQ) was found to be 0.03 ng/mL and the detection limit (LOD) 0.01 ng/mL. Recovery accuracy and repeatability were satisfactory. Finally, the method was applied to 23 real whole blood samples from cases where CPR was attempted. Blood concentrations ranged from 0.21–0.96 μg/mL.

Success Rate of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Related Factors in Emergency Department of a Private Hospital in Mashhad

Background and Objectives: Most deaths occur unpredictably and usually outside of health care facilities; while could be predicted by Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Whatever, the success rate of this procedure is affected by many factors and the aim of this study was to evaluate CPR outcomes and determine theassociated factors.Materials and Methods: This descriptive retrospective study was conducted in 2018 in a private hospital in Mashhad. Census method was used for sampling, and all the patients who underwent CPR were included in the study. Meanwhile, those who had signs of death and/ or those with incomplete medical records excluded from the study. Moreover, data were provided through the Statistics, Medical Records as well as Quality Improvement units.Results:In this study, 394 medical records were evaluated, out of which 224(56.9%) were male and 170(43.1%) were female. Totally, 96(24.4%) successful and 298(75.6%) unsuccessful CPR were recorded. There was a significant correlation between age of the patientand successful CPR (P=0.011).Conclusion:Results of the study showed that the success rate of CPR will be higher, if the patient is young, duration of CPR is short, and the patient has a non-cardiac underlying disease.

The epidemiology of hospital death following pediatric severe community acquired pneumonia

BackgroundCommunity acquired pneumonia is the primary cause of pediatric hospitalizations and deaths in children under 5 years of age. But the epidemiology of death in pediatric severe community acquired pneumonia was not well characterized.MethodsThis retrospective observational study was performed at the academic Emergency department and intensive care unit and we investigated the timing, cause, mode and attribution of death in children with severe community acquired pneumonia.ResultsOf 962 subjects with severe community acquired pneumonia, there were 57 non-survivors (5.9% mortality). Median time to death was 7 [IQR 3,16] days from severe community acquired pneumonia recognition. Patients dying ≤7 days were younger, had greater illness severity and higher rate of congenital heart disease, who were more likely to die of a cardiovascular cause. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome predominated in deaths > 7 days. Unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation was the most common mode of death at all timepoints. Our findings suggested that in pediatric severe community acquired pneumonia, early deaths were due primarily to cardiovascular dysfunction, while later deaths were more commonly due to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.ConclusionsDeaths from non-pulmonary factors accounted for a substantial portion of non-survivors. Respiratory dysfunction accounted for only a minority of deaths. Our study highlighted limitations associated with rescuing patients with severe pneumonia from death if extrapulmonary organ dysfunctions could not be simultaneously managed.

Unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a 46-year old woman with malignant disease and severe refractory hypoglycaemia

Introduction: Severe hypoglycaemia carries high short-term mortality. When associated with malignancy, it is interestingly highly dependent on increased glucose consumption due to glycolytic metabolism preference. There is no general consensus on the therapy in end-stage malignant disease. Case report: A 46-year old female with a recently diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma presented in September 2019 to the emergency department with weakness, chills and fever. Apart from the diffuse lung interstitial syndrome, sinus tachycardia and respiratory collapsing inferior vena cava, her vital signs and physical examination revealed no significant abnormalities. Hypoglycaemia was determined/detected in the laboratory findings. During the secondary assessment, she arrested and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated. Peripheral glucose measurements showed that refractory hypoglycaemia was unresponsive to any glucose infusions. After the return of spontaneous circulation, laboratory findings revealed severe hyperglycaemia. Soon after, the patient arrested again and a decision was made to apply Intralipid emulsion. CPR ended unsuccessfully. Conclusion: Septic shock with clinical markers of peripheral malperfusion can cause falsely low or immeasurable glucose levels in peripheral capillary blood.

Rib histology after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation in infants suffering sudden death from natural causes; implications for injury mechanism and timing.

To describe whether haemorrhage into the fracture gap, bone marrow, or periosteum, and loss of osteocyte nuclei from infant rib fracture margins, are true markers of vitality or may be seen solely as a consequence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts. A description is provided of histological findings in sampled rib fractures in a retrospective consecutive series of infants, aged 1month to 1year, who suffered sudden death. All had undergone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and were investigated by use of skeletal survey, whole body computed tomography (CT), and invasive postmortem (PM). There was no suspicion of child abuse. 15 infants were studied, 9 of whom had anterior/anterolateral rib fractures; slides were available with consent for use in seven. Skeletal survey identified no fractures. CT and PM showed 46 fractures, 27 of which were examined histologically. Marrow cavity haemorrhage>2mm in diameter was seen in 55% of fractures; easily identifiable red cells were seen in the fracture gap in 36%, and beneath the periosteum in 36%. Loss of intact osteocytes from lacunae in bone fragments at the fracture margins relative to distant areas was obvious in 50% of fractures. Anterior rib fractures, visible on CT and histologically, are common after CPR in infants. Empty lacunae and bleeding into the fracture gap, into the marrow cavity and beneath the periosteum are all frequent in CPR-related infant rib fractures, and should not be used to discriminate between true in-vivo injury and perimortem injury.

