Towards interventional trials on the use of oxygen during and after cardiac arrest

Non peer reviewe

Seize the day and seize seizures after cardiac arrest

Non peer reviewe

Cardiac function after cardiac arrest : what do we know?

Postcardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction (PCAMD) is a frequent complication faced during post-resuscitation care that adversely impacts survival and neurological outcome. Both mechanical and electrical factors contribute to the occurrence of PCAMD. Prearrest ventricular function, the cause of cardiac arrest, global ischemia, resuscitation factors, ischemia/reperfusion injury and post-resuscitation treatments contribute to the severity of PCMAD. the pathophysiology of PCAMD is complex and include myocytes energy failure, impaired contractility, cardiac edema, mitochondrial damage, activation of inflammatory pathways and the coagulation cascade, persistent ischemic injury and myocardial stiffness. Hypotension and low cardiac output with vasopressor/inotropes need are frequent after resuscitation. However, clinical, hemodynamic and laboratory signs of shock are frequently altered by cardiac arrest pathophysiology and post-resuscitation treatment, potentially being misleading and not fully reflecting the severity of postcardiac arrest syndrome. Even if validated criteria are lacking, an extensive hemodynamic evaluation is useful to define a "benign" and a "malign" form of myocardial dysfunction and circulatory shock, potentially having treatment and prognostic implications. cardiac output is frequently decreased after cardiac arrest, particularly in patients treated with target temperature management (TTM); however, it is not independently associated with outcome. sinus bradycardia during TTM seems independently associated with survival and good neurological outcome, representing a promising prognostic indicator. Higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) seems to be associated with improved survival and cerebral function after cardiac arrest; however, two recent randomized clinical trials failed to replicate these results. recommendations on hemodynamic optimization are relatively poor and are largely based on general principle of intensive care medicine.Peer reviewe

Survival until hospital admission after out-of-hospital cardia arrest - A costly victory?

Non peer reviewe

Finally time for rapid response systems to be well MET in Europe?

Non peer reviewe

External validation of the ROSC after cardiac arrest (RACA) score in a physician staffed emergency medical service system

Background: The return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest (RACA) score may have implications as a quality indicator for the emergency medical services (EMS) system. We aimed to validate this score externally in a physician staffed urban EMS system. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study. Data on resuscitation attempts from the Helsinki EMS cardiac arrest registry from 1.1.2008 to 31.12.2010 were collected and analyzed. For each attempted resuscitation the RACA score variables were collected and the score calculated. The endpoint was ROSC defined as palpable pulse over 30 s. Calibration was assessed by comparing predicted and observed ROSC rates in the whole sample, separately for shockable and non-shockable rhythm, and separately for resuscitations lead by a specialist, registrar or medical supervisor (i.e., senior paramedic). Data are presented as medians and interquartile ranges. Statistical testing included chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney U test, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test and calculation of 95% confidence intervals (CI) for proportions. Results: A total of 680 patients were included of whom 340 attained ROSC. The RACA score was higher in patients with ROSC (0.62 [0.46-0.69] than in those without (0.46 [0.36-0.57]) (p <0.001). Observed against predicted ROSC indicated reasonable calibration overall (p = 0.30), with better calibration in patients with a shockable initial rhythm (p = 0.75) than in patients with a non-shockable rhythm (p = 0.04). There was no statistical difference between observed and predicted ROSC rates in resuscitations attended by a specialist (50% vs 53%, 95% CI 45-55) or registrar (55% vs 53%, 95% CI 48-62), but rates were lower than predicted in resuscitations lead by a medical supervisor (36% vs 49%, 95% CI 25-47). Discussion: Developing a practical severity-of-illness scoring system for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients would allow patient heterogeneity adjustment and measurement of quality of care in analogy to commoly used severity-of-illness-scores developed for the similar purposes for the general intensive care unit population. However, transferring RACA score to another country with different population and EMS system might affect the performance and generalizability of the score. Conclusions: This study found a good overall calibration and moderate discrimination of the RACA score in a physician staffed urban EMS system which suggests external validity of the score. Calibration was suboptimal in patients with a non-shockable rhythm which may due to a local do-not-attempt-resuscitation policy. The lower than expected overall ROSC rate in resuscitations attended by medical supervisors requires further study.Peer reviewe

National early warning score (NEWS) and the new alternative SpO2 scale during rapid response team reviews: a prospective observational study

Peer reviewe

Individualized blood pressure targets during postcardiac arrest intensive care

Purpose of review To discuss recent findings relevant to optimizing blood pressure targets in adult, postcardiac arrest (PCA) patients and whether to tailor these based on specific patient, cardiac arrest or treatment characteristics. Recent findings Observational data suggest that mean arterial pressure (MAP) below 65-75 mmHg in PCA patients is associated with worse outcome. A higher MAP could be beneficial in patients with chronic hypertension who more frequently have a right shift of the cerebral autoregulation curve. Two recent randomized pilot trials compared lower and higher MAP targets during PCA care and found no significant effect on biomarkers of neurological injury. The haemodynamic interventions in those studies did not use any cerebral perfusion endpoints beyond a static MAP targets during ICU stay. Individualized, dynamic MAP targets based on assessments of cerebral perfusion and tailored to the specifics of the patient, cardiac arrest circumstances and treatment responses may be more conducive to improved outcomes. Pilot data suggest that near infrared spectroscopy monitoring may be used to determine the cerebral autoregulatory capacity and an optimal MAP, but this approach is yet to be tested in clinical trials. Current evidence suggests targeting a MAP of at least 65-75 mmHg in PCA patients. Future studies should focus on whether certain patient groups could benefit from higher and dynamic MAP targets.Peer reviewe