Immediate unselected coronary angiography versus delayed triage in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST-segment elevation: Design and rationale of the TOMAHAWK trial.

Patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) without ST-segment elevation are a heterogenic group with a variety of underlying causes. Up to one-third of patients display a significant coronary lesion compatible with myocardial infarction as OHCA trigger. There are no randomized data on patient selection and timing of invasive coronary angiography after admission. METHODS AND RESULTS: The TOMAHAWK trial randomly assigns 558 patients with return of spontaneous circulation after OHCA with no obvious extracardiac origin of cardiac arrest and no ST-segment elevation/left bundle-branch block on postresuscitation electrocardiogram to either immediate coronary angiography or initial intensive care assessment with delayed/selective angiography in a 1:1 ratio. The primary end point is 30-day all-cause mortality. Secondary analyses will be performed with respect to initial rhythm, electrocardiographic patterns, myocardial infarction as underlying cause, neurological outcome, as well as clinical and laboratory markers. Clinical follow-up will be performed at 6 and 12 months. Safety end points include bleeding and stroke. CONCLUSION: The TOMAHAWK trial will address the unresolved issue of timing and general indication of angiography after OHCA without ST-segment elevation.

Low rate of access site complications after transradial coronary catheterization: A prospective ultrasound study.

BACKGROUND: Transradial artery (TRA) left heart catheterization is an increasingly used technique for both diagnostic and interventional coronary procedures. This study evaluates the incidence of access site complications in the current interventional era. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 507 procedures were performed under standardized conditions. Each procedure was performed using high levels of anticoagulation, hydrophilic sheaths, and short post-procedural compression times. Vascular complications were assessed one day after TRA catheterization using Duplex sonography and classified according to the necessity of additional medical intervention. A simple questionnaire helped identifying upper extremity neurologic or motor complications. Vascular complications were detected in 12 patients (2.36%): radial artery occlusion was detected in 9 patients (1.77%), 1 patient developed an AV-fistula (0.19%), and 2 patients had pseudoaneurysms (0.38%). None of the patients required specialized medical or surgical intervention. Under our procedural conditions, small radial artery diameter was the only significant predictor for the development of post-procedural vascular complications (2.11 ± 0.42 mm vs 2.52 ± 0.39 mm, p = 0.001). None of the previously reported risk factors, namely, advanced renal failure, diabetes, acuteness/complexity of procedure, or sheath and catheter size significantly influenced the rate of vascular complications. No major hematoma or local neurologic or motor complications were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Using current techniques and materials, we report a very low rate of local complications associated with TRA catheterization.