The design of the PRINCESS 2 trial: A randomized trial to study the impact of ultrafast hypothermia on complete neurologic recovery after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with initial shockable rhythm.

BACKGROUND: Delayed hypothermia, initiated after hospital arrival, several hours after cardiac arrest with 8-10 hours to reach the target temperature, is likely to have limited impact on overall survival. However, the effect of ultrafast hypothermia, i.e., delivered intra-arrest or immediately after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), on functional neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unclear. In two prior trials, prehospital trans-nasal evaporative intra-arrest cooling was safe, feasible and reduced time to target temperature compared to delayed cooling. Both studies showed trends towards improved neurologic recovery in patients with shockable rhythms. The aim of the PRINCESS2-study is to assess whether cooling, initiated either intra-arrest or immediately after ROSC, followed by in-hospital hypothermia, significantly increases survival with complete neurologic recovery as compared to standard normothermia care, in OHCA patients with shockable rhythms. METHODS/DESIGN: In this investigator-initiated, randomized, controlled trial, the emergency medical services (EMS) will randomize patients at the scene of cardiac arrest to either trans-nasal cooling within 20 minutes from EMS arrival with subsequent hypothermia at 33°C for 24 hours after hospital admission (intervention), or to standard of care with no prehospital or in-hospital cooling (control). Fever (>37,7°C) will be avoided for the first 72 hours in both groups. All patients will receive post resuscitation care and withdrawal of life support procedures according to current guidelines. Primary outcome is survival with complete neurologic recovery at 90 days, defined as modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0-1. Key secondary outcomes include survival to hospital discharge, survival at 90 days and mRS 0-3 at 90 days. In total, 1022 patients are required to detect an absolute difference of 9% (from 45 to 54%) in survival with neurologic recovery (80% power and one-sided α=0,025, ß=0,2) and assuming 2,5% lost to follow-up. Recruitment starts in Q1 2024 and we expect maximum enrolment to be achieved during Q4 2024 at 20-25 European and US sites. DISCUSSION: This trial will assess the impact of ultrafast hypothermia applied on the scene of cardiac arrest, as compared to normothermia, on 90-day survival with complete neurologic recovery in OHCA patients with initial shockable rhythm. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT06025123.

Effect of Trans-Nasal Evaporative Intra-arrest Cooling on Functional Neurologic Outcome in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: The PRINCESS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Therapeutic hypothermia may increase survival with good neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. Trans-nasal evaporative cooling is a method used to induce cooling, primarily of the brain, during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ie, intra-arrest). Objective: To determine whether prehospital trans-nasal evaporative intra-arrest cooling improves survival with good neurologic outcome compared with cooling initiated after hospital arrival. Design, Setting, and Participants: The PRINCESS trial was an investigator-initiated, randomized, clinical, international multicenter study with blinded assessment of the outcome, performed by emergency medical services in 7 European countries from July 2010 to January 2018, with final follow-up on April 29, 2018. In total, 677 patients with bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were enrolled. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive trans-nasal evaporative intra-arrest cooling (n = 343) or standard care (n = 334). Patients admitted to the hospital in both groups received systemic therapeutic hypothermia at 32°C to 34°C for 24 hours. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was survival with good neurologic outcome, defined as Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 1-2, at 90 days. Secondary outcomes were survival at 90 days and time to reach core body temperature less than 34°C. Results: Among the 677 randomized patients (median age, 65 years; 172 [25%] women), 671 completed the trial. Median time to core temperature less than 34°C was 105 minutes in the intervention group vs 182 minutes in the control group (P < .001). The number of patients with CPC 1-2 at 90 days was 56 of 337 (16.6%) in the intervention cooling group vs 45 of 334 (13.5%) in the control group (difference, 3.1% [95% CI, -2.3% to 8.5%]; relative risk [RR], 1.23 [95% CI, 0.86-1.72]; P = .25). In the intervention group, 60 of 337 patients (17.8%) were alive at 90 days vs 52 of 334 (15.6%) in the control group (difference, 2.2% [95% CI, -3.4% to 7.9%]; RR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.81-1.57]; P = .44). Minor nosebleed was the most common device-related adverse event, reported in 45 of 337 patients (13%) in the intervention group. The adverse event rate within 7 days was similar between groups. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, trans-nasal evaporative intra-arrest cooling compared with usual care did not result in a statistically significant improvement in survival with good neurologic outcome at 90 days. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01400373.

