Mild Hypercapnia or Normocapnia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend normocapnia for adults with coma who are resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, mild hypercapnia increases cerebral blood flow and may improve neurologic outcomes. METHODS: We randomly assigned adults with coma who had been resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac or unknown cause and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a 1:1 ratio to either 24 hours of mild hypercapnia (target partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide [Paco2], 50 to 55 mm Hg) or normocapnia (target Paco2, 35 to 45 mm Hg). The primary outcome was a favorable neurologic outcome, defined as a score of 5 (indicating lower moderate disability) or higher, as assessed with the use of the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (range, 1 [death] to 8, with higher scores indicating better neurologic outcome) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included death within 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 1700 patients from 63 ICUs in 17 countries were recruited, with 847 patients assigned to targeted mild hypercapnia and 853 to targeted normocapnia. A favorable neurologic outcome at 6 months occurred in 332 of 764 patients (43.5%) in the mild hypercapnia group and in 350 of 784 (44.6%) in the normocapnia group (relative risk, 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87 to 1.11; P = 0.76). Death within 6 months after randomization occurred in 393 of 816 patients (48.2%) in the mild hypercapnia group and in 382 of 832 (45.9%) in the normocapnia group (relative risk, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.16). The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with coma who were resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, targeted mild hypercapnia did not lead to better neurologic outcomes at 6 months than targeted normocapnia. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and others; TAME ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03114033.).

Cholinergic syndrome: a case report of acute organophosphate and carbamate poisoning.

Cholinergic syndrome is a common topic at western medical universities yet rarely observed in clinical practice. The treatment involves muscarinic antagonists, acetylcholinesterase reactivation, seizure control, and supportive measures. Here we report a case of a 52-year old Caucasian male who attempted suicide by ingesting a purple crystal powder that turned out to be a mixture of carbofuran and chlormephos. At clinical examination, the patient presented with salivation, perspiration, diarrhoea, bradypnoea, loss of consciousness, and epileptic seizures. Laboratory tests showed low plasma cholinesterase, and we started obidoxime along with supportive intensive care treatment. He was later transferred to the psychiatry department for further diagnostics and treatment.

Independent Predictors of 6-Month Mortality in Patients Successfully Resuscitated for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Observational Retrospective Single Center Study.

BACKGROUND: Mortality of admitted out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients is decreasing. Our aim was to evaluate independent predictors of six-month mortality of successfully resuscitated OHCA patients. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the records of 119 OHCA patients, admitted in 2011 to 2013 (73.1% men, mean age 64 ± 13,5 years) and registered their clinical data, treatments, and predictors of 6-month mortality. RESULTS: Six-month mortality of admitted OHCA patients was 47.5% and was associated significantly with older age (67.7 ± 12.9 years versus 59.9 ± 13 years, p < 0.05), mechanical ventilation, longer time of resuscitation (24.6 ± 18.9 sec versus 8.9 ± 8.4 sec, p < 0.05), use of vasopressors (87.3% versus 62.5%, p < 0.05), and increased serum lactate (8.1 ± 3.9 mmol/l versus 4.5 ± 3.6 mmol/l, p < 0.05) but less likely with prior shockable rhythm (38% versus 73.2%, p < 0.05), percutaneous coronary intervention (27% versus 55.4%, p < 0.05), achieved target temperatures 32°-34°C of mild therapeutic hypothermia (47.6% versus 71.4%, p < 0.05), acute coronary syndromes (31.7% versus 51.8%, p < 0.05), and neurological recovery (4.8% versus 69.6%, p < 0.05) when compared to survivors. Neurological outcome was most significant early independent predictor of 6-month mortality (OR 50.47; 95% CI 6.74 to 377.68; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Postcardiac arrest brain injury most significantly and independently predicted 6-month mortality in hospitalized OHCA patients.

Women and men with unstable angina and/or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: In unstable angina and/or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (UA/NSTEMI), sex-related differences in outcomes are less well known than in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), where women experience worse outcomes than men. Our aim was a prospective comparison between men and women with UA/NSTEMI of baseline characteristics, in-hospital complications, mortality, reinfarctions and combined endpoint of mortality and/or reinfarction during hospital stay, at 30 days and at six months. METHODS: Initial medical treatment was given to 92 men and 47 women with UA/NSTEMI. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) were performed within the first 48 hours in cases of recurrent chest pain and/or rhythmic and/or hemodynamic instability. RESULTS: Women were significantly older (66.6 +/- 9.6 vs. 59.7 +/- 10.6, P = 0.0001), less physically active (76.6% vs. 91.3%, P = 0.035), with significantly more frequent arterial hypertension (78.7% vs. 51%, P = 0.0039) and insulin-treated diabetes (17% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.0341), but with less likely prior MI (21.3% vs. 48.9%, P = 0.003), smoking (10.6% vs. 32.6%, P = 0.009) and dyslipidemia with HDL-cholesterol < 1.0 mmol/L (25.5% vs. 46.4%, P = 0.015) than men. Though medical and invasive treatments were similar in both sexes, women were at significantly increased risk of in-hospital pulmonary edema (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.51 to 11.45) but not at increased risk of adverse in-hospital, 30-day and six-month outcomes in comparison with men. CONCLUSIONS: Women with UA/NSTEMI, being significantly older and with more comorbidity, were at significantly increased risk of in-hospital heart failure but not at increased risk of in-hospital, 30-day and six-month adverse outcomes when compared with men, despite their similar treatments.