scholarly journals P043: Outcomes associated with prehospital refractory ventricular fibrillation

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S92
Author(s):  
M. Davis ◽  
A. Schappert ◽  
B. Chau ◽  
A. Leung ◽  
K. Van Aarsen

Introduction: When ventricular fibrillation (VF) cannot be terminated with conventional external defibrillation, it is classified as refractory VF (RVF). There is a paucity of information regarding prehospital or patient factors that may be associated with RVF. The objectives of this study were to determine factors that may be associated with RVF, the initial ED rhythm for patients with prehospital RVF, and the incidence of survival in patients who had RVF and were transported to hospital. Methods: Ambulance Call Records (ACRs) of patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest between Mar. 1 2012 and Apr. 1 2016 were reviewed. Cases of RVF (≥5 consecutive shocks delivered) were determined by manual review of the ACR. ED and hospital records were analyzed to determine outcomes of patients who were in RVF and transported to hospital. Descriptive statistics were calculated and all variables were tested for an association with initial ED rhythm, survival to admission, and survival to discharge. Results: Eighty-five cases of RVF were identified. A history of coronary artery disease (47.10%) and hypertension (50.60%) were the most common comorbidities in patients transported to the ED with RVF. Upon arrival to the ED, 24 (28.2%) remained in RVF, 38 (44.7%) had a non-shockable rhythm, and 23 (27.1%) had return of spontaneous circulation. Thirty-four (40%) survived to admission, while only 18 (21.2%) survived to discharge. Pre-existing comorbidities, time to first shock, time on scene, and transport time were not statistically associated with initial ED rhythm, survival to admission or discharge. Patient age was statistically associated with improved rhythm on ED arrival (p=0.013) and survival to discharge (58.24 yrs vs 67.40 yrs, Δ9.17, 95% CI 1.82 to 16.52, p=0.015). Conclusion: The majority of patients with prehospital RVF have a rhythm deterioration by the time care is transferred to the ED. Of these patients with a rhythm deterioration, few survive to hospital discharge. Younger patients are more likely to remain in RVF and survive to discharge. Further research is required to determine prehospital treatment strategies for RVF, as well as patient populations that may benefit from those treatments.

2021 ◽  

Background: This study aimed to evaluate whether out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with initial shockable rhythm without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) who are directly transported to Heart Centers in appropriate time will have better post-cardiac arrest four months survival and neurological outcomes at discharge. Methods: This retrospective study assessed the data of 1,588 OHCA patients with shockable rhythm and without prehospital ROSC collected from the registry database of Taoyuan City between January 2014 and June 2018. The relationships of transport time to Heart Centers with survival at discharge and with neurological outcomes were investigated for survival analysis. Results: Among the 1,588 OHCA patients with initial shockable rhythm and without prehospital ROSC, 1,222 (77.0%) and 366 (23.0%) were transported to Heart Centers and non-Heart Centers, respectively. However, the transport to Heart Centers was associated with an increased survival at discharge (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42–2.81) and good neurological outcomes (cerebral performance category [CPC] 1 and 2) (aOR 3.14, 95% CI, 1.88–5.23), regardless of the transport time. The overall mortality reduction for Heart Centers was 39% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.61; 95% CI 0.47–0.78), compared to that for non-Heart Centers. At 120 days of follow-up, the results showed a higher survival rate for patients who were transported to Heart Centers within a short time. The percentages of good CPC showed a better distribution for non-Heart Centers versus those for Heart Centers. Conclusions: Adult OHCA patients with initial shockable rhythm and without prehospital ROSC who were transported to Heart Centers directly had better post-cardiac arrest survival and good neurologic outcomes, regardless of the transport time.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Rosell-Ortiz ◽  
Francisco J Mellado-Vergel ◽  
Patricia Fernández-Valle ◽  
Auxiliadora Caballero-García ◽  
Ismael González-Lobato ◽  
...  

The initial shockable rhythm in cardiac arrest is a well known factor of good prognosis. Little is known about the influence of the onset of ventricular fibrillation during resuscitation at cardiac arrest whose initial rhythm was non-shockable. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a continuous registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) Inclusion criteria, all consecutive patients suffering OHCA attended by emergency teams in Andalusia, Spain. Period January 2008 - December 2012. Results: 5067 patients were included. According to the initial cardiac arrest rhythm 1038 (20.5%) cases presented initial shockable rhythm (SR) and 4029 (79.5%) with non-shockable initial rhythm (NSR). Of these patients 150 (3%) reported one or more episodes of ventricular fibrillation during resuscitation (NSRVF). The main clinical characteristics of these three groups are shown in Table 1. Variables associated with good neurological status at hospital discharge are shown in Table 2. Conclusions: NSRVF patients present higher survival with good neurological status than NSR patients. These patients may represent a third prognostic group in cardiac arrest with a survival rate between shockable and non-shockable initial rhythms. Table 1. Clinical data of patients regarding rhythm of cardiac arrest Table 2. Variables associated with good neurological status at discharge (CPC 1-2 ) SD: Standard deviation. IQR: Interquartile range. OR: Odds Ratio. CI: Confidence Interval. ET: Emergency Team. VF: Ventricular Fibrillation. CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. CPC: Cerebral Perfomance Category. ROSC: Return of spontaneous circulation


CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 809-811
Author(s):  
Adam Bignucolo ◽  
Adam Parent ◽  
Mark Dube ◽  
John Kusnierczyk ◽  
Dominique Ansell ◽  
...  

