Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2022
ReviewExtracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - who, when, and where?
Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is an invasive and resource-intensive therapy used to care for patients with refractory cardiac arrest. In this review, we highlight considerations for the establishment of an ECPR system of care for patients suffering refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ To be consistently successful, ECPR must be a part of a comprehensive OHCA system of care that optimizes all phases of cardiac arrest management. Future investigation is needed for the knowledge gaps that remain.
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) offers advanced mechanical support to patients with severe acute respiratory and/or cardiac failure. Ensuring an adequate therapeutic approach as well as prevention of ECMO-associated complications, by means of timely liberation, forms an essential part of standard ECMO care and is only achievable through continuous monitoring and evaluation. This review focus on the cardiorespiratory monitoring tools that can be used to assess and titrate adequacy of ECMO therapy; as well as methods to assess readiness to wean and/or discontinue ECMO support. ⋯ Novel applications of existing monitoring modalities alongside evolving technological advances enable the advanced monitoring required for safe delivery of ECMO. Liberation trials are necessary to minimize time sensitive ECMO related complications; however, these have yet to be standardized.
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The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the cardiovascular system has been highlighted since the very first weeks after the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 identification. We reviewed the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac arrest, both considering those occurred out of the hospital (OHCA) and in the hospital (IHCA). ⋯ Cardiac arrest occurrence and survival were deeply affected by the pandemic. Informative campaigns to the population to call EMS in case of need and the re-allocation of the prehospital resources basing on the pandemic trend are needed to improve survival.
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Lung imaging is a cornerstone of the management of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), providing anatomical and functional information on the respiratory system function. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of mechanisms and applications of conventional and emerging lung imaging techniques in critically ill patients. ⋯ Clinicians should be confident with the technical aspects, indications, and limitations of each lung imaging technique to improve patient care.
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Most patients who are successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest are initially comatose and require mechanical ventilation and other organ support in an ICU. Best practice has been to cool these patients and control their temperature at a constant value in the range of 32-36 oC for at least 24 h. But the certainty of the evidence for this practice is increasingly being challenged. This review will summarize the evidence on key aspects of temperature control in comatose postcardiac arrest patients. ⋯ We suggest actively preventing fever by targeting a temperature 37.5 oC or less for those patients who remain comatose following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest.