Fatal arrythmia in a young man after COVID-19 vaccination: An autopsy report.

RATIONALE: The benefits of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination are claimed to be substantial; however, vaccination-related myocarditis and pericarditis have also been observed globally, particularly among young men. In most cases, the symptoms are mild and resolve on their own; however, fatal cases have rarely been described. PATIENT CONCERNS: A healthy 40-year-old Japanese man suddenly experienced tachycardia and lost consciousness 2 days after vaccination. Continued resuscitation recovered the spontaneous heartbeat; however, the patient did not regain consciousness and died 9 days later. Electrocardiography after resuscitation showed marked ST-segment depression and incomplete right bundle branch block. Influenza antigen and polymerase chain reaction tests for SARS-CoV-2 were negative. DIAGNOSES: Fatal arrhythmia after a second COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. INTERVENTIONS: We performed an autopsy and studied the material morphologically and immunohistochemically. OUTCOMES: At autopsy, several small inflammatory foci with cardiomyocytic necrosis were scattered in the right and left ventricles, with a propensity for the right side. Some inflammatory foci were located near the atrioventricular nodes and His bundles. The infiltrating cells predominantly consisted of CD68-positive histiocytes, with a small number of CD8-positive and CD4-positive T cells. In this case, myocarditis was focal and mild, as is mostly observed following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. However, the inflammatory foci were close to the conduction system and were considered the cause of fatal arrhythmia. LESSONS: Although the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination appear to outweigh the side effects, it should be noted that fatal arrhythmias may rarely occur, and caution should be taken if individuals, particularly young men, complain of any symptoms after vaccination.

Temporal variations in dispatcher-assisted and bystander-initiated resuscitation efforts.

PURPOSE: To investigate temporal variations in dispatcher-assisted and bystander-initiated resuscitation efforts and their association with survival after bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the neurologically favorable 1-month survival and the parameters related to dispatcher assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) and bystander CPR (BCPR) for 227,524 OHCA patients between 2007 and 2013 in Japan. DA-CPR sensitivity for OHCAs, bystander's compliance to DA-CPR assessed by the proportion of bystanders who follow DA-CPR, and performance of BCPR measured by the rate of bystander-initiated CPR in patients without DA-CPR were calculated as indices of resuscitation efforts. RESULTS: Performance of BCPR was only similar to temporal variations in the survival (correlation between hourly paired values, R2=0.263, P=0.01): a lower survival rate (3.4% vs 4.2%) and performance of BCPR (23.1% vs 30.8%) during night-time (22:00-5:59) than during non-night-time. In subgroup analyses based on interaction tests, all three indices deteriorated during night-time when OHCAs were witnessed by non-family (adjusted odds ratio, 0.73-0.82), particularly in non-elderly patients. The rate of public access defibrillation for these OHCAs markedly decreased during night-time (adjusted odds ratio, 0.49) with delayed emergency calls and BCPR initiation. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that the survival rate of non-family-witnessed OHCAs was 1.83-fold lower during night-time than during non-night-time. CONCLUSIONS: Dispatcher-assisted and bystander-initiated resuscitation efforts are low during night-time in OHCAs witnessed by non-family. A divisional alert system to recruit well-trained individuals is needed in order to improve the outcomes of night-time OHCAs witnessed by non-family bystanders.

Poor outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at dinnertime in the elderly: Diurnal and seasonal variations.

