Resuscitation
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Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often the first medical providers to begin resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. The universal Basic Life Support Termination of Resuscitation (BLS-TOR) rule is a validated clinical prediction tool used to identify patients in which continued resuscitation efforts are futile. ⋯ Rural EMS systems may benefit from implementation and utilization of the universal BLS-TOR rule.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparison of brain computed tomography and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to predict early neurologic outcome before target temperature management comatose cardiac arrest survivors.
We previously reported that diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) could be used to predict neurologic outcomes before targeted temperature management (TTM) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from cardiac arrest (CA). We compared the efficacy of brain computed tomography (CT) and DW-MRI to predict neurologic outcome before TTM in comatose cardiac arrest survivors. ⋯ Our preliminary finding suggests that DW-MRI is potentially useful for early prediction of neurologic outcome (i.e., before TTM) in CA patients. The combination of GWR on brain CT and that on DW-MRI, rather than on each modality alone, appears to improve the sensitivity for predicting neurologic outcome after ROSC from CA. Large prospective multicenter studies should be conducted to confirm these results.
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To determine whether neurologic consultation influences the use of therapeutic hypothermia. ⋯ The involvement of a neurologist in cardiac arrest patients is associated with increased use of therapeutic hypothermia, though therapeutic hypothermia for cardiac arrest likely remains underutilized.
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Observational Study
Delayed return of spontaneous circulation (the Lazarus phenomenon) after cessation of out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The delayed return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), also known as the Lazarus phenomenon, is a rare event described in several case reports. This study aims to determine the incidence and the time of occurrence of the Lazarus phenomenon after cessation of out-of-hospital CPR. ⋯ We observed that the Lazarus phenomenon is a real albeit rare event and can occur a few minutes after the cessation of out-of-hospital CPR. We suggest a 10-min monitoring period before diagnosing death. CPR guidelines should be updated to include information of the Lazarus phenomenon and appropriate monitoring for it.