Anatomical-based percutaneous left stellate ganglion block in patients with drug-refractory electrical storm and structural heart disease: a single-centre case series.

AIMS: The adoption of percutaneous stellate ganglion blockade for the treatment of drug-refractory electrical storm (ES) has been increasingly reported; however, the time of onset of the anti-arrhythmic effects, the safety of a purely anatomical approach in conscious patients and the additional benefit of repeated procedures remain unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous left stellate ganglion blockade (PLSGB) in our centre for drug-refractory ES. Lidocaine, bupivacaine, or a combination of both were injected in the vicinity of the left stellate ganglion. Overall, 18 PLSGBs were performed in 11 patients (age 69 ± 13 years; 63.6% men, left ventricular ejection fraction 31.6 ± 16%). Seven patients received only one PLSGB; three underwent two procedures and one required three PLSGB and two continuous infusions to control ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). All PLSGBs were performed with an anatomical approach; lidocaine, alone, or in combination was used in 77.7% of the procedures. The median burden of VAs 1 h after each block was zero compared with five in the hour before (P < 0.001); 83% of the patients were free from VAs; the efficacy at 24 h increased with repeated blocks. The anti-arrhythmic efficacy of PLSGB was not related to anisocoria. No procedure-related complications were reported. CONCLUSION: Anatomical-based PLSGB is a safe and rapidly effective treatment for refractory ES; repeated blocks provide additional benefits. Percutaneous left stellate ganglion blockade should be considered for stabilizing patients to allow further ES management.

Association of Timing of Electrocardiogram Acquisition After Return of Spontaneous Circulation With Coronary Angiography Findings in Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Importance: Electrocardiography (ECG) is an important tool to triage patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). An immediate coronary angiography after ROSC is recommended only in patients with an ECG that is diagnostic of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). To date, the benefit of this approach has not been demonstrated in patients with a post-ROSC ECG that is not diagnostic of STEMI. Objective: To assess whether the time from ROSC to ECG acquisition is associated with the diagnostic accuracy of ECG for STEMI. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, multicenter cohort study (the Post-ROSC Electrocardiogram After Cardiac Arrest study) analyzed consecutive patients older than 18 years who were resuscitated from OHCA between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, and were admitted to 1 of the 3 participating centers in Europe (Pavia, Italy; Lugano, Switzerland; and Vienna, Austria). Exposure: Only patients who underwent coronary angiography during hospitalization and who acquired a post-ROSC ECG before the angiography were enrolled. Patients with a nonmedical cause of OHCAs were excluded. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was false-positive ECG findings, defined as the percentage of patients with post-ROSC ECG findings that met STEMI criteria but who did not show obstructive coronary artery disease on angiography that was worthy of percutaneous coronary angioplasty. Results: Of 586 consecutive patients who were admitted to the 3 participating centers, 370 were included in the analysis (287 men [77.6%]; median age, 62 years [interquartile range, 53-70 years]); 121 (32.7%) were enrolled in the participating center in Pavia, Italy; 38 (10.3%) in Lugano, Switzerland; and 211 (57.0%) in Vienna, Austria. The percentage of false-positive ECG findings in the first tertile of ROSC to ECG time (≤7 minutes) was significantly higher than that in the second (8-33 minutes) and third (>33 minutes) tertiles: 18.5% in the first tertile vs 7.2% in the second (odds ratio [OR], 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13-0.87; P = .02) and 5.8% in the third (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15-0.47; P < .001). These differences remained significant when adjusting for sex (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.12-0.85; P = .02; >33 minutes: OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.14-0.47; P < .001), age (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13-0.89; P = .03; >33 minutes: OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15-0.46; P < .001), number of segments with ST-elevation (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.15-0.81; P = .01; >33 minutes: OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.15-0.52; P < .001), QRS duration (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.87; P = .02; >33 minutes: OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15-0.48; P < .001), heart rate (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.93; P = .04; >33 minutes: OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.15-0.55; P < .001), epinephrine administered (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.98; P = .045; >33 minutes: OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.16-0.48; P < .001), shockable initial rhythm (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.96; P = .04; >33 minutes: OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.15-0.46; P < .001), and 3 or more shocks administered (≤7 minutes: reference; 8-33 minutes: OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.13-1.00; P = .05; >33 minutes: OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.16-0.48; P < .001) in bivariable analyses. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that early ECG acquisition after ROSC in patients with OHCA is associated with a higher percentage of false-positive ECG findings for STEMI. It may be reasonable to delay post-ROSC ECG by at least 8 minutes after ROSC or repeat the acquisition if the first ECG is diagnostic of STEMI and is acquired early after ROSC.