PURPOSE: To investigate differences in chronological variations in characteristics and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) between elderly and non-elderly patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed bystander-witnessed OHCAs without prehospital involvement of physicians between January 2007 and December 2014 in Japan. We considered the following time periods: night-time (23:00-5:59) and non-night-time; we further divided non-night-time into dinnertime (18:00-20:29) and other non-night-time. Subsequently, we analyzed chronological variations in factors associated with OHCA survival using univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses for unmatched and propensity-matched pairs, respectively. RESULTS: For elderly (≥65 years old, N = 201,073) and non-elderly (≥10, <65 years old, N = 57,124) OHCA patients, survival rates were lower during night-time than during non-night-time (elderly, 2.8% vs 1.6%; non-elderly, 9.8% vs 7.7%). The trend for incidences of bystander-witnessed OHCA in the elderly showed three peaks associated with breakfast-time, lunchtime, and dinnertime. However, a transient but considerable decrease in survival rates was observed at dinnertime (1.9% at dinnertime and 3.0% during other non-night-time). OHCAs in the elderly at dinnertime were characterized by low proportions of presumed cardiac etiologies and shockable initial rhythm. However,even after adjusting for these and other factors associated with survival,survival rates were significantly lower at dinnertime than during other non-night-time for elderly OHCA patients (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.41, with dinnertime as reference). This difference was significant even after propensity matching with significant augmentation in winter. CONCLUSIONS: Dinnertime, particularly in winter, is associated with lower survival in elderly OHCA patients.

The impact of prehospital assessment and EMS transport of acute aortic syndrome patients.

BACKGROUND: The quality of acute aortic syndrome (AAS) assessment by emergency medical service (EMS) and the incidence and prehospital factors associated with 1-month survival remain unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data collected for 94,468 patients with non-traumatic medical emergency excluding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the period of 2011-2014. RESULTS: Of these transported by EMS, 22,075 had any of the AAS-related symptoms, and 330 had an EMS-assessed risk for AAS; of these, 195 received an in-hospital AAS diagnosis. Of the remaining 21,745 patients without EMS-assessed risk, 166 were diagnosed with AAS. Therefore, the sensitivity and specificity of our EMS-risk assessment for AAS was 54.0% (195/361) and 99.4% (21,579/21,714), respectively. EMS assessed the risk less frequently when patients were elderly and presented with dyspnea and syncope/faintness. Sign of upper extremity ischemia was rarely detected (6.9%) and absence of this sign was associated with lack of EMS-assessed risk. The calculation of modified aortic dissection detection risk score revealed that rigorous assessment based on this score may increase the EMS sensitivity for AAS. The 1-month survival rate was significantly higher in patients admitted to core hospitals with surgical teams for AAS than in those admitted to all other hospitals [87.5% (210/240) vs 69.4% (84/121); P<0.01]. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that Stanford type A, Glasgow coma scale ≤14, and admission to core hospitals providing emergency cardiovascular surgery were associated with 1-month survival. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of AAS survival is likely to be affected by rapid admission to appropriate hospitals providing cardiovascular surgery.

Augmented survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims with the use of mobile phones for emergency communication under the DA-CPR protocol getting information from callers beside the victim.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impacts of emergency calls made using mobile phones on the quality of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) that were not witnessed by emergency medical service (EMS). METHODS: In this prospective study, we collected data for 2530 DA-CPR-attempted medical emergency cases (517 using mobile phones and 2013 using landline phones) and 2980 non-EMS-witnessed OHCAs (600 using mobile phones and 2380 using landline phones). Time factors and quality of DA-CPR, backgrounds of callers and outcomes of OHCAs were compared between mobile and landline phone groups. RESULTS: Emergency calls are much more frequently placed beside the arrest victim in mobile phone group (52.7% vs. 17.2%). The positive predictive value and acceptance rate of DA-CPR in mobile phone group (84.7% and 80.6%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in landline group (79.2% and 70.9%). The proportion of good-quality bystander CPR in mobile phone group was significantly higher than that in landline group (53.5% vs. 45.0%). When analysed for all non-EMS-witnessed OHCAs, rates of 1-month survival and 1-year neurologically favourable survival in mobile phone group (7.8% and 3.5%, respectively) were higher than those in landline phone group (4.6% and 1.9%; p<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis, including other backgrounds, revealed that mobile phone calls were associated with increased 1-month survival in the subgroup of OHCAs receiving bystander CPR (adjusted odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.15-2.92). CONCLUSION: Emergency calls made using mobile phones are likely to augment the survival from OHCAs by improving DA-CPR.

Are regional variations in activity of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests outcomes? A nation-wide population-based cohort study.

AIM: Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) impacts the rates of bystander CPR (BCPR) and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). This study aimed to elucidate whether regional variations in indexes for BCPR and emergency medical service (EMS) may be associated with OHCA outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a population-based observational study involving 157,093 bystander-witnessed, resuscitation-attempted OHCAs without physician involvement between 2007 and 2011. For each index of BCPR and EMS, we classified the 47 prefectures into the following three groups: advanced, intermediate, and developing regions. Nominal logit analysis followed by multivariable logistic regression including OHCA backgrounds was employed to examine the association between neurologically favourable 1-month survival, and regional classifications based on BCPR- and EMS-related indexes. RESULTS: Logit analysis including all regional classifications revealed that the number of BLS training course participants per population or bystander's own performance of BCPR without DA-CPR was not associated with the survival. Multivariable logistic regression including the OHCA backgrounds known to be associated with survival (BCPR provision, arrest aetiology, initial rhythm, patient age, time intervals of witness-to-call and call-to-arrival at patient), the following regional classifications based on DA-CPR but not on EMS were associated with survival: sensitivity of DA-CPR [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for advanced region; those for intermediate region, with developing region as reference, 1.277 (1.131-1.441); 1.162 (1.058-1.277)]; the proportion of bystanders to follow DA-CPR [1.749 (1.554-1.967); 1.280 (1.188-1.380)]. CONCLUSIONS: Good outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs correlate with regions having higher sensitivity of DA-CPR and larger proportion of bystanders to follow DA-CPR.

Advantage of CPR-first over call-first actions for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in nonelderly patients and of noncardiac aetiology.

AIM: To assess the benefit of immediate call or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). METHODS: Of 952,288 OHCAs in 2005-2012, 41,734 were bystander-witnessed cases without prehospital involvement of physicians but with bystander CPR (BCPR) on bystander's own initiative. From those OHCAs, we finally extracted the following three call/BCPR groups: immediate Call+CPR (N=10,195, emergency call/BCPR initiated at 0 or 1 min after witness, absolute call-BCPR time interval=0 or 1 min), immediate Call-First (N=1820, emergency call placed at 0 or 1 min after witness, call-to-BCPR interval=2-4 min), immediate CPR-First (N=5446, BCPR initiated at 0 or 1 min after witness, BCPR-to-call interval=2-4 min). One-month neurologically favourable survivals were compared among the groups. Critical comparisons between Call-First and CPR-First groups were made considering arrest aetiology, age, and bystander-patient relationship after confirming the interactions among variables. RESULTS: The overall survival rates in immediate Call+CPR, Call-First, and CPR-First groups were 11.5, 12.4, and 11.5%, respectively without significant differences (p=0.543). Subgroup analyses by multivariate logistic regression following univariate analysis disclosed that CPR-first group is more likely to survive in subgroups of noncardiac aetiology (adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence interval, 2.01; 1.39-2.98) and of nonelderly OHCAs (1.38; 1.09-1.76). CONCLUSIONS: Immediate CPR-first action followed by an emergency call without a large delay may be recommended when a bystander with sufficient skills to perform CPR witnesses OHCAs in nonelderly people and of noncardiac aetiology.

[Management of one lung ventilation with bronchial blocker catheter for a patient with tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica].

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica is a rare benign disease, with difficult airway for intubation because the trachea and bronchia are narrow and transformed. We experienced one lung ventilation for a patient with the lung cancer associated with the tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica. The Coopdech bronchial blocker is a device for one lung ventilation. We could actually manipulate the blocker balloon very easily and maintain complete one lung ventilation maintaining SpO2 well. Coopdech bronchial blocker is useful for one lung ventilation in a patient with difficult airway such as tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica.

[Management for the removal of dopamin-secreting pheochromocytoma].

Incidence of dopamin-secreting pheochromocytoma is very rare. We reported managment of anesthesia for the removal of dopamin-secreting pheochromocytoma. A 46-year-old woman was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, but lacking clinical symptoms. Plasma and urinary dopamine levels were remarkably elevated, but other catecholamine levels were within normal limits. She underwent left adrenalectomy. Plasma dopamine was measured before during and after the adrenalectomy. Blood pressure was not related to plasma dopamine levels.

[Management of maternal tetanus contracted by an obstetric procedure].

A 34-year-old woman from the Philippines showed difficulty in opening the mouth. She had no wounds in the last one mouth, but was treated with an obstetric procedure after stillbirth 16 days before in the Philippines. She showed trismus, rigidity and muscle pain, but no muscle spasms, dyspnea and autonomic dysfunction. In this case, it is supposed that the obstetric procedure is the origin of the injury. In Japan, this is the first report of maternal tetanus.

[Tracheal intubation for two patients with lingual tonsil hyperplasia and prospect of difficult airway management].

Lingual tonsil hyperplasia is rare, but may cause difficult or inpossible tracheal intubation. We experienced two cases of tracheal intubation for lingual tonsil hyperplasia. A 71-yr-old man was scheduled for resection and biopsy of symptomatic hypertrophied lingual tonsils. In this patient, we performed oro-tracheal intubation by rigid laryngoscopy from left oral angle, because left hypertrophied lingual tonsils are smaller than those on the right side. A 44-yr-old man was scheduled for resection of symptomatic hypertrophied lingual tonsils after lingual tonsillitis. In this patient, we performed nasotracheal intubation using fiberoptic bronchoscopy with assist of jaw-lift and tongue-extension. When an anesthesiologist can predict the abnormality of lingual tonsils, these methods might be recommended for difficult airway and intubation. However, it is necessary to prepare a difficult airway management set including laryngeal mask airway, intubating laryngeal mask airway, fiberoptic bronchos-copy and transcutaneous tracheotomy set. And most important is preliminary evaluation of airway and cautious planning of tracheal intubation.

[A case of cor triatriatum diagnosed by echocardiography on pre-anesthetic examination].

A 69-year-old man was planned for elective surgery of the lumbar vertebral disk herniation. We performed a pre-anesthetic examination. He had a mild cardiomegaly (CTR = 55%) on chest X-ray examination, and ST-T change on electrocardiogram. His electrocardiogram showed negative T wave in III and aVF, ST elevation in I, aVL, V1-3, and flat T wave in V5-6. But he was without any symptoms of chest occlusion. He had no other abnormal laboratory data and abnormality in physical examination. We did echocardiography on him and cor triatriatum was diagnosed. The flow from the accessory chamber was 0.44 m.s-1. There were no abnormalities in the reflux of the pulmonary vein. We managed him under general anesthesia for operation, and took care to prevent right heart failure. There were no complications in peri-operative period. It was very important to perform pre-anesthetic examination by anesthetic specialist. Echocardiogram is useful for pre-anesthetic examination, if cardiovascular disease is suspected by chest symptom, electrocardiogram or chest X-ray examination.

[Efficacy of active core rewarming using fluid heating system HOTLINE before and during the operation in a patient with for panperitonitis in state of shock and hypothermia].

A 62-year-old man was transported to the emergency room. He was in the state of shock and hypothermia of 34.2 degrees C. Fluid therapy was started using a HOTLINE to raise the body temperature, with vasopressors, vitamin B1 and sodium bicarbonate after checking arterial blood gas. Diagnosis of panperitonitis was made and operation was started immediately. We used HOTLINE before and during the operation. Body temperature returned to normal ranges, and hemodynamic state was stabilized at the end of the operation. After the operation, he received controlled artificial ventilation and nutrition support with intravenous hyperalimentation. Though he was complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation, he went to general ward 17 days, and was discharged at 47 days after the operation. Sepsis accompanied with hypothermia leads to poor prognosis. We used fluid therapy with rapid-heating, and obtained good outcome. HOTLINE is effective for hypothermia in an emergency patient, because its effect is sure and does not obstruct the examination and management.