Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy with Iloprost Improves Digit Salvage in Severe Frostbite Compared to Iloprost Alone.

Background and Objectives: Frostbite is a freezing injury that can lead to amputation. Current treatments include tissue rewarming followed by thrombolytic or vasodilators. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy might decrease the rate of amputation by increasing cellular oxygen availability to the damaged tissues. The SOS-Frostbite study was implemented in a cross-border program among the hyperbaric centers of Geneva, Lyon, and the Mont-Blanc hospitals. The objective was to assess the efficacy of HBO + iloprost among patients with severe frostbite. Materials and Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective single-arm study from 2013 to 2019. All patients received early HBO in addition to standard care with iloprost. Outcomes were compared to a historical cohort in which all patients received iloprost alone between 2000 and 2012. Inclusion criteria were stage 3 or 4 frostbite and initiation of medical care <72 h from frostbite injury. Outcomes were the number of preserved segments and the rate of amputated segments. Results: Thirty patients from the historical cohort were eligible and satisfied the inclusion criteria, and 28 patients were prospectively included. The number of preserved segments per patient was significantly higher in the prospective cohort (mean 13 ± SD, 10) compared to the historical group (6 ± 5, p = 0.006); the odds ratio was significantly higher by 45-fold (95%CI: 6-335, p < 0.001) in the prospective cohort compared to the historical cohort after adjustment for age and delay between signs of freezing and treatment start. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the combination of HBO and iloprost was associated with higher benefit in patients with severe frostbite. The number of preserved segments was two-fold higher in the prospective cohort compared to the historical group (mean of 13 preserved segments vs. 6), and the reduction of amputation was greater in patients treated by HBO + iloprost compared with the iloprost only.

Early inter-hospital transfer of patients with myocardial infarction without a doctor, paramedic or nurse on board: results from a French regional emergency care network.

BACKGROUND: In France, patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are usually transferred from remote hospitals to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centres in mobile intensive care units (MICUs) with on-board medical staff. They are then returned to the remote hospitals by MICU 48 h after PCI. However, MICU transportation and beds in a PCI centre are in short supply. Therefore, we investigated clinical outcomes among intermediate-risk ACS patients who were transferred in private ambulances without an on-board medic or paramedic; and returned to the remote hospital sooner after PCI. METHODS: In the French Alps, the RESURCOR network manages 'SCA-Alp' transfers using strict management protocols in ambulances with trained drivers and automatic external defibrillators, but without heart rhythm monitoring. We conducted an observational retrospective study that assessed outcomes (death and emergency return to the PCI centre within 48 h) in patients transferred using SCA-Alp. Our population comprised stabilized patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who returned to the remote hospital within 24-48 h of PCI, and uncomplicated patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) within 24-72 h of symptom onset who come from and returned to ('round-trip') the remote hospital on the day of PCI (return < 12 h after PCI). RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2014, 101 STEMI and 490 NSTEMI patients were transferred using SCA-Alp. No adverse events occurred during transportation and no deaths were reported. Two of 591 patients (0.3% [95% confidence interval 0.1-1.4%]) experienced a stent thrombosis within 48 h of PCI that required a second urgent PCI; both were event free at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Inter-hospital transfer using SCA-Alp is associated with low event rates in intermediate-risk ACS patients, allowing a more streamlined use of medical facilities and freeing-up of beds in PCI centres.

Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest - Retrospective cohort study from the International Hypothermia Registry.

AIM: The International Hypothermia Registry (IHR) was created to increase knowledge of accidental hypothermia, particularly to develop evidence-based guidelines and find reliable outcome predictors. The present study compares hypothermic patients with and without cardiac arrest included in the IHR. METHODS: Demographic, pre-hospital and in-hospital data, method of rewarming and outcome data were collected anonymously in the IHR between 2010 and 2020. RESULTS: Two hundred and one non-consecutive cases were included. The major causeof hypothermia was mountain accidents, predominantly in young men. Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest (HCA) occurred in 73 of 201 patients. Core temperature was significantly lower in the patients in cardiac arrest (25.0 vs. 30.0 °C, p < 0.001). One hundred and fifteen patients were rewarmed externally (93% with ROSC), 53 by extra-corporeal life support (ECLS) (40% with ROSC) and 21 with invasive internal techniques (71% with ROSC). The overall survival rate was 95% for patients with preserved circulation and 36% for those in cardiac arrest. Witnessed cardiac arrest and ROSC before rewarming were positive outcome predictors, asphyxia, coagulopathy, high potassium and lactate negative outcome predictors. CONCLUSIONS: This first analysis of 201 IHR patients with moderate to severe accidental hypothermia shows an excellent 95% survival rate for patients with preserved circulation and 36% for HCA patients. Witnessed cardiac arrest, restoration of spontaneous circulation, low potassium and lactate and absence of asphyxia were positive survival predictors despite hypothermia in young, healthy adults after mountaineering accidents. However, accidental hypothermia is a heterogenous entity that should be considered in both treatment strategies and prognostication.

