Kurzdarstellung

Neurologisches Ergebnis und allgemeiner Gesundheitszustand bei Langzeitüberleben nach außerklinischer kardiopulmonaler Reanimation

Fragestellung

Für Deutschland liegen nur wenige Daten zum Gesundheitszustand und Langzeitüberleben nach außerklinischer Reanimation vor. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand und das neurologische Langzeitergebnis 2,5 bis 5 Jahre nach dem Reanimationsereignis sowie den Zusammenhang zwischen Behandlungsergebnis und präklinischen Patienten- und Behandlungsfaktoren.

Methodik

Alle über einen Zeitraum von 30 Monaten (2011–2013) durch den Rettungsdienst der Stadt Bonn durchgeführten Reanimationen wurden auf Grundlage der Notarzteinsatzprotokolle und des Deutschen Reanimationsregisters retrospektiv analysiert. Der allgemeine Gesundheitszustand wurde in Anlehnung an den SF-12 erfasst und das neurologische Langzeitergebnis kategorisiert (Cerebral Performance Category [CPC]). Die vorliegenden Daten wurden einer uni- und multivariaten logistischen Regressionsanalyse unterzogen.

Ergebnis

Von insgesamt 458 Patienten überlebten 17,9 % bis zur Krankenhausentlassung, 13,8 % mehr als 2,5 Jahre und 7,7 % bis zum Stichtag der Befragung. Von den noch lebenden Patienten hatten 85,3 % ein gutes neurologisches Ergebnis (CPC ≤ 2), welches durch ein geringeres Alter, einen beobachteten Kollaps, die Durchführung einer Defibrillation und das Ausbleiben einer Vasopressorgabe begünstigt wurde (multivariate Analyse). 74,2 % der Überlebenden beschrieben ihren Gesundheitszustand als gut.

Interpretation

Insgesamt überleben langfristig nur wenige Patienten einen außerklinischen Herz-Kreislauf-Stillstand. Die überlebenden Patienten beurteilen ihren Gesundheitszustand als gut und zeigen ein gutes neurologisches Ergebnis. Dabei hängt dieses Behandlungsergebnis von denselben Parametern wie der primäre Reanimationserfolg (Überleben bis Krankenhausaufnahme) ab. Die Etablierung klinischer Instrumente zur frühen Prognoseerstellung ist wünschenswert. Hierzu sind weitere Langzeituntersuchungen größerer Patientenkollektive mit Zugriff auf Routinedaten notwendig.

[External post-mortem examination]

The external post-mortem examination in Germany is a non-delegable medical duty for determination of death, identity of the deceased, cause of death, manner of death, time of death and notifiable infectious diseases. Within the framework of rescue service missions the physician is limited to ascertaining that death has occurred. The determination of death must be reliable and is automatically followed by a complete external post-mortem examination of the body, if necessary by another physician. The certain signs of death are livor mortis, rigor mortis and putrefaction. Reliable features for the occurrence of death are injuries which are not compatible with life and brain death. The external post-mortem examination is the basis for the decision on whether further criminal investigations are necessary. The external post-mortem examination and the accompanying death certification must always be meticulously carried out.

Official lay basic life support courses in Germany: is delivered content up to date with the guidelines? An observational study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Educating the lay public in basic life support (BLS) is a cornerstone to improving bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rates. In Germany, the official rescue organisations deliver accredited courses based on International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) guidelines to up to 1 million participants every year. However, it is unknown how these courses are delivered in reality. We hypothesised that delivered content might not follow the proposed curriculum, and miss recent guideline updates.

METHODS

We analysed 20 official lay BLS courses of 240 min (which in Germany are always embedded into either a 1-day or a 2-day first aid course). One expert rated all courses as a participating observer, remaining incognito throughout the course. Teaching times for specific BLS elements were recorded on a standardised checklist. Quality of content was rated by 5-point Likert scales, ranging from -2 (not mentioned) to +2 (well explained).

