Feasibility study of immediate pharyngeal cooling initiation in cardiac arrest patients after arrival at the emergency room

AIM: Cooling the pharynx and upper oesophagus would be more advantageous for rapid induction of therapeutic hypothermia since the carotid arteries run in their vicinity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pharyngeal cooling on brain temperature and the safety and feasibility for patients under resuscitation. METHODS: Witnessed non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients (n=108) were randomized to receive standard care with (n=53) or without pharyngeal cooling (n=55). In the emergency room, pharyngeal cooling was initiated before or shortly after return of spontaneous circulation by perfusing physiological saline (5 °C) into a pharyngeal cuff for 120 min. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in tympanic temperature at 40 min after arrival (P=0.02) with a maximum difference between the groups at 120 min (32.9 ± 1.2°C, pharyngeal cooling group vs. 34.1 ± 1.3°C, control group; P<0.001). The return of spontaneous circulation (70% vs. 65%, P=0.63) and rearrest (38% vs. 47%, P=0.45) rates were not significantly different based on the initiation of pharyngeal cooling. No post-treatment mechanical or cold-related injury was observed on the pharyngeal epithelium by macroscopic observation. The thrombocytopaenia incidence was lower in the pharyngeal cooling group (P=0.001) during the 3-day period after arrival. The cumulative survival rate at 1 month was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of pharyngeal cooling before or immediately after the return of spontaneous circulation is safe and feasible. Pharyngeal cooling can rapidly decrease tympanic temperature without adverse effects on circulation or the pharyngeal epithelium

In-hospital extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an analysis by time-dependent propensity score matching using a nationwide database in Japan

院外心停止患者における膜型人工肺を活用した蘇生 --膜型人工肺を活用した蘇生と生存率向上との関連--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-11-21.BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been proposed as a rescue therapy for patients with refractory cardiac arrest. This study aimed to evaluate the association between ECPR and clinical outcomes among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) using risk-set matching with a time-dependent propensity score. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of the JAAM-OHCA registry data, a nationwide multicenter prospective study of patients with OHCA, from June 2014 and December 2019, that included adults (≥ 18 years) with OHCA. Initial cardiac rhythm was classified as shockable and non-shockable. Patients who received ECPR were sequentially matched with the control, within the same time (minutes) based on time-dependent propensity scores calculated from potential confounders. The odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for 30-day survival and 30-day favorable neurological outcomes were estimated for ECPR cases using a conditional logistic model. RESULTS: Of 57, 754 patients in the JAAM-OHCA registry, we selected 1826 patients with an initial shockable rhythm (treated with ECPR, n = 913 and control, n = 913) and a cohort of 740 patients with an initial non-shockable rhythm (treated with ECPR, n = 370 and control, n = 370). In these matched cohorts, the odds ratio for 30-day survival in the ECPR group was 1.76 [95%CI 1.38-2.25] for shockable rhythm and 5.37 [95%CI 2.53-11.43] for non-shockable rhythm, compared to controls. For favorable neurological outcomes, the odds ratio in the ECPR group was 1.11 [95%CI 0.82-1.49] for shockable rhythm and 4.25 [95%CI 1.43-12.63] for non-shockable rhythm, compared to controls. CONCLUSION: ECPR was associated with increased 30-day survival in patients with OHCA with initial shockable and even non-shockable rhythms. Further research is warranted to investigate the reproducibility of the results and who is the best candidate for ECPR

Usefulness of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein in predicting strangulated small bowel obstruction.

BACKGROUND: The level of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) is considered to be useful diagnostic markers of small bowel ischemia. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the serum I-FABP level is a predictive marker of strangulation in patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO). METHODS: A total of 37 patients diagnosed with SBO were included in this study. The serum I-FABP levels were retrospectively compared between the patients with strangulation and those with simple obstruction, and cut-off values for the diagnosis of strangulation were calculated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with strangulated SBO. The serum I-FABP levels were significantly higher in the patients with strangulation compared with those observed in the patients with simple obstruction (18.5 vs. 1.6 ng/ml p<0.001). Using a cut-off value of 6.5 ng/ml, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 71.4%, 93.8%, 93.8% and 71.4%, respectively. An I-FABP level greater than 6.5 ng/ml was found to be the only independent significant factor for a higher likelihood of strangulated SBO (P =  0.02; odds ratio: 19.826; 95% confidence interval: 2.1560 - 488.300). CONCLUSIONS: The I-FABP level is a useful marker for discriminating between strangulated SBO and simple SBO in patients with SBO

Comparison of the diagnostic usefulness of the blood biochemical markers for predicting strangulated small bowel obstruction.

<p>Numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals.</p>a<p>ROC indicates receivor operating characteristics.</p>b<p>PPV indicates the positive predictive value.</p>c<p>NPV indicates the negative predictive value.</p><p>WBC: white blood cell; Plt: platelet; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; LDH: lactic dehydrogenase;</p><p>CK:creatine phosphokinase; CRP: C-reactive protein; LA:lactic acid; I-FABP: intestinal fatty acid-binding protein</p

Results of the blood examinations.

<p>a: SBO indicates small bowel obstruction</p><p>WBC: white blood cell; Plt: platelet; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; LDH: lactic dehydrogenase; CK: creatine phosphokinase; CRP: C-reactive protein; LA: lactic acid; I-FABP: intestinal fatty acid-binding protein.</p

Clinical characteristics (n = 37).

<p>a: CT indicates computed tomography</p><p>b: SBO indicates small bowel obstruction</p

Receiver operating characteristics curves showing diagnostic performance for strangulated small bowel obstruction.

<p>Areas under the curve (95% confidence intervals) for each marker are as follows: intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), 0.854 (0.685- 0.941); lactic acid, 0.735 (0.524– 0.894); white blood cell (WBC) count, 0.664 (0.443–0.805); alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 0.640 (0.442–0.799). The cut-off level of I-FABP concentration at which the Youden index exhibited a maximum value was 6.5 ng/ml.</p