Resuscitation
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Systems for smartphone dispatch of lay responders to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and bring automated external defibrillators to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) are advocated by recent international guidelines and emerging worldwide. ⋯ Smartphone dispatched lay responders rated the experience as high-energy and mainly positive. No harm to the lay responders was seen. The exposed groups had low posttraumatic stress scores and high-level general wellbeing at follow-up.
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Observational Study
Incidence of hyperoxia and factors associated with cerebral oxygenation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
High oxygen levels may worsen cardiac arrest reperfusion injury. We determined the incidence of hyperoxia during and immediately after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation and identified factors associated with intra-arrest cerebral oxygenation measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). ⋯ Hyperoxia during or immediately after CPR is rare in patients treated by physician-staffed helicopter units. Cerebral oxygenation during CPR appears more dependent, albeit weakly, on hemodynamics than arterial oxygen concentration.
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Studies have reported lower survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) during the initial COVID-19 surge. Whether the pandemic reduced IHCA survival during subsequent surges and in areas with lower COVID-19 rates is unknown. ⋯ During the three COVID-19 surges in the U.S. during 2020, rates of survival to discharge for IHCA dropped substantially, especially in communities with moderate to high COVID-19 mortality rates.
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Accurate and timely prognostication of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who achieved the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is crucial in clinical decision-making, resource allocation, and communications with next-of-kins. We aimed to develop the Survival After ROSC in Cardiac Arrest (SARICA), a practical clinical decision tool to predict survival in OHCA patients who attained ROSC. ⋯ We developed and internally validated the SARICA score to accurately predict survival of OHCA patients with ROSC at the time of admission. SARICA is clinically practical and developed using an interpretable machine-learning framework. SARICA has unknown generalizability pending external validation studies.
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Left and right atrial volume indices (LAVI and RAVI) are markers of cardiac remodeling. LAVI and RAVI are associated with worse outcomes in other cardiac conditions. This study aimed to determine the associations of these atrial volume indices with survival time post-cardiac arrest. ⋯ In patients with sudden cardiac arrest associated with ventricular arrhythmias, a left atrial volume index (LAVI) < 34 mL/m2 prior to the arrest had the strongest association with survival among fifteen candidate predictors. Pulmonary hypertension was more common in patients with an elevated right atrial volume index (RAVI), and the absence of pulmonary hypertension was the next best pre-arrest parameter predictive of survival. Larger studies are indicated to validate the use of LAVI for clinical management decisions in this condition.