SUMMARYRefractory ventricular fibrillation encountered during cardiac arrest has a mortality rate of 97%.1 As per the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) guidelines, the management algorithm of ventricular fibrillation consists of chest compressions, epinephrine, defibrillation, and anti-arrhythmics.2 There have been reports describing the use of the fast-acting selective β-blocker, esmolol, and dual-sequential defibrillation in the management of ventricular fibrillation that is refractory to standard ACLS. We present a case of a 24-year-old male who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with refractory ventricular fibrillation despite high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and ACLS management. Along with standard ACLS, triple-sequential defibrillation was used to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after 82 minutes of downtime. An electrocardiogram (ECG) after ROSC showed an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI), and the patient underwent angiography showing a 100% occlusion of his left anterior descending artery. Following management of his coronary artery disease, he was discharged from the hospital 16 days later and was neurologically intact.


BMJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. e066534
Author(s):  
Erin Evans ◽  
Morgan B Swanson ◽  
Nicholas Mohr ◽  
Nassar Boulos ◽  
Mary Vaughan-Sarrazin ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To determine the use of epinephrine (adrenaline) before defibrillation for treatment of in-hospital cardiac arrest due to a ventricular arrhythmia and examine its association with patient survival. Design Propensity matched analysis. Setting 2000-18 data from 497 hospitals participating in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation registry. Participants Adults aged 18 and older with an index in-hospital cardiac arrest due to an initial shockable rhythm treated with defibrillation. Interventions Administration of epinephrine before first defibrillation. Main outcome measures Survival to discharge; favorable neurological survival, defined as survival to discharge with none, mild, or moderate neurological disability measured using cerebral performance category scores; and survival after acute resuscitation (that is, return of spontaneous circulation for >20 minutes). A time dependent, propensity matched analysis was performed to adjust for confounding due to indication and evaluate the independent association of epinephrine before defibrillation with study outcomes. Results Among 34 820 patients with an initial shockable rhythm, 9630 (27.6%) were treated with epinephrine before defibrillation, contrary to current guidelines. In comparison with participants treated with defibrillation first, participants receiving epinephrine first were less likely to have a history of myocardial infarction or heart failure, but more likely to have renal failure, sepsis, pneumonia, and receive mechanical ventilation before in-hospital cardiac arrest (P<0.0001 for all). Treatment with epinephrine before defibrillation was strongly associated with delayed defibrillation (median 3 minutes v 0 minutes). In propensity matched analysis (9011 matched pairs), epinephrine before defibrillation was associated with lower odds of survival to discharge (25.2% v 29.9%; adjusted odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.74 to 0.88; P<0.001), favorable neurological survival (18.6% v 21.4%; 0.85, 0.76 to 0.92; P<0.001), and survival after acute resuscitation (64.4% v 69.4%; 0.76, 0.70 to 0.83; P<0.001). The above findings were consistent in a range of sensitivity analyses, including matching according to defibrillation time. Conclusions Contrary to current guidelines that prioritize immediate defibrillation for in-hospital cardiac arrest due to a shockable rhythm, more than one in four patients are treated with epinephrine before defibrillation, which is associated with worse survival.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Marengo ◽  
Wolfgang Ummenhofer ◽  
Gerster Pascal ◽  
Falko Harm ◽  
Marc Lüthy ◽  
...  

Introduction: Agonal respiration has been shown to be commonly associated with witnessed events, ventricular fibrillation, and increased survival during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. There is little information on incidence of gasping for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). Our “Rapid Response Team” (RRT) missions were monitored between December 2010 and March 2015, and the prevalence of gasping and survival data for IHCA were investigated. Methods: A standardized extended in-hospital Utstein data set of all RRT-interventions occurring at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, from December 13, 2010 until March 31, 2015 was consecutively collected and recorded in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., USA). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 (IBM Corp., USA), and are presented as descriptive statistics. Results: The RRT was activated for 636 patients, with 459 having a life-threatening status (72%; 33 missing). 270 patients (59%) suffered IHCA. Ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia occurred in 42 patients (16% of CA) and were associated with improved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (36 (97%) vs. 143 (67%; p<0.001)), hospital discharge (25 (68%) vs. 48 (23%; p<0.001)), and discharge with good neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Categories of 1 or 2 (CPC) (21 (55%) vs. 41 (19%; p<0.001)). Gasping was seen in 128 patients (57% of CA; 46 missing) and was associated with an overall improved ROSC (99 (78%) vs. 55 (59%; p=0.003)). In CAs occurring on the ward (154, 57% of all CAs), gasping was associated with a higher proportion of shockable rhythms (11 (16%) vs. 2 (3%; p=0.019)), improved ROSC (62 (90%) vs. 34 (55%; p<0.001)), and hospital discharge (21 (32%) vs. 7 (11%; p=0.006)). Gasping was not associated with neurological outcome. Conclusions: Gasping was frequently observed accompanying IHCA. The faster in-hospital patient access is probably the reason for the higher prevalence compared to the prehospital setting. For CA on the ward without continuous monitoring, gasping correlates with increased shockable rhythms, ROSC, and hospital discharge.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David D Salcido ◽  
Allison C Koller ◽  
Cesar D Torres ◽  
Aaron M Orkin ◽  
Rob H Schmicker ◽  
...  