End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) and ventricular fibrillation amplitude spectral area (AMSA) for shock outcome prediction in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Are they two sides of the same coin?

AIM: Ventricular fibrillation amplitude spectral area (AMSA) and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) are predictors of shock success, understood as restoration of an organized rhythm, and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). However, little is known about their combined use. We aimed to assess the prediction accuracy when combined, and to clarify if they are correlated in out of hospital cardiac arrest' victims. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records acquired by external defibrillators in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients of the Lombardia Cardiac Arrest registry were processed. The 1-min pre-shock ETCO2 median value (METCO2) was computed from the capnogram and AMSA (2-48 mV.Hz range) computed applying the Fast Fourier Transform to a 2-second pre-shock filtered ECG interval (0.5-30 Hz). Support Vector Machine (SVM) predictive models based on METCO2, AMSA and their combination were fit; results were given as the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: We considered 112 patients with 391 shocks delivered. METCO2 and AMSA were predictors of shock success [AUC (IQR) of the ROC curve: 0.59 (0.56-0.62); 0.68 (0.65-0.72), respectively] and of ROSC [0.56 (0.53-0.59); 0.74 (0.71-0.78),]. Their combination in a SVM model increased the accuracy for predicting shock success [AUC (IQR) of the ROC curve: 0.71 (0.68-0.75)] and ROSC [0.77 (0.73-0.8)]. AMSA and METCO2 were significantly correlated only in patients who achieved ROSC (rho = 0.33 p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: AMSA and ETCO2 predict shock success and ROSC after every shock, and their predictive power increases if combined. Notably, they were correlated only in patients who achieved ROSC.

Post-ROSC peripheral perfusion index discriminates 30-day survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Prognostication after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a challenge. The peripheral-derived perfusion index (PI) is a simple and non-invasive way to assess perfusion. We sought to assess whether the PI was able to discriminate the prognosis of patients resuscitated from an OHCA. METHODS: All the reports generated by the manual monitor/defibrillator (Corpuls 3 by GS Elektromedizinische Geräte G. Stemple GmbH, Germany) used for all the OHCAs who achieved ROSC treated by our Emergency Medical Service from January 2015 to December 2018 were reviewed. The mean PI value of each minute after ROSC was automatically provided by the device and the mean value of 30 min of monitoring (MPI30) was calculated. Pre-hospital data were collected according to the Utstein 2014 recommendations. RESULTS: Among 1,909 resuscitation attempts, ROSC was achieved in 346 and it was possible to calculate an MPI30 in 164. MPI30 was higher in the patients who survived at 30 days [1.6 (95% CI 1.2-2.1) vs 1 (95% CI 0.8-1.3), p = 0.0017]. At the multivariable Cox regression model, after correction for shockable rhythm, witnessed status, bystander CPR, age, and blood pressure, MPI30 was found to be an independent predictor of both 30-day mortality [RR 0.83 (95% CI 0.69-0.99), p = 0.036] and 30-day mortality or poor neurologic outcome [RR 0.85 (95% CI 0.72-0.99), p = 0.04]. Overall 30-day survival with good neurologic outcome was significantly different in the three tertiles [T1: 0.1-0.8; T2: 0.9-1.8 and T3: 1.82-7.8, log-rank p = 0.007]. CONCLUSION: The post-ROSC peripheral perfusion index was found to be an independent predictor of 30-day mortality or poor neurologic outcome. It could help prognostication in OHCA patients.

The automated external defibrillator, an underused simple life-saving device: a review of the literature. A joint document from the Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC) and Associazione Italiana di Aritmologia e Cardiostimolazione (AIAC).

: The role of early defibrillation has been well established as a pivotal ring of the chain of survival since the nineties. In the following years, the scientific evidences about the beneficial role of early defibrillation have grown, and most of all, it has been demonstrated that the main determinant of survival is the time of defibrillation more than the type of rescuer. Early lay defibrillation was shown to be more effective than delayed defibrillation by healthcare providers. Moreover, because of the ease of use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), it has been shown that also untrained lay rescuers can safely use an AED leading the guidelines to encourage early defibrillation by untrained lay bystanders. Although strong evidence has demonstrated that an increase in AED use leads to an increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival, the rate of defibrillation by laypeople is quite variable worldwide and very low in some realities. Our review of the literature about lay defibrillation highlights that the AED is a life-saving device as simple and well tolerated as underused.