Association of helicopter transportation and improved mortality for patients with major trauma in the northern French Alps trauma system: an observational study based on the TRENAU registry.

BACKGROUND: Prompt prehospital triage and transportation are essential in an organised trauma system. The benefits of helicopter transportation on mortality in a physician-staffed pre-hospital trauma system remains unknown. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of helicopter transportation on mortality and prehospital triage. METHODS: Data collection was based on trauma registry for all consecutive major trauma patients transported by helicopter or ground ambulance in the Northern French Alps Trauma system between 2009 and 2017. The primary endpoint was in-hospital death. We performed multivariate logistic regression to compare death between helicopter and ground ambulance. RESULTS: Overall, 9458 major trauma patients were included. 37% (n = 3524) were transported by helicopter, and 56% (n = 5253) by ground ambulance. Prehospital time from the first call to the arrival at hospital was longer in the helicopter group compared to the ground ambulance group, respectively median time 95 [72-124] minutes and 85 [63-113] minutes (P < 0.001). Median transport time was similar between groups, 20 min [13-30] for helicopter and 21 min [14-32] for ground ambulance. Using multivariate logistic regression, helicopter was associated with reduced mortality compared to ground ambulance (adjusted OR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.92; P = 0.01) and with reduced undertriage (OR 0.69 95% CI, 0.60-0.80; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Helicopter was associated with reduced in-hospital death and undertriage by one third. It did not decrease prehospital and transport times in a system with the same crew using both helicopter or ground ambulance. The mortality and undertriage benefits observed suggest that the helicopter is the proper mode for long-distant transport to a regional trauma centre.

Prediction of intra-hospital mortality after severe trauma: which pre-hospital score is the most accurate?

PURPOSE: Computing trauma scores in the field allows immediate severity assessment for appropriate triage. Two pre-hospital scores can be useful in this context: the Triage-Revised Trauma Score (T-RTS) and the Mechanism, Glasgow, Age and arterial Pressure (MGAP) score. The Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score (TRISS), not applicable in the pre-hospital setting, is the reference score to predict in-hospital mortality after severe trauma. The aim of this study was to compare T-RTS, MGAP and TRISS in a cohort of consecutive patients admitted in the Trauma system of the Northern French Alps(TRENAU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2009 to 2011, 3260 patients with suspected severe trauma according to the Vittel criteria were included in the TRENAU registry. All data necessary to compute T-RTS, MGAP and TRISS were collected in patients admitted to one level-I, two level-II and ten level-III trauma centers. The primary endpoint was death from any cause during hospital stay. Discriminative power of each score to predict mortality was measured using receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. To test the relevancy of each score for triage, we also tested their sensitivity at usual cut-offs. We expected a sensitivity higher than 95% to limit undertriage. RESULTS: The TRISS score showed the highest area under the ROC curve (0.95 [CI 95% 0.94-0.97], p<0.01). Pre-hospital MGAP score had significantly higher AUC compared to T-RTS (0.93 [CI 95% 0.91-0.95] vs 0.86 [CI 95% 0.83-0.89], respectively, p<0.01). MGAP score<23 had a sensitivity of 88% to detect mortality. Sensitivities of T-RTS<12 and TRISS<0.91 were 79% and 87%, respectively. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Pre-hospital calculation of the MGAP score appeared superior to T-RTS score in predicting intra-hospital mortality in a cohort of trauma patients. Although TRISS had the highest AUC, this score can only be available after hospital admission. These findings suggest that the MGAP score could be of interest in the pre-hospital setting to assess patients' severity. However, its lack of sensitivity indicates that MGAP should not replace the decision scheme to direct the most severe patients to level-I trauma center.