Coronariografía urgente en los pacientes con parada cardiaca extrahospitalaria sin elevación del segmento ST. Ensayo clínico COUPE / Coronary angiography in patients without ST-segment elevation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. COUPE clinical trial

Introducción y objetivos El papel de la coronariografía urgente y angioplastia, si procede, en los pacientes con parada cardiaca extrahospitalaria (PCEH) recuperada que no presentan elevación del segmento ST es controvertido. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar si la coronariografía urgente y la angioplastia mejoran la supervivencia con buen pronóstico neurológico en esta población. Métodos En este ensayo clínico multicéntrico, aleatorizado, abierto, incluimos 69 pacientes supervivientes a una PCEH sin elevación del ST y se aleatorizaron a recibir una coronariografía urgente (CU) o diferida (CD). El objetivo primario de eficacia fue el combinado de supervivencia hospitalaria libre de dependencia. El objetivo de seguridad fue un compuesto de eventos cardiacos mayores, incluyendo muerte, reinfarto, sangrado y arritmias ventriculares. Resultados Se incluyó a 66 pacientes en el análisis primario (95,7%). La supervivencia hospitalaria fue 62,5% en el grupo CU y 58,8% en el grupo CD (HR = 0,96; IC95%, 0,45-2,09; p=0,93). La supervivencia hospitalaria con buen pronóstico neurológico fue 59,4% en el grupo CU y 52,9% en el grupo CD (HR = 1,29; IC95%, 0,60-2,73; p=0,4986). No se encontraron diferencias en los objetivos secundarios, salvo por la incidencia de fracaso renal agudo, que fue más frecuente en el grupo CU (15,6 frente a 0%, p=0,002) y de infecciones, más prevalentes en el grupo CD (46,9 frente a 73,5%, p=0,003). Conclusiones En este estudio aleatorizado de pacientes con una PCEH sin elevación del ST, una CU no fue beneficiosa en términos de supervivencia con buen pronóstico neurológico comparada con una CD (AU)

Introduction and objectives The role of emergency coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in patients without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether emergency CAG and PCI would improve survival with good neurological outcome in this population. Methods In this multicenter, randomized, open-label, investigator-initiated clinical trial, we randomly assigned 69 survivors of OHCA without STEMI to undergo immediate CAG or deferred CAG. The primary efficacy endpoint was a composite of in-hospital survival free of severe dependence. The safety endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiac events including death, reinfarction, bleeding, and ventricular arrhythmias. Results A total of 66 patients were included in the primary analysis (95.7%). In-hospital survival was 62.5% in the immediate CAG group and 58.8% in the delayed CAG group (HR, 0.96; 95%CI, 0.45-2.09; P=.93). In-hospital survival free of severe dependence was 59.4% in the immediate CAG group and 52.9% in the delayed CAG group (HR, 1.29; 95%CI, 0.60-2.73; P=.4986). No differences were found in the secondary endpoints except for the incidence of acute kidney failure, which was more frequent in the immediate CAG group (15.6% vs 0%, P=.002) and infections, which were higher in the delayed CAG group (46.9% vs 73.5%, P=.003). Conclusions In this underpowered randomized trial involving patients resuscitated after OHCA without STEMI, immediate CAG provided no benefit in terms of survival without neurological impairment compared with delayed CAG (AU)