RESULTS

Median total course time was 101 min (range 48-138) for BLS courses if part of a 1-day first aid course, and 123 min (53-244) if part of a 2-day course. Median teaching time for CPR was 51 min (range 20-70) and 60 min (16-138), respectively. Teaching times for recovery position were 44 min (range 24-66) and 55 min (24-114). Quality of content was rated worst for 'agonal gasping' (-1.35) and 'minimising chest compression interruptions' (-1.70).

CONCLUSIONS

Observed lay BLS courses lasted only half of the assigned curricular time. Substantial teaching time was spent on non-evidence-based interventions (eg, recovery position), and several important elements of BLS were not included. The findings call for curriculum revision, improved instructor training and systematic quality management.

Therapeutic temperature management after cardiac arrest and the risk of bleeding: systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

Prognosis after cardiac arrest in the era of modern critical care is still poor with a high mortality of approximately 90%. Around 30% of the survivors have neurological impairments. Targeted temperature management (TTM) is the only treatment option which can improve mortality and neurological outcome. It is so far unclear if bleeding complications occur more often in patients undergoing TTM treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature research in September 2013 including three major databases i.e. MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL. All studies were rated in respect to the ILCOR Guidelines and concerning their level of evidence and quality. We then performed a meta-analysis on bleeding disposition under TTM.

RESULTS

We initially found 941 studies out of which 34 matched our requirements and were thus included in our overview. Five studies including 599 patients were summarized in a meta-analysis concerning bleeding complications of all severities. There was a trend toward higher bleeding in patients treated with TTM (RR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.97-1.74) which did not reach significance (p=0.085). Seven studies with an overall 599 patients were included in our meta-analysis on bleeding requiring transfusion. There was no significant difference in the incidence of severe bleeding with a risk ratio of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.61-1.56, p=0.909).

CONCLUSIONS

The data included in our meta-analysis indicate that, concerning the risk of bleeding, TTM is a safe method for patients after cardiac arrest. We did not observe a significantly higher risk for bleeding in patients undergoing TTM.

[Prehospital cardiac arrest. Therapeutic hypothermia in adults]

Therapeutic hypothermia is one of the few advances in recent years that has improved survival and neurological outcome of survivors of cardiac arrest. Therapeutic hypothermia is part of current guidelines and, therefore, should be part of the routine procedure in postresuscitation care of patients still comatose after primarily successful resuscitation. Early induction of hypothermia may be achieved even in the prehospital setting with different cooling techniques which, however, are less suitable to maintain a constant temperature and additionally do not allow precisely controlled re-warming. To achieve the goal of a target temperature of 32-34°C for 12-24 h, controlled feedback systems are more reliable and also can be used for patients during percutaneous coronary intervention. The optimal time point to start cooling is not well defined, even if theoretical considerations and animal experiments are in favor of beginning early. Another question is whether therapeutic hypothermia is of benefit for patients with cardiac arrest due to asystole and pulseless electrical activity in contrast to patients with ventricular fibrillation where it is of proven value.

First experience with the ultra compact mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system Cardiohelp in interhospital transport

In patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure extracorporeal assist devices are to support patients during resuscitation, for transportation, until organ recovery, and as bridge to further therapeutic modalities. We report on our first experience with the new Cardiohelp system for interhospital transfer of cardiopulmonarily compromised patients. The Cardiohelp system was used for transportation and in-house treatment in six male patients with a mean age of 41±17 years. Five patients suffered respiratory failure; one patient with acute myocardial infarction was in profound cardiogenic shock. Accordingly, the Cardiohelp system was implanted as a venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in five patients and as a venoarterial system in one patient. The preECMO ventilation time was 0.5-4 days. The patients were transported to our institution by car (n=1) or helicopter (n=5) over a distance of 80-5850 km. The subsequent in-house ECMO support was continued with the Cardiohelp and lasted for 5-13 days. PostECMO ventilation was one to 25 days. A 100% survival was achieved. The portable Cardiohelp system allows location-independent stabilization of cardiopulmonary compromised patients with consecutive interhospital transfer and in-house treatment. The integrated sensors, which register arterial and venous line pressure, blood temperature, hemoglobin as well as SvO(2), greatly alleviate its management and considerably increase safety.