Impact of gravitational interaction between the Moon and the Earth on the occurrence of episodes of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in the field

While circadian variation of occurrence of cardiovascular emergencies has been described, it has not been assessed whether fluctuations of gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon may induce other types of its variation in time have the similar impact. Therefore, we decided to evaluate whether there is an association between the occurrence of prehospital cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) episodes treated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and fluctuations in the intensity of gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon. Methods. We extracted all dispatches to CPE episodes from the EMS database of the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic, between 2.11.2008 and 1.7.2014. For each episode, the intensity of gravitational interaction between the Moon and the Earth was calculated. The study period was divided into 11 sections of equal duration according to the different intensity of gravitational interaction, and occurrence of CPE was compared among the groups. Results. We observed up to 4,744 episodes of CPE during the study period. Occurrence of CPE episodes was highest in the periods with the weakest intensity of gravitational interaction (≤1.80e1026 N), while in the periods of the most intense gravitational interaction (≥2.26e1026 N), the lowest proportion of CPE cases was observed (23.44 vs. 3.79 %, p <0.001). Conclusions. We identified a significant association between the intensity of gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon and occurrence of CPE, treated by our EMS. The weakest intensity was associated with its increased occurrence and vice versa. Further research is required for potential use of this phenomenon in a chronotherapeutic approach to secondary prevention of CPE

Rescuer fatigue does not correlate to energy expenditure during simulated basic life support

It is known that providing basic life support (BLS) may be limited by the physical capabilities of rescuers. The other factor that may affect BLS quality is its energy expenditure. Therefore, we decided to compare the energy expenditure of standard BLS with a compression-ventilation ratio of 30:2 (S-BLS) and compression-only BLS (CO-BLS) and assess the sensation of fatigue and perceived exertion associated with these activities. Methods. We conducted a simulation study on 10 healthy volunteers using a resuscitation manikin. Participants were randomly assigned to start with CO-BLS or with S-BLS, in accordance with recent guidelines. Later, every individual provided the other type of BLS. BLS was terminated in the event of exhaustion, impossibility to retain high-quality BLS or after 30 minutes of BLS. Energy expenditure was expressed as relative oxygen consumption (VO2/kg) and area under the curve of all VO2/kg measurements during each BLS procedure indexed to one minute (AUCVO2/kg min). All participants completed a survey to assess perceived intensity of exertion by Borg, and sensation of general fatigue by visual analogue scale. Results. Maximal VO2/kg (23.16±3.94 vs. 20.17±2.14 ml/kg/min, p=0.049) and AUCVO2/kg min (18.90±3.13 vs. 15.91±2.07 ml/min3; p=0.021) during S-BLS were significantly higher compared to CO-BLS. Conversely, a more intense rate of perceived exertion (16.6±2.0 vs. 13.8±1.2, p=0.001) and sensation of general fatigue (86.5±10.8 vs. 75.0±14.3, p=0.058) were associated with CO-BLS. Neither sensation of general fatigue, nor perceived exertion correlated with energy expenditure. Conclusions. Energy expenditure of S-BLS was higher than of CO-BLS in our study, while sensation of fatigue and perceived exertion reflected the opposite association

The current temperature: A survey of post-resuscitation care across Australian and New Zealand intensive care units

Aim: Targeted temperature management (TTM) in post-resuscitation care has changed dramatically over the last two decades. However, uptake across Australian and New Zealand (NZ) intensive care units (ICUs) is unclear. We aimed to describe post-resuscitation care in our region, with a focus on TTM, and to gain insights into clinician’s opinions about the level of evidence supporting TTM. Methods: In December 2017, we sent an online survey to 163 ICU medical directors in Australia (n ​= ​141) and NZ (n ​= ​22). Results: Sixty-one ICU medical directors responded (50 from Australia and 11 from NZ). Two respondents were excluded from analysis as their Private ICUs did not admit post-arrest patients. The majority of remaining respondents stated their ICU followed a post-resuscitation care clinical guideline (n ​= ​41/59, 70%). TTM was used in 57 (of 59, 97%) ICUs, of these only 64% had a specific TTM clinical guideline/policy and there was variation in the types of patients treated, temperatures targeted (range ​= ​33–37.5 ​°C), methods for cooling and duration of cooling (range ​= ​12–72 ​h). The majority of respondents stated that their ICU (n ​= ​45/57, 88%) changed TTM practice following the TTM trial: with 28% targeting temperatures >36 ​°C, and 23 (of 46, 50%) respondents expressed concerns with current level of evidence for TTM. Only 38% of post-resuscitation guidelines included prognostication procedures, few ICUs reported the use of electrophysiological tests. Conclusions: In Australian and New Zealand ICUs there is widespread variation in post-resuscitation care, including TTM practice and prognostication. There also seems to be concerns with current TTM evidence and recommendations