Effect of topography and weather on delivery of automatic electrical defibrillator by drone for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Delivery of automatic electrical defibrillator (AED) by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was suggested for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The goal of this study is to assess the effect of topographic and weather conditions on call to AED attach time by UAV-AED. We included OHCA patients from 2013 to 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. We developed a UAV-AED flight simulator using topographic information of Seoul for Euclidean and topographic flight pathway including vertical flight to overcome high-rise structures. We used 4 kinds of UAV flight scenarios according to weather conditions or visibility. Primary outcome was emergency medical service (EMS) call to AED attach time. Secondary outcome was pre-arrival rate of UAV-AED before current EMS based AED delivery. Call to AED attach time in topographic pathway was 7.0 min in flight and control advanced UAV and 8.0 min in basic UAV model. Pre-arrival rate in Euclidean pathway was 38.0% and 16.3% for flight and control advanced UAV and basic UAV. Pre-arrival rate in the topographic pathway was 27.0% and 11.7%, respectively. UAV-AED topographic flight took longer call to AED attach time than Euclidean pathway. Pre-arrival rate of flight and control advanced UAV was decreased in topographic flight pathway compared to Euclidean pathway.

Effectiveness of fondaparinux vs unfractionated heparin following percutaneous coronary intervention in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction.

AIM: There is no specific evidence on the antithrombotic management of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We sought to compare the short-term outcome of unfractioned heparin (UFH) vs fondaparinux in OHCA survivors due to AMI admitted in our Institution in the last decade. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study on survivors of OHCA due to AMI managed with UFH or fondaparinux during the hospitalization. The primary outcome was the occurrence of any bleeding, all-cause mortality, cerebrovascular accidents, re-MI, and unplanned revascularization at 1 month. A propensity-score matching was performed to compare the outcome between UFH and fondaparinux. RESULTS: Out of 2083 AMI patients undergoing successful PCI, OHCA was present in 94 (4.5%): 41 (43.6%) treated with UFH and 53 (56.4%) with fondaparinux. At clinical follow-up, the incidence of the primary outcome was 65.9% in UFH and 35.8% in fondaparinux group (p = 0.007). More than half of the events included in the primary outcome were related to bleeding complications. In the matched cohort of 56 patients, the primary outcome occurred in 46.4% and 25.0% (p = 0.16), while bleeding was present in 32.1% and 7.1% (p = 0.04), in the UFH and fondaparinux group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis suggests that fondaparinux is safer than UFH in the management of OHCA due to AMI by reducing early bleeding complications at one month.

Early Impella Support in Postcardiac Arrest Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction Improves Short- and Long-Term Survival.

OBJECTIVES: Early mechanical circulatory support with Impella may improve survival outcomes in the setting of postcardiac arrest cardiogenic shock after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest complicating acute myocardial infarction. However, the optimal timing to initiate mechanical circulatory support in this particular setting remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to compare survival outcomes of patients supported with Impella 2.5 before percutaneous coronary intervention (pre-PCI) with those supported after percutaneous coronary intervention (post-PCI). DESIGN: Retrospective single-center study between September 2014 and December 2019 admitted to the Cardiac Arrest Center in Marburg, Germany. PATIENTS: Out of 2,105 patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction with postcardiac arrest cardiogenic shock between September 2014 and December 2019 and admitted to our regional cardiac arrest center, 81 consecutive patients receiving Impella 2.5 during admission coronary angiogram were identified. OUTCOMES/MEASUREMENTS: Survival outcomes were compared between those with Impella support pre-PCI to those with support post-PCI. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 81 consecutive patients with infarct-related postcardiac arrest shock supported with Impella 2.5 during admission coronary angiogram were included. All patients were in profound cardiogenic shock requiring catecholamines at admission. Overall survival to discharge and at 6 months was 40.7% and 38.3%, respectively. Patients in the pre-PCI group had a higher survival to discharge and at 6 months as compared to patients of the post-PCI group (54.3% vs 30.4%; p = 0.04 and 51.4% vs 28.2%; p = 0.04, respectively). Furthermore, the patients in the early support group demonstrated a greater functional recovery of the left ventricle and a better restoration of the end-organ function when Impella support was initiated prior to percutaneous coronary intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the early initiation of mechanical circulatory support with Impella 2.5 prior to percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with improved hospital and 6-month survival in patients with postcardiac arrest cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction.

Cardiac surgery in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection: Early experience.

