Resuscitation
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The majority of comatose patients after cardiac arrest do not regain consciousness due to severe postanoxic encephalopathy. Early and accurate outcome prediction is therefore essential in determining further therapeutic interventions. The electroencephalogram is a standardized and commonly available tool used to estimate prognosis in postanoxic patients. The identification of pathological EEG patterns with poor prognosis relies however primarily on visual EEG scoring by experts. We introduced a model-based approach of EEG analysis (state space model) that allows for an objective and quantitative description of spectral EEG variability. ⋯ Model-based quantitative EEG analysis (state space analysis) provides a novel, complementary marker for prognosis in postanoxic encephalopathy.
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Ultrasound use during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is associated with delays in chest compressions.
High-quality chest compressions are a critical component of the resuscitation of patients in cardiopulmonary arrest. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is used frequently during emergency department (ED) resuscitations, but there has been limited research assessing its benefits and harms during the delivery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We hypothesized that use of POCUS during cardiac arrest resuscitation adversely affects high-quality CPR by lengthening the duration of pulse checks beyond the current cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines recommendation of 10s. ⋯ The use of POCUS during cardiac arrest resuscitation was associated with significantly increased duration of pulse checks, nearly doubling the 10-s maximum duration recommended in current guidelines. It is important for acute care providers to pay close attention to the duration of interruptions in the delivery of chest compressions when using POCUS during cardiac arrest resuscitation.
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Observational Study
Survival of cardiac arrest patients on ski slopes: A 10-year analysis of the Northern French Alps Emergency Network.
Intense physical activity, cold and altitude make mountain sports a cause of increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The difficulties of pre-hospital management related to this challenging environment could be mitigated by the presence of ski-patrollers in ski areas and use of helicopters for medical rescue. We assess whether this particular situation positively impacts the chain of survival compared to the general population. ⋯ Despite difficult access and management conditions, patients undergoing OHCAs on ski slopes presented a higher survival rate, possibly explained by a healthier population, the efficiency of resuscitation by ski-patrols and similar time to ALS facilities compared to other cardiac arrests.
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The purpose of this study was to examine continuous oxygen insufflation (COI) in a swine model of cardiac arrest. The primary hypothesis was COI during standard CPR (S-CPR) should result in higher intrathoracic pressure (ITP) during chest compression and lower ITP during decompression versus S-CPR alone. These changes with COI were hypothesized to improve hemodynamics. The second hypothesis was that changes in ITP with S-CPR+COI would result in superior hemodynamics compared with active compression decompression (ACD) + impedance threshold device (ITD) CPR, as this method primarily lowers ITP during chest decompression. ⋯ COI during S-CPR created a continuous positive pressure in the airway during both the compression and decompression phase of CPR. At no point in time did COI generate a negative intrathoracic pressures during CPR in this swine model of cardiac arrest.