Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Prone Position in the Operating Room or in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review

The prone position is commonly used in certain surgical procedures and to improve oxygenation in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) in this position may be more challenging to treat because care providers trained in conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may not be familiar with CPR in the prone position. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of current evidence regarding the methodology, efficacy, and experience of CPR in the prone position, in patients with the airway already secured. The search strategy included PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. All studies published up to April 2020 including CRA or CPR in the prone position were included. Of the 268 articles located, 52 articles were included: 5 review articles, 8 clinical guidelines in which prone CPR was mentioned, 4 originals, 27 case reports, and 8 editorials or correspondences. Data from reviewed clinical studies confirm that CPR in the prone position is a reasonable alternative to supine CPR when the latter cannot be immediately implemented, and the airway is already secured. Defibrillation in the prone position is also possible. Familiarizing clinicians with CPR and defibrillation in the prone position may improve CPR performance in the prone position.

Prone cardiopulmonary resuscitation in elderly undergoing posterior spinal fusion with laminectomy

An 80-year-old male patient presented with 2 weeks history of low back pain undergoing posterior spinal fusion with laminectomy in the prone position. The patient was induced with fentanyl, propofol, and rocuronium, and then he was positioned in the prone position. After 6 h of starting the surgery, the patient started to be hypotension and bradycardia followed by pulseless electrical activity (PEA). Code blue was activated intraoperatively with immediate initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the prone position and multiple epinephrine boluses. Fortunately, the patient had return of spontaneous circulation. After stabilization, he was taken for computed tomography scan which showed massive pulmonary embolization and management was continued in the intensive care unit. CPR in the prone position has shown to be effective for return of spontaneous circulation after PEA.

Successful use of wearable cardioverter defibrillator in a patient with dextrocardia and persistent left superior vena cava

Congenital disorders, such as dextrocardia and persistent left superior vena cava, are rare. However, their presence is often associated with other cardiac anomalies, and may lead to lethal ventricular tachyarrhythmias, which result in sudden cardiac death. Treating patients with these disorders can present a challenge to clinicians, as it may cause technical difficulties during interventional procedures, and more often, altered defibrillation techniques in a setting of prehospital sudden cardiac arrest. This report describes the first case of successful defibrillation therapy delivered by the wearable cardioverter defibrillator to a patient with dextrocardia and persistent left superior vena cava during a ventricular tachycardia arrest.

Anaesthesia in the prone position

Prone positioning of patients during anaesthesia is required to provide operative access for a wide variety of surgical procedures. It is associated with predictable changes in physiology but also with a number of complications, and safe use of the prone position requires an understanding of both issues. We have reviewed the development of the prone position and its variants and the physiological changes which occur on prone positioning. The complications associated with this position and the published techniques for various practical procedures in this position will be discussed. The aim of this review is to identify the risks associated with prone positioning and how these risks may be anticipated and minimized.