Early neuro-prognostication with the Patient State Index and suppression ratio in post-cardiac arrest patients

Association of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Level with Clinical Outcome in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Emergency Department Patients

OBJECTIVES

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is used for outcome assessment of various diseases. We designed this study to investigate whether BNP, which has been proven useful in the risk stratification of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) of cardiac etiology, can also prove to be a valuable prognostic tool for SCA also included with non-cardiac etiology. In this study, we aim to investigate the relationship between measured BNP levels and clinical outcomes in SCA, regardless of the cause of SCA.

METHODS

This retrospective multicenter observational study was performed in two tertiary university hospitals and one general hospital between January 2015 and December 2020. The total number of SCA patients was 1625. The patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over 19 years old and acquired laboratory data, including BNP at emergency department (ED) arrival, were included. BNP was measured during advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). The exclusion criteria were age under 18 years, traumatic arrest, and without BNP.

RESULTS

The median BNP was 171.8 (range; 5-5000) pg/mL in the return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC), higher than No-ROSC (p = 0.007). The median BNP concentration was 99.7 (range; 5-3040.68) pg/mL in the survival to discharge, which was significantly lower than the death group (p = 0.012). The odds ratio of survival to discharge decreased proportionally to the BNP level. The odds ratio of neurologic outcome was not correlated with the BNP level.

CONCLUSION

In patients with SCA of all origins, low BNP concentration measured during ACLS correlated with an increased ratio of survival to discharge. However, BNP measured during ACLS was not found to be an independent factor.

Diagnostic Value of Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase Level Measured in the Emergency Department in Predicting Clinical Outcome in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter, Observational Study

INTRODUCTION

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is complex, and risk stratification tools have the potential to include components other than clinical risk indicators, thus requiring extensive studies. Simple and accurate biomarkers for OHCA patients with poor prognoses are still needed. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been identified as a risk factor in patients with various diseases, such as cancer, liver disease, severe infections, and sepsis. The primary aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of LDH values at initial presentation in the emergency department (ED) in predicting the clinical outcome in OHCA.

METHODS

This retrospective multicenter observational study was performed in the ED of two tertiary university hospitals and one general hospital between January 2015 and December 2021. All patients with OHCA who visited the ED were included. The primary outcome was the sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC; >20 min) after advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). The secondary outcome was survival to discharge (including home care and nursing care discharge) among patients with ROSC. The neurological prognosis was considered a tertiary outcome in patients who survived to discharge.

RESULTS

In total, 759 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. The median LDH level in the ROSC group was 448 U/L (range: 112-4500), which was significantly lower than that in the no-ROSC group (p < 0.001). The median LDH level in the survival-to-discharge group was 376 U/L (range: 171-1620), which was significantly lower than that in the death group (p < 0.001). Using the adjusted model, the odds ratio of the LDH value (≤634 U/L) for primary outcomes was 2.418 (1.665-3.513) and the odds ratio of LDH value (≤553 U/L) for secondary outcomes was 4.961 (2.184-11.269).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the serum LDH levels of patients with OHCA measured in the ED can potentially serve as a predictive marker for clinical outcomes such as ROSC and survival to discharge, although it may be difficult to predict neurological outcomes.

Processed Electroencephalogram-Based Monitoring to Guide Sedation in Critically Ill Adult Patients: Recommendations from an International Expert Panel-Based Consensus

BACKGROUND

The use of processed electroencephalography (pEEG) for depth of sedation (DOS) monitoring is increasing in anesthesia; however, how to use of this type of monitoring for critical care adult patients within the intensive care unit (ICU) remains unclear.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary panel of international experts consisting of 21 clinicians involved in monitoring DOS in ICU patients was carefully selected on the basis of their expertise in neurocritical care and neuroanesthesiology. Panelists were assigned four domains (techniques for electroencephalography [EEG] monitoring, patient selection, use of the EEG monitors, competency, and training the principles of pEEG monitoring) from which a list of questions and statements was created to be addressed. A Delphi method based on iterative approach was used to produce the final statements. Statements were classified as highly appropriate or highly inappropriate (median rating ≥ 8), appropriate (median rating ≥ 7 but < 8), or uncertain (median rating < 7) and with a strong disagreement index (DI) (DI < 0.5) or weak DI (DI ≥ 0.5 but < 1) consensus.

RESULTS

According to the statements evaluated by the panel, frontal pEEG (which includes a continuous colored density spectrogram) has been considered adequate to monitor the level of sedation (strong consensus), and it is recommended by the panel that all sedated patients (paralyzed or nonparalyzed) unfit for clinical evaluation would benefit from DOS monitoring (strong consensus) after a specific training program has been performed by the ICU staff. To cover the gap between knowledge/rational and routine application, some barriers must be broken, including lack of knowledge, validation for prolonged sedation, standardization between monitors based on different EEG analysis algorithms, and economic issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence on using DOS monitors in ICU is still scarce, and further research is required to better define the benefits of using pEEG. This consensus highlights that some critically ill patients may benefit from this type of neuromonitoring.

Early Neuroprognostication Using Frontal Spectrograms in Moderately Sedated Cardiac Arrest Patients

Introduction. The integrated suppression ratio throughout all electroencephalography (EEG) patterns has rarely been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the suppression ratio and hyperactivity of EEG on spectrograms. Methods. This prospective observational study included 73 cardiac arrest patients. Hardwired frontal EEG monitoring with spectrograms (color density spectral arrays, CDSA) was used to predict neurological outcomes. The mean suppression ratio (MSR) and hyperactivity in the high-frequency band (HHF) in the spectrogram were investigated in moderately sedated patients. Sedative doses were considered to estimate the MSR, which was automatically measured. Results. Using propofol 30 to 40 µg/kg/min and remifentanil 0.1 to 0.15 µg/kg/min, all the patients with an MSR >30% died. At day 2, the MSR in patients with a good outcome was 0%. The cut off values were different as an MSR >30% at day 1 (AUC 0.815) and an MSR >1% at day 2 (AUC 0.891). Of the patients with an MSR ≤30%, HHF was the greatest predictor of a poor outcome (OR 12.858, P = .006). The best predictors of a poor outcome using the spectrogram were suppression ratio (SR) >30% or HHF at day 1 (AUC 0.88) and SR >1% or HHF at day 2 (AUC 0.909). Conclusions. The use of MSR and HHF in frontal spectrograms is convenient and may be successfully employed for early neuroprognostication in moderately sedated cardiac arrest patients. However, spectrograms should be used with electroencephalogram considering the effects of sedatives because of the imperfect detection of electrographic seizures and artifacts.