The novel coronavirus, now termed SARS-CoV-2, has caused a significant global impact in the space of 4 months. Almost all elective cardiac surgical operations have been postponed in order to reduce transmission and to allocate resources adequately. Urgent and emergency cardiac surgery is still taking place during the pandemic. The decision to operate in urgent patients with active/recent COVID-19 infection is difficult to make, particularly as it is still an unknown disease entity in the setting of emergent cardiac surgery. We present a case series of three patients who underwent urgent cardiac surgery and who have had recent or active COVID-19 infection.

Six sigma approach to reduce door-to-balloon time for patients with STEMI.

Specific measures using a Six Sigma approach led to sustained reduction of door-to-balloon times among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a community setting.

Eventos trombóticos y hemorrágicos después de una intervención coronaria percutánea tras parada cardiaca extrahospitalaria con y sin hipotermia terapéutica / Thrombotic and bleeding events after percutaneous coronary intervention in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with and without therapeutic hypothermia

No disponible

Direct or subacute coronary angiography in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (DISCO)-An initial pilot-study of a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of immediate coronary angiography, with potentially subsequent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients without ST-elevation on the ECG is unclear. In this study, we assessed feasibility and safety aspects of performing immediate coronary angiography in a pre-specified pilot phase of the 'DIrect or Subacute Coronary angiography in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest' (DISCO) randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02309151). METHODS: Resuscitated bystander witnessed OHCA patients >18 years without ST-elevation on the ECG were randomized to immediate coronary angiography versus standard of care. Event times, procedure related adverse events and safety variables within 7 days were recorded. RESULTS: In total, 79 patients were randomized to immediate angiography (n = 39) or standard of care (n = 40). No major differences in baseline characteristics between the groups were found. There were no differences in the proportion of bleedings and renal failure. Three patients randomized to immediate angiography and six patients randomized to standard care died within 24 h. The median time from EMS arrival to coronary angiography was 135 min in the immediate angiography group. In patients randomized to immediate angiography a culprit lesion was found in 14/38 (36.8%) and PCI was performed in all these patients. In 6/40 (15%) patients randomized to standard of care, coronary angiography was performed before the stipulated 3 days. CONCLUSION: In this out-of-hospital cardiac arrest population without ST-elevation, randomization to a strategy to perform immediate coronary angiography was feasible although the time window of 120 min from EMS arrival at the scene of the arrest to start of coronary angiography was not achieved. No significant safety issues were reported.

Impact of treatment delay on mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients presenting with and without haemodynamic instability: results from the German prospective, multicentre FITT-STEMI trial.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of contact-to-balloon time on mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with and without haemodynamic instability. Methods and results: Using data from the prospective, multicentre Feedback Intervention and Treatment Times in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (FITT-STEMI) trial, we assessed the prognostic relevance of first medical contact-to-balloon time in n = 12 675 STEMI patients who used emergency medical service transportation and were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients were stratified by cardiogenic shock (CS) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). For patients treated within 60 to 180 min from the first medical contact, we found a nearly linear relationship between contact-to-balloon times and mortality in all four STEMI groups. In CS patients with no OHCA, every 10-min treatment delay resulted in 3.31 additional deaths in 100 PCI-treated patients. This treatment delay-related increase in mortality was significantly higher as compared to the two groups of OHCA patients with shock (2.09) and without shock (1.34), as well as to haemodynamically stable patients (0.34, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: In patients with CS, the time elapsing from the first medical contact to primary PCI is a strong predictor of an adverse outcome. This patient group benefitted most from immediate PCI treatment, hence special efforts to shorten contact-to-balloon time should be applied in particular to these high-risk STEMI patients. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT00794001.