Refractory cardiac arrrest treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 2-year follow-up

Abstract Introduction Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been introduced as a life-saving procedure in refractory cardiac arrest. Methods Eligible patients for this analysis had to undergo ECPR after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation with a minimum of three defibrillation attempts. For extracorporeal life support (ECLS) was used Cardiohelp system or Levitronix CentriMag blood pump. LUCAS II system was used for chest compressions during cardiac arrest. The relations of blood lactate and pH levels, measured before ECPR insertion and after 24 hours as well as comorbities (diabetes, hypertension, BMI) to the clinical outcomes at 2 years were evaluated. Results We analyzed data from 59 patients treated with ECPR for refractory cardiac arrest. The mean age of our patients was 61 years. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurred in 33 patients, 26 patients suffered from in-hospital arrest (IHCA). Baseline value of lactate was 11.57±4.22 mmol/l, initial pH 6.95±0.31. In comparison with survivors, patients who died had significantly higher initial lactate levels (12.05±0.81 vs. 8.01±0.77; P&amp;lt;0.05). Moreover, survivors had significantly lower lactate levels after 24 hours (7.39 vs 2.56) and lower BMI (27.4 vs 31.2; P&amp;lt;0.05). Diabetes or hypertension in our group have no influence on the mortality. The difference of mortality in the group of OHCA or IHCA was also not significant. 32% patients survived one month with good neurological outcome (CPC 1–2), 30% six months, 23% one year and 21% two years. Conclusions ECPR give the last chance to survive refractory cardiac arrest. The levels of blood lactate are significantly associated with clinical outcomes of ECPR. Obesity was associated with significantly higher mortality in our group. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): MH CZ DRO (Nemocnice Na Homolce - NNH, 00023884)

Early ICU-mortality in sepsis – causes, influencing factors and variability in clinical judgement: a retrospective cohort study

Background Sepsis is a global health care problem with a high mortality. Early death seems common; however, data are sparse. The objective of the present study was to report causes and influencing factors of early death in sepsis and septic shock. Methods All septic ICU patients were included from 2012 to 2017. Early death was predefined as occurring within 48 h. Causes and factors leading up to death were reported by a panel of four intensivists, independently reviewing the medical files. Following factors were assessed: (1) delay in ICU admission; (2) futile ICU treatment; (3) missed diagnosis or inadequate treatment on the ICU. Fleiss kappa was used to assess inter-observer agreement. Results 1107 septic patients (APACHE II score 25 ± 8) were included. 344 patients died of which 97 (28%) within 48 h. In 33% an autopsy was performed. Primary causes of early death were multiple organ failure, mesenteric ischaemia and death after cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Delay in ICU admission was scored in 32% of early deaths with slight agreement (κ = 0.180), futile ICU treatment in 29% with moderate agreement (κ = 0.415) and missed diagnosis or treatment in 7% of cases with slight agreement (κ = 0.122). Conclusions Early death after ICU admission in sepsis is common and primarily caused by multiple organ failure, mesenteric ischaemia and death after unsuccessful CPR. Influencing factors were delay in ICU admission and futile ICU admission. Fleiss kappa indicates substantial variability in clinical judgement between intensivists, strengthening the necessity for shared decision making.

Association between climate variables (cold and hot weathers, humidity, atmospheric pressures) with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Rasht, Iran.

Climate change is one of the most important concerns for public health that affects communities and is a threat to human health. Few cross-sectional studies investigated the effects of extreme temperature as a risk factor on the cardiovascular system and the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA).The current study aims to investigate the association between climate variables (cold and hot weathers, humidity, atmospheric pressures) with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Rasht, Iran.This is an ecological time-series study, which investigated 392 patients with OHCA that were hospitalized in Dr. Heshmat Medical center of Rasht city in a 3-years period. Data on meteorological variables were obtained from the General Meteorological Department of Guilan Province. Information regarding the number of cardiac arrest admissions was obtained from the sole specialized cardiac hospital of Rasht. Data were analyzed using R software.Hot weather decreases the number of cardiac attacks on the same day (lag 0), while the cold weather (relative risk (RR)=1.408; confidence interval (CI): 1.014-1.955) increases the number of OHCA cases and unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPRs). Low humidity (RR=1.76; CI: 1.006-3.79) is associated with increased unsuccessful CPRs. High atmospheric pressures (RR=1.166; CI: 1.001 to 1.787) are also associated with an increased number of cardiac arrest admissions. For women, men, and those aged >65 years of old, exposure with severe cold (RR=1.335; CI: 1.014-1.758) and hot weathers, respectively, increases and decreases the number of cardiac arrest admissions.Cold weather has immediate impacts on the incidence of OHCA cases and unsuccessful CPRs. Decreasing humidity also increases the number of and decreases the success rate of CPRs. Increasing the awareness of patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs as well as improving the preparedness of emergency care teams can decrease the impacts of climate variables.

What's in this Special Issue

What's in this Special Issue