Resuscitation
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Improving cerebral perfusion is an essential component of post-resuscitation care after cardiac arrest (CA), however precise recommendations in this setting are limited. We aimed to examine the effect of moderate hyperventilation (HV) and induced hypertension (IH) on non-invasive cerebral tissue oxygenation (SctO2) in patients with coma after CA monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during therapeutic hypothermia (TH). ⋯ Moderate hyperventilation was associated with a significant reduction in SctO2, while increasing MAP to supra-normal levels with vasopressors had no effect on cerebral tissue oxygenation. Our study suggests that maintenance of strictly normal PaCO2 levels and MAP targets of 70mmHg may provide optimal cerebral perfusion during TH in comatose CA patients.
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The American Heart Association, the European Resuscitation and the International Liaison Committee issued new neonatal resuscitation guidelines (2010) where therapeutic hypothermia is introduced after hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) in term infants to prevent brain injury. Our study aimed to investigate whether hypothermia can reduce the release of a cardiac cellular marker, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), in HIE infants compared to normothermia care, if cTnI can be used as a prognostic marker for long term neuro-developmental outcome and if cardiac compression at birth affects the level of cTnI. ⋯ Our results suggest that hypothermia is cardio protective after HIE. The level of cTnI at 24h of age is a good prognostic marker for neuro-developmental outcome at 18-22 months in both normothermia and hypothermia infants.
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Extra corporeal life support (ECLS) has been recently introduced in the treatment of refractory cardiac arrest (CA). Several studies have assessed the use of ECLS in refractory CA once the patients reach hospital. The time between CA and the implementation of ECLS is a major prognostic factor for survival. The main predictive factor for survival is ECLS access time. Pre hospital ECLS implementation could reduce access time. We therefore decided to assess the feasibility and safety of prehospital ECLS implementation (PH-ECLS) in a pilot study. ⋯ This pilot study suggests that PH-ECLS performed by non-surgeons is safe and feasible. Further studies are needed to confirm the time saved by this strategy and its potential effect on survival.
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Recent simplified guidelines recommend Hands-Only CPR for laypersons and efforts to educate the public of these changes have been made. We determined current knowledge of and willingness to perform Hands-Only CPR. ⋯ Less than one fifth of surveyed laypersons knew of Hands-Only CPR yet three quarters would be willing to perform Hands-Only CPR even on a stranger. Efforts to increase layperson education are required to enhance CPR performance.
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Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) elicits ischaemia/reperfusion injury and myocardial dysfunction. The combination of adenosine and lidocaine (AL, adenocaine) has been shown to (1) inhibit neutrophil inflammatory activation and (2) improve left ventricular function after ischaemia. We hypothesized that resuscitation with adenocaine during early moments of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attenuates leucocyte oxidant generation and myocardial dysfunction. ⋯ Infusion of adenocaine during early resuscitation from CA significantly improved early post-resuscitation cardiac function and attenuated leucocyte superoxide anion generation, without a change in post-ROSC neurological function. (IACUC protocol number 023-2009).