Coronary angiographic findings for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors presenting with nonshockable rhythms and no ST elevation post resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines suggest that coronary angiography (CAG) should be considered for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors, including those without ST elevation (STE) and without shockable rhythms. However, there is no prospective data to support CAG for survivors with nonshockable rhythms and no STE post resuscitation. METHODS: This was a re-analysis of the PEARL study (randomized OHCA survivors without STE to early CAG versus not). Patients were subdivided by initial rhythm as nonshockable (Nsh) vs shockable (Sh). The primary outcome was coronary angiographic evidence of acute culprit lesion, with secondary outcomes being survival to hospital discharge and neurological recovery. RESULTS: The PEARL study included 99 patients with OHCA from a presumed cardiac etiology, 24 with nonshockable and 75 with shockable rhythms. There was no difference in the frequency of CAG between the two groups [71% (Nsh) and 75% (Sh); p = 0.79], presence of CAD [81% (Nsh) and 68% (sh); p = 0.37, or culprit lesions identified in each group [50% (Nsh) and 45% (Sh); p = 0.78. Nonshockable patients had worse discharge survival [33% (Nsh) vs 57% (Sh); p = 0.04] and those survived, had worse neurological recovery [30% (Nsh) vs 54% (Sh); p = 0.02] compared to shockable patients. CONCLUSIONS: OHCA survivors presenting with nonshockable rhythms and no STE post resuscitation had similar prevalence of culprit coronary lesions to those with shockable rhythms. CAG may be considered in patients with OHCA without STE regardless of initial presenting rhythm. There was no benefit of emergent CAG both in shockable and non-shockable rhythms.

Airway management and mechanical ventilation in acute brain injury.

Patients with acute neurologic disease often develop respiratory failure, the management of which profoundly affects brain physiology and long-term functional outcomes. This chapter reviews airway management and mechanical ventilation of patients with acute brain injury, offering practical strategies to optimize treatment of respiratory failure and minimize secondary brain injury. Specific concerns that are addressed include physiologic changes during intubation and ventilation such as the effects on intracranial pressure and brain perfusion; cervical spine management during endotracheal intubation; the role of tracheostomy; and how ventilation and oxygenation are utilized to minimize ischemia-reperfusion injury and cerebral metabolic distress.