Hypothermic cardiac arrest patients admitted to hospital who were not rewarmed with extracorporeal life support: A retrospective study.

Aims: Our goal was to study hypothermic cardiac arrest (CA) patients who were not rewarmed by Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) but were admitted to a hospital equipped for it. The focus was on whether the decisions of non-rewarming, meaning termination of resuscitation, were compliant with international guidelines based on serum potassium at hospital admission. Methods: We retrospectively included all hypothermic CA who were not rewarmed, from three Swiss centers between 1st January 2000 and 2nd May 2021. Data were extracted from medical charts and assembled into two groups for analysis according to serum potassium. We identified the criteria used to terminate resuscitation. We also retrospectively calculated the HOPE score, a multivariable tool predicting the survival probability in hypothermic CA undergoing ECLS rewarming. Results: Thirty-eight victims were included in the study. The decision of non-rewarming was compliant with international guidelines for 12 (33%) patients. Among the 36 patients for whom the serum potassium was measured at hospital admission, 24 (67%) had a value that - alone - would have indicated ECLS. For 13 of these 24 (54%) patients, the HOPE score was <10%, meaning that ECLS was not indicated. The HOPE estimation of the survival probabilities, when used with a 10% threshold, supported 23 (68%) of the non-rewarming decisions made by the clinicians. Conclusions: This study showed a low adherence to international guidelines for hypothermic CA patients. In contrast, most of these non-rewarming decisions made by clinicians would have been compliant with current guidelines based on the HOPE score.

Avalanche victims in cardiac arrest are unlikely to survive despite adherence to medical guidelines.

AIMS: Our goals were to describe and analyse the medical management and clinical course of avalanche victims in cardiac arrest (CA), focusing on adherence to international recommendations on avalanche victims in CA regarding critical decisions. METHODS: We retrospectively included all avalanche victims with CA from 1st January 2004 to 1st June 2016 in a single physician-staffed alpine helicopter emergency medical service. Data regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), transportation to hospital whilst undergoing CPR, and extracorporeal life support rewarming (ECLSR) for patients still in CA at hospital admission were abstracted from the prehospital and medical health records. RESULTS: Sixty-six victims were included in this study; 31 (47%) were declared dead on scene. Of the remaining 35 victims, 7 (20%) had prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 28 (80%) were transported whilst undergoing CPR, 3 had hospital ROSC and 7 (28%) of the 25 patients with persistent CA at hospital underwent ECLSR. The medical management comprised 126 documented critical decisions, corresponding to guidelines in 117 (93%) decisions. None of the 66 studied patients survived to hospital discharge, and 7 (11%) were organ donors. CONCLUSIONS: The management of avalanche victims in CA respect current guidelines regarding the critical decisions, but no patient survived in this sample. The presence of a few cases with incorrect management and potential undertreatment suggests some room for improvement.

[Benefit of ultrasound in the early management of patients in shock]. / Apport de l'echographie dans la prise en charge initiate des patients en etat de choc.

Shock is a hemodynamic situation that aggravates the vital prognostic of every patient regardless of the underlying pathology. It has been well documented that the speed at which hemodynamics is restored to standard values significantly decreases the mortality and morbidity in these patients. Initially described in traumatology, then in every type of shock, the contribution of ultrasonography performed at the bedside by the physician in charge allows for a significant shortening of the diagnostic procedure and thus an earlier start for a goal-directed treatment.