Neurologic Recovery at Discharge and Long-Term Survival After Cardiac Arrest.

Importance: Brain injury is the leading cause of death following cardiac arrest and is associated with severe neurologic disabilities among survivors, with profound implications for patients and their families, as well as broader societal impacts. How these disabilities affect long-term survival is largely unknown. Objective: To investigate whether complete neurologic recovery at hospital discharge after cardiac arrest is associated with better long-term survival compared with moderate or severe neurologic disabilities. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from 4 mandatory national registers with structured and predefined data collection and nationwide coverage during a 10-year period in Sweden. Participants included adults who survived in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) beyond 30 days and who underwent predefined neurologic assessment conducted by health care professionals at hospital discharge using the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale between January 2010 and December 2019. Patients were divided into 3 categories: complete recovery (CPC 1), moderate disabilities (CPC 2), and severe disabilities (CPC 3-4). Statistical analyses were performed in December 2023. Exposure: CPC score at hospital discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was long-term survival among patients with CPC 1 compared with those with CPC 2 or CPC 3 or 4. Results: A total of 9390 cardiac arrest survivors (median [IQR] age, 69 .0 [58.0-77.0] years; 6544 [69.7%] male) were included. The distribution of functional neurologic outcomes at discharge was 7374 patients (78.5%) with CPC 1, 1358 patients (14.5%) with CPC 2, and 658 patients (7.0%) with CPC 3 or 4. Survival proportions at 5 years were 73.8% (95% CI, 72.5%-75.0%) for patients with CPC 1, compared with 64.7% (95% CI, 62.4%-67.0%) for patients with CPC 2 and 54.2% (95% CI, 50.6%-57.8%) for patients with CPC 3 or 4. Compared with patients with CPC 1, there was significantly higher hazard of death for patients with CPC 2 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.57 [95% CI, 1.40-1.75]) or CPC 3 or 4 (aHR, 2.46 [95% CI, 2.13-2.85]). Similar associations were seen in the OHCA and IHCA groups. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients with cardiac arrest who survived beyond 30 days, complete neurologic recovery, defined as CPC 1 at discharge, was associated with better long-term survival compared with neurologic disabilities at the same time point.

Transnasal Evaporative Cooling in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients to Initiate Hypothermia-A Substudy of the Target Temperature Management 2 (TTM2) Randomized Trial.

Background: In animal models, early initiation of therapeutic cooling, intra-arrest, or restored circulation has been shown to be neuroprotective shortly after cardiac arrest. We aimed to assess the feasibility and cooling efficacy of transnasal evaporative cooling, initiated as early as possible after hospital arrival in patients randomized to cooling in the TTM2 trial. Methods: This study took the form of a single-center (Södersjukhuset, Stockholm) substudy of the TTM2 trial (NCT02908308) comparing target temperature management (TTM) to 33 °C versus normothermia in OHCA. In patients randomized to TTM33 °C, transnasal evaporative cooling was applied as fast as possible. The primary objectives were the feasibility aspects of initiating cooling in different hospital locations (i.e., in the emergency department, coronary cathlab, intensive care unit (ICU), and during intrahospital transport) and its effectiveness (i.e., time to reach target temperature). Transnasal cooling was continued for two hours or until patients reached a core temperature of <34 °C. Cooling intervals were compared to participants at the same site who were randomized to hypothermia and treated at 33 °C but who for different reasons did not receive transnasal evaporative cooling. Results: From October 2018 to January 2020, 32 patients were recruited, of which 17 were randomized to the TTM33. Among them, 10 patients (8 men, median age 69 years) received transnasal evaporative cooling prior to surface systemic cooling in the ICU. In three patients, cooling was started in the emergency department; in two patients, it was started in the coronary cathlab, and in five patients, it was started in the ICU, of which three patients were subsequently transported to the coronary cathlab or to perform a CT scan. The median time to initiate transnasal cooling from randomization was 9 min (range: 5 to 39 min). The median time from randomization to a core body temperature of 34 °C was 120 min (range 60 to 334) compared to 178 min among those in the TTM33 group that did not receive TNEC and to 33 °C 230 min (range: 152 to 351) vs. 276 min (range: 150 to 546). No feasibility or technical issues were reported. No adverse events occurred besides minor nosebleeds. Conclusions: The early induction of transnasal cooling in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients was feasible to initiate in the emergency department, coronary cathlab, ICU, and during intrahospital transport. Time to target temperature was shortened compared to standard cooling.

