Contrast Agent Pooling (C.A.P.) sign and imminent cardiac arrest: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The sign of contrast agent pooling (C.A.P.) in dependent part of the venous system were reported in some case reports, which happened in the patients before sudden cardiac arrest. Until now, there is no solid evidence enough to address the importance of the sign. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of the C.A.P. sign in predicting imminent cardiac arrest and the association of the C.A.P. sign with patient's survival. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. The study included all patients who visited the emergency department, who received contrast computed tomography (CT) scan and then experienced cardiac arrest at the emergency department (from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018). We evaluated the occurrence of the C.A.P. sign on the chest or abdominal CT scan, patients with ECMO were excluded. With positive C.A.P. sign, the primary outcome is whether in-hospital cardiac arrest happens within an hour; the accuracy of C.A.P. sign was calculated. The secondary outcome is survival to discharge. RESULTS: In the study, 128 patients were included. 8.6% (N = 11) patients had positive C.A.P. sign and 91.4% (N = 117) patients did not. The accuracy of C.A.P. sign in predicting cardiac arrest within 1 h was 85.94%. The C.A.P. sign had a positive association with IHCA within 1 h after the CT scan (adjusted odds ratio 7.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27 - 42.69). The relative risk (RR) of survival to discharge was 0.90 with positive C.A.P. sign (95% CI 0.85 - 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The C.A.P. sign can be considered as an alarm for imminent cardiac arrest and poor prognosis. The patients with positive C.A.P. sign were more likely to experience imminent cardiac arrest; in contrast, less likely to survive. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRB No.108107-E.

Influence of advanced life support response time on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patient outcomes in Taipei.

BACKGROUND: The association between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patient survival and advanced life support response time remained controversial. We aimed to test the hypothesis that for adult, non-traumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, a shorter advanced life support response time is associated with a better chance of survival. We analyzed Utstein-based registry data on adult, non-traumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Taipei from 2011 to 2015. METHODS: Patients without complete data, witnessed by emergency medical technicians, or with response times of ≥ 15 minutes, were excluded. We used logistic regression with an exposure of advanced life support response time. Primary and secondary outcomes were survival to hospital discharge and favorable neurological outcomes (cerebral performance category ≤ 2), respectively. Subgroup analyses were based on presenting rhythms of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and witness status. RESULTS: A total of 4,278 cases were included in the final analysis. The median advanced life support response time was 9 minutes. For every minute delayed in advanced life support response time, the chance of survival to hospital discharge would reduce by 7% and chance of favorable neurological outcome by 9%. Subgroup analysis showed that a longer advanced life support response time was negatively associated with the chance of survival to hospital discharge among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with shockable rhythm and pulse electrical activity groups. CONCLUSIONS: In non-traumatic, adult, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Taipei, a longer advanced life support response time was associated with declining odds of survival to hospital discharge and favorable neurologic outcomes, especially in patients presenting with shockable rhythm and pulse electrical activity.

Data on evaluation of proficiency for the US-CAB curriculum.

Data presented in this article relates to the research article entitled "US-CAB protocol for ultrasonographic evaluation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: validation and potential impact" (Lien et al., in press). The article provides data regarding proficiency of the 10 emergency residents attending the US-CAB curriculum. Assessments included immediate evaluation at the end of training and re-evaluation 6 months later. A written test, and the ultrasound image acquisition were required in the immediate evaluation The re-evaluation included the written test and performance on the same healthy volunteer.

US-CAB protocol for ultrasonographic evaluation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Validation and potential impact.

BACKGROUND: We previously developed a US-CAB protocol for evaluation of circulatory-airway-breathing status during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed at validating its application in real CPR scenarios and the potential impact on CPR outcomes. METHODS: The US-CAB protocol was implemented at the emergency department of National Taiwan University Hospital since January 2016. The US images, initiation time and operation duration of each US-CAB procedure, and relevant CPR information were recorded for analysis. RESULTS: From January 2016 to March 2017, 177 cardiac arrest patients receiving US-CAB were included. The durations of US-C-A-B procedure were 9.0 ±â€¯1.4, 7.5 ±â€¯1.5, and 16.0 ±â€¯1.9 s, respectively. Cardiac activity was identified in 47 cases (26.6%), with higher rates of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (95.7% vs. 21.5%, p < .0001) and survival to hospital discharge (25.5% vs. 10.0%, p < .01). Detection of cardiac activity after 10 min of CPR exhibited 100% sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for ROSC. Cardiac tamponade was noted in eight patients. ROSC was achieved in two (25.0%) after pericardiocentesis, and aortic dissection was diagnosed in one (12.5%). Confirmation of correct intubation was significantly faster by US than by capnography (7.4 ±â€¯1.4 vs. 38.3 ±â€¯110.2 s, p < .001). US detected 21 (11.9%) esophageal intubations and 3 (1.7%) one-lung intubations. All were promptly corrected. CONCLUSION: The US-CAB protocol is feasible in real CPR scenarios. It confers diagnostic value and prognostic implications which potentially impact the efficacy and outcomes of CPR. However, a future prospective multi-center study to validate its feasibility and indicate the need of structured training is mandated.

The effect of the number and level of emergency medical technicians on patient outcomes following out of hospital cardiac arrest in Taipei.

AIM: The effect of the number and level of on-scene emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on the outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unclear. We aimed to test the association between the number and level of EMTs and the outcomes of patients with OHCA. METHODS: We analysed Utstein-based registry data on OHCA in Taipei from 2011 to 2015. The eligible patients were adults, aged ≥20 years, with non-traumatic OHCA who underwent resuscitation attempts. The exposures were the total number of EMTs or the EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) ratio >50%. The outcome of interest was survival to discharge. RESULTS: During study period, total 8262 OHCA cases were included, of which 1085 (13.1%) were approached by crews with an EMT-P ratio >50%. While an increase in the number of EMTs on-scene was not associated with better chances of survival (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-1.08), an EMT-P ratio >50% was significantly associated with improved outcome (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.06-1.76). Subgroup analyses showed that EMT-P >50% significantly benefited survival in witnessed OHCA cases with non-shockable rhythm (aOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.01-2.58). Survival was the highest among cases seen by four EMTs with an EMT-P ratio >50% (aOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.43-4.50). CONCLUSION: An on-scene EMT-P ratio >50% was associated with improved survival to discharge of OHCA cases, especially in those with witnessed, non-shockable rhythm. The presence of four EMTs with an EMT-P ratio >50% at the scene of OHCA was associated with the best outcome.