Resuscitation
-
The serum concentration of cardiac enzymes may be influenced by mechanical and electrical trauma due to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts. This could complicate the determination of whether an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) had occurred. In this study, only patients without any of the known confounding factors affecting cardiac enzyme release were included, and the specific time course and patterns of serum cardiac enzyme levels after resuscitation were evaluated. The purpose is to help clinicians distinguish between spontaneous myocardial damage and that induced by CPR. ⋯ In this study, the influence of resuscitative procedures - defibrillation excluded - on the release of cardiac enzymes were examined. During 30 h after ROSC cTnI level exhibited a bell-shaped configuration, which is distinct from that after AMI; whereas the enzymatic activities of CKMB and CK, as well as CKMB/CK ratio, were constantly higher than normal. This chronological pattern of cardiac enzyme levels may help physicians differentiate primary cardiac disease from other aetiologies in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
-
Case Reports
Complete neurological recovery following delayed initiation of hypothermia in a victim of warm water near-drowning.
Induced hypothermia has been demonstrated to improve outcome following cardiac arrest and is now widely endorsed. However, the optimal method of cooling and the identification of patients most likely to benefit from this therapy remains to be determined. We report a patient in whom there was a long delay in return of spontaneous circulation (at least 45 min) and the initiation of induced hypothermia (12 h) who made an almost complete neurological recovery following cardiac arrest from warm-water near-drowning.
-
Honey intoxication, a kind of food poisoning, can be seen in the Black Sea region of Turkey and in various other parts of the world as well. In this study, 66 patients were hospitalized with a variety of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, salivation, dizziness, weakness, hypotension, bradycardia and syncope several hours after the ingestion of small amounts of honey. ⋯ These features resolved completely in 24 h with i.v. fluids and atropine, and none died. In conclusion, honey poisoning should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and in the patients with vomiting, hypotension and bradycardia.
-
Recent accidents with helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) aircraft raise the question how safe HEMS in Germany is and how accidents could be prevented. ⋯ HEMS-safety could be improved by special training programmes for pilots and HEMS-crewmembers to address the factors listed above. Safety training for doctors is recommended but we did not find support for the notion of changing the doctor's legal position of a passenger to a HEMS-crewmember.
-
Case Reports
Reconfirmation algorithms should be the standard of care in automated external defibrillators.
Non-sustained and self-terminating arrhythmias pose a significant challenge during resuscitation. Delivery of a defibrillation shock to a non-shockable rhythm has a poorly understood effect on the heart. ⋯ A case of spontaneous reversion of a non-sustained arrhythmia is presented. The implications of delivering a defibrillator shock to a non-shockable rhythm are discussed.