Healthcare-based on Cloud Electrocardiogram System: A Medical Center Experience in Middle Taiwan.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) as one of the best methods to measure irregular heartbeats is a dispensable method for doctor to diagnose Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients. Most medical centers in Taiwan implement the reduction of Door to Balloon (D2B) time, which is defined as the time interval starting when an Acute-Myocardial-Infarction patient arrives at the Emergency Department, and ending when a catheter guide wire crosses the culprit lesion as the acute-myocardial-infarction treatment on the patient in the cardiac catheterization room. Generally, when a patient with acute-chest pain is sent into a hospital (always to Emergency Department), the hospital will collect his/her ECG which needs to be evaluated by a cardiologist to ensure that the patient really has Acute Myocardial Infarction. Then the medical workers deliver the patient to the cardiac catheterization room to operate balloon angioplasty. In previous years, the cardiologist must utilize a PC to connect to the Intranet of the hospital and employ a special PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) image browser before he/she can check the patient's ECG. But this will prolong the D2B time since the doctor may stay outdoors and he/she needs some time to find a PC and network. Of course, if the PC has not installed the PACS image browser, the doctor has to download and install it. Consequently, the D2B time should be worsened, thus possibly impacting the patient's life. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce a Cloud-based Electrocardiogram System, with which cardiologists can directly utilize their smart phones to browse the patient's ECG so as to shorten the D2B time. This system has been online in a medical center in middle Taiwan for more than one year. The shortened D2B time is longer than 10 min, i.e., receiving fine results.

Out of hospital thoracotomy for cardiac arrest after penetrating thoracic trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department thoracotomy is an established procedure for cardiac arrest in patients suffering from penetrating thoracic trauma and yields relatively high survival rates (up to 21%) in patients with cardiac tamponade. To minimize the delay between arrest and thoracotomy, some have advocated thoracotomy on the accident scene. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients with return of spontaneous circulation and subsequent survival after out of hospital thoracotomy in the Netherlands. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data collected on all out of hospital thoracotomies performed in the Netherlands after penetrating trauma between April 1st, 2011 and September 30th, 2016 was performed. Data on patient characteristics, trauma mechanism and outcome were collected and analyzed. Primary outcome measure was return of spontaneous circulation after the intervention. Survival to hospital discharge was the secondary outcome variable. RESULTS: Thirty-three prehospital emergency thoracotomies were performed. Ten patients (30%) had gunshot wounds and 23 patients (70%) had stab wounds. Nine patients (27%) had return of spontaneous circulation and were presented to the hospital. Of these, one patient survived until discharge without neurological damage. Five died in the emergency department or operating room and three died in ICU. CONCLUSION: Return of spontaneous circulation after out of hospital thoracotomy for cardiac arrest due to penetrating thoracic injury is achievable, but a substantial number of patients die during the in hospital resuscitation phase. However, neurologic intact survival can be achieved.

Management of pregnancy and obstetric complications in prehospital trauma care: prehospital resuscitative hysterotomy/perimortem caesarean section.

The need for prehospital resuscitative hysterotomy/perimortem caesarean section is rare. The procedures can be daunting and clinically challenging for practitioners. Maternal death can be averted by swift and decisive action. This guideline serves to inform prehospital practitioners about conducting maternal resuscitation following cardiac arrest, provides an evidence-based framework to support decision making and highlights areas for improvement in prehospital care.

Role of coronary angiography for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors according to postreturn of spontaneous circulation on an electrocardiogram.

Survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have high mortality and morbidity. An acute coronary event is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death. For this reason, coronary angiography is an important diagnostic and treatment strategy for patients with postcardiac arrest. This study aimed to identify the correlation between postreturn of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) on an electrocardiogram (ECG) and results of coronary angiography of OHCA survivors.We collected data from our OHCA registry from January 2010 to November 2014. We categorized OHCA survivors into 2 groups according to post-ROSC ECG results. Emergent coronary artery angiography (CAG) (CAG performed within 12 hours after cardiac arrest) was performed in patients who showed ST segment elevation or new onset of left bundle branch block (LBBB) in post-ROSC ECG. For other patients, the decision for performing CAG was made according to agreement between the emergency physician and the cardiologist.During the study period, 472 OHCA victims visited our emergency department and underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Among 198 OHCA survivors, 82 patients underwent coronary artery intervention. Thirty-one (70.4%) patients in the ST segment elevation or LBBB group and 10 (24.4%) patients in the nonspecific ECG group had coronary artery lesions (P < .01). Seven (18.4%) patients in the nonspecific ECG group showed coronary spasm.OHCA survivors without ST segment elevation or new onset LBBB still have significant coronary lesions in CAG. If there is no other obvious arrest cause in patients without significant changes in post ROSC ECG, CAG should be considered to rule out the possibility of coronary artery problems, including coronary spasm.

Characteristics and Survival Determinants in Patients After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in The Era of 24/7 Coronary Intervention Facilities.

BACKGROUND: Survival rates and outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remain low despite investments of time and money. The goal of this analysis was to identify variables related to survival of patients transferred to our coronary care unit (CCU) after an OHCA. METHODS: 102 consecutive OHCA patients, mean age 64.6 (SD 13.3), 70.6% men, between January, 2011 and December, 2013, who were transferred to our tertiary care CCU, were studied. RESULTS: Cardiac-cause OHCA was present in 84 patients (82.4%). Of these 60.7% had an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) - STEMI 35.7%; NSTEMI 23.8%. Coronary angiography was performed in 73 (71.6%) patients - 81% with cardiac- and 31.3% (5/16) with a non-cardiac cause. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed in 50 patients (68.5%), 49 with cardiac-cause, and succeeded in 92%. In-hospital mortality was 38.2%, one-year mortality was 51.5%. In-hospital and one-year mortality were related to age (p=0.002 resp. p=0.001), first ECG rhythm (p=0.001, resp. p=0.005), history of coronary artery disease (RR 2.1; p=0.026 resp. RR 1.71; p=0.029), and history of arrhythmia (supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, bradyarrhythmia) (RR 2.74; p=0.003 resp. RR 2.3; p=0.001). One-year mortality was also related to a history of diabetes mellitus (RR 1.89; p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Cardiac-cause was the most common cause of OHCA. Acute coronary syndrome was present in more than half of the cases. Availability of interventional facilities was a crucial factor in OHCA management. A history of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and arrhythmia were associated with worse survival.

A comparison of the universal TOR Guideline to the absence of prehospital ROSC and duration of resuscitation in predicting futility from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

INTRODUCTION: The Universal Termination of Resuscitation (TOR) Guideline accurately identifies potential out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. However, implementation is inconsistent with some Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agencies using absence of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) as sole criterion for termination. OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of the Universal TOR Guideline with the single criterion of no prehospital ROSC. Second, to determine factors associated with survival for patients transported without a ROSC. Lastly, to compare the impact of time to ROSC as a marker of futility to the Universal TOR Guideline. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Non-traumatic, adult (≥18 years) OHCA patients of presumed cardiac etiology treated by EMS providers. SETTING: ROC-PRIMED and ROC-Epistry post ROC-PRIMED databases between 2007 and 2011. OUTCOMES: Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge and the secondary outcome was functional survival. We used multivariable regression to evaluate factors associated with survival in patients transported without a ROSC. RESULTS: 36,543 treated OHCAs occurred of which 9467 (26%) were transported to hospital without a ROSC. Patients transported without a ROSC who met the Universal TOR Guideline for transport had a survival of 3.0% (95% CI 2.5-3.4%) compared to 0.7% (95% CI 0.4-0.9%) in patients who met the Universal TOR Guideline for termination. The Universal TOR Guideline identified 99% of survivors requiring continued resuscitation and transportation to hospital including early identification of survivors who sustained a ROSC after extended durations of CPR. CONCLUSION: Using absence of ROSC as a sole predictor of futility misses potential survivors. The Universal TOR Guideline remains a strong predictor of survival.