Intra-Arrest Therapeutic Hypothermia and Neurologic Outcome in Patients Admitted after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Post Hoc Analysis of the Princess Trial.

Background: Despite promising results, the role of intra-arrest hypothermia in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of trans-nasal evaporative cooling (TNEC) during resuscitation on neurological recovery in OHCA patients admitted alive to the hospital. Methods: A post hoc analysis of the PRINCESS trial, including only patients admitted alive to the hospital, either assigned to TNEC or standard of care during resuscitation. The primary endpoint was favorable neurological outcome (FO) defined as a Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) of 1-2 at 90 days. The secondary outcomes were overall survival at 90 days and CPC 1 at 90 days. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the initial cardiac rhythm. Results: A total of 149 patients in the TNEC and 142 in the control group were included. The number of patients with CPC 1-2 at 90 days was 56/149 (37.6%) in the intervention group and 45/142 (31.7%) in the control group (p = 0.29). Survival and CPC 1 at 90 days was observed in 60/149 patients (40.3%) vs. 52/142 (36.6%; p = 0.09) and 50/149 (33.6%) vs. 35/142 (24.6%; p = 0.11) in the two groups. In the subgroup of patients with an initial shockable rhythm, the number of patients with CPC 1 at 90 days was 45/83 (54.2%) in the intervention group and 27/78 (34.6%) in the control group (p = 0.01). Conclusions: In this post hoc analysis of admitted OHCA patients, no statistically significant benefits of TNEC on neurological outcome at 90 days was found. In patients with initial shockable rhythm, TNEC was associated with increased full neurological recovery.

Strategies of Advanced Airway Management in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest during Intra-Arrest Hypothermia: Insights from the PRINCESS Trial.

BACKGROUND: Trans-nasal evaporative cooling is an effective method to induce intra-arrest therapeutic hypothermia in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The use of supraglottic airway devices (SGA) instead of endotracheal intubation may enable shorter time intervals to induce cooling. We aimed to study the outcomes in OHCA patients receiving endotracheal intubation (ETI) or a SGA during intra-arrest trans-nasal evaporative cooling. METHODS: This is a pre-specified sub-study of the PRINCESS trial (NCT01400373) that included witnessed OHCA patients randomized during resuscitation to trans-nasal intra-arrest cooling vs. standard care followed by temperature control at 33 °C for 24 h. For this study, patients randomized to intra-arrest cooling were stratified according to the use of ETI vs. SGA prior to the induction of cooling. SGA was placed by paramedics in the first-tier ambulance or by physicians or anesthetic nurses in the second tier while ETI was performed only after the arrival of the second tier. Propensity score matching was used to adjust for differences at the baseline between the two groups. The primary outcome was survival with good neurological outcome, defined as cerebral performance category (CPC) 1-2 at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included time to place airway, overall survival at 90 days, survival with complete neurologic recovery (CPC 1) at 90 days and sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). RESULTS: Of the 343 patients randomized to the intervention arm (median age 64 years, 24% were women), 328 received intra-arrest cooling and had data on the airway method (n = 259 with ETI vs. n = 69 with SGA). Median time from the arrival of the first-tier ambulance to successful airway management was 8 min for ETI performed by second tier and 4 min for SGA performed by the first or second tier (p = 0.001). No significant differences in the probability of good neurological outcome (OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.64-3.01), overall survival (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.57-2.55), full neurological recovery (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.52-2.73) or sustained ROSC (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.50-1.52) were observed between ETI and SGA. CONCLUSIONS: Among the OHCA patients treated with trans-nasal evaporative intra-arrest cooling, the use of SGA was associated with a significantly shorter time to airway management and with similar outcomes compared to ETI.