Differential diagnosis and cause-specific treatment during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective descriptive study

Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) for Blood Gas and Electrolyte Analysis in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests' Management; a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction

Hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, and acidosis are among the reversible causes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) that can be promptly identified using point-of-care testing (POCT) for blood gas and electrolyte analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of POCT in the prehospital setting for OHCA management.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study the management and outcomes of OHCA patients were compared before and after implementing the POCT for blood gas and electrolyte analysis by EMS in the prehospital setting of Ramathibodi Hospital, Thailand.

Results

217 OHCA patients with a mean age of 61 ± 17.07 (range: 58.72-63.28) years were studied (64.06 % male). 148 (68.2%) patients received POCT in the prehospital setting. Patients in the POCT group received higher administration of sodium bicarbonate (p < 0.001) and calcium gluconate (p < 0.001) compared to those without POCT. Sustained ROSC was achieved in 25% of the POCT group, compared to 11.59% in the no POCT group (p = 0.030). POCT blood gas analysis was identified as an independent predictor of sustained ROSC based on multivariable analysis (adjusted Odds: 4.60, 95% CI: 1.35-15.69; p = 0.015).

Conclusions

It seems that POCT for blood gas and electrolyte analysis in the prehospital setting could improve sustained ROSC in OHCA patients by enabling rapid and targeted management of cardiac arrest's reversible causes.

An Air Medical Approach to In-Flight Cardiac Arrest Management

OBJECTIVE

Cardiac arrest during air medical transport is a complex and challenging issue, with unique factors such as limited physical space with restricted access to patients and equipment, small transport teams, limited resources, clinical isolation, effects of altitude, and the need for rapid decision making. The American Heart Association proposed 10 steps to improve outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest and serve as the framework for this article. This article aimed to explore these unique challenges and propose a contextual approach that might serve as the basis for improvement projects looking to improve outcomes for affected patients.

METHODS

This article represents a narrative review of the subject to consolidate the issue of cardiac arrest in the air medical setting specifically. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses literature search extension was used to guide the search strategy and methodology. The applicable items in the literature were selected through searches of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The Medical Subject Headings search terms used included "cardiopulmonary resuscitation" or "heart arrest" and "air ambulance" or "air medical transport,'' yielding 477 results. Screening for relevant results for inclusion was based on the relevance of the title or abstract. Articles not written in English or German or addressing commercial air transport were excluded. The reference lists of the included articles were searched for additional literature not included in the original search.

RESULTS

Three distinct phases are arbitrarily identified by the authors, and the results are discussed under the following headings: pre-arrest, intra-arrest, and post-arrest phases. The pre-arrest phase is characterized by a wide array of concepts such as appropriate goals of care, advanced preparation and action, good clinical governance, patient assessment and handover, system design and ergonomics, sterile cockpit management, appropriate alarm management, and contingency planning in the case of failed resuscitation. The intra-arrest phase is characterized by the contextualization of the usual resuscitation approach, and specific recommendations for immediate nonresuscitative actions, history, hazards, help, airway, breathing, circulation, drugs, and reversible causes are suggested. The post-arrest phase highlights the vulnerable nature of the post-cardiac arrest patient in the air medical setting. Specific considerations regarding postresuscitation care and practitioner well-being are highlighted.

CONCLUSION

This article outlines a systematic approach to various physical, clinical, mental, and systemic factors that can be used during various phases of the transport journey as well as the individual patient journey. This overview sensitizes individual clinicians or program directors to the factors needing consideration when looking to improve cardiac arrest patient outcomes.

Performance of Intra-arrest Echocardiography: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Intra-arrest transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) have been introduced in adult patients with cardiac arrest (CA). Whether the diagnostic performance of TTE or TEE is superior during resuscitation is unclear. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.

Methods

We searched databases from PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar and evaluated articles with intra-arrest TTE and TEE in adult patients with non-traumatic CA. Two authors independently screened and selected articles for inclusion; they then dual-extracted study characteristics and target conditions (pericardial effusion, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, hypovolemia, left ventricular dysfunction, and sonographic cardiac activity). We performed quality assessment using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Version 2 criteria.

Results

A total of 27 studies were included: 14 studies with 2,145 patients assessed TTE; and 16 with 556 patients assessed TEE. A high risk of bias or applicability concerns in at least one domain was present in 20 studies (74%). Both TTE and TEE found positive findings in nearly one-half of the patients. The etiology of CA was identified in 13% (271/2,145), and intervention was performed in 38% (102/271) of patients in the TTE group. In patients who received TEE, the etiology was identified in 43% (239/556), and intervention was performed in 28% (68/239). In the TEE group, a higher incidence regarding the etiology of CA was observed, particularly for those with aortic dissection. However, the outcome of those with aortic dissection in the TEE group was poor.

Conclusion

While TEE could identify more causes of CA than TTE, sonographic cardiac activity was reported much more in the TTE group. The impact of TTE and TEE on the return of spontaneous circulation and further survival was still inconclusive in the current dataset.