Introduction: The frequency of lethal overdose due to prescription and non-prescription drugs is increasing in North America. The contribution of drug overdose (OD) to regional variation in the incidence and outcome out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unclear. Objective: To estimate overall and regional variation in incidence and outcomes of emergency medical services (EMS)-treated OD-OHCA cases across North America. Methods: The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) is a clinical research network with 10 regional clinical centers in United States (US) and Canada that uses uniform methods for surveillance of all EMS-treated OHCA in participating regions. Cases of OHCA from 2006 to 2010 were reviewed for evidence of association with or without OD. Incidence of OD-OHCA was calculated as the number of OD-OHCA in a region per 100,000 cumulative person-years, using 2000 US Census and 2006 Statistics Canada population counts. Patient and EMS characteristics as well as outcome were described. Multiple logistic regression was used to describe the association between OD status on return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge, while adjusting for case characteristics and consortium center. Results: Included were 56,272 cases of OHCA. Regional incidence of OD-OHCA varied between 0.5 and 2.7 per 100,000 person years (p<0.001), and proportion of OD-OHCA among all EMS-treated OHCA ranged from 0.9% to 3.8%. Table 1 shows outcomes and characteristics stratified by OD status; OD-OHCA were younger, less likely to be witnessed, and less likely to present with a shockable rhythm. Compared to non-OD, OD-OHCA was associated with ROSC (OR: 1.55; 95%CI: 1.35-1.78) and survival (OR: 2.14; 95%CI: 1.72-2.65). Conclusions: OD-OHCA are a small proportion of all OHCA, although incidence varied up to 5-fold across regions. OD-OHCA were more likely to survive than non-OD-OHCA.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars W Andersen ◽  
Katherine Berg ◽  
Brian Z Saindon ◽  
Joseph M Massaro ◽  
Tia T Raymond ◽  
...  

Background: Delay in administration of the first epinephrine dose has been shown to be associated with a lower chance of good outcome in adult, in-hospital, non-shockable cardiac arrest. Whether this association is true in pediatric in-hospital non-shockable cardiac arrest remains unknown. Methods: We utilized the Get With the Guidelines - Resuscitation national registry to identify pediatric patients (age < 18 years) with an in-hospital cardiac arrest between 2000 and 2010. We included patients with an initial non-shockable rhythm who received at least one dose of epinephrine. To assess the association between time to epinephrine administration and survival to discharge we used multivariate logistic regression models with adjustment for multiple predetermined variables including age, gender, illness category, pre-existing mechanical ventilation, monitored, witnessed, location, time of the day/week, year of arrest, insertion of an airway, initial rhythm, time to initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hospital type and hospital teaching status. Secondary outcomes included return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and neurological outcome. Results: 1,131 patients were included. Median age was 9 months (quartiles: 21 days - 6 years) and 46% were female. Overall survival to hospital discharge was 29%. Longer time to epinephrine was negatively associated with survival to discharge in multivariate analysis (OR: 0.94 [95%CI: 0.90 - 0.98], per minute delay). Longer time to epinephrine was negatively associated with ROSC (OR: 0.93 [95%CI: 0.90 - 0.97], per minute delay) but was not statistically significantly associated with survival with good neurological outcome (OR: 0.95 [95%CI: 0.89 - 1.03], per minute delay). Conclusions: Delay in administration of epinephrine during pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest with a non-shockable rhythm is associated with a lower chance of ROSC and lower survival to hospital discharge.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nichole E Bosson ◽  
Amy H Kaji ◽  
James T Niemann ◽  
Shira Schlesinger ◽  
David Shavelle ◽  
...  

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly used to support patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia (rVF/VT) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Los Angeles County (LAC) operates a regional system of care for 10.2 million persons, routing patients with OHCA to the closest cardiac receiving center. The purpose of this study was to determine 1) the number of patients eligible and 2) the potential for increased neurologically intact survival routing patients with rVF/VT OHCA to ECMO-capable cardiac centers. Methods: This was a retrospective study utilizing LAC quality improvement databases. Patients 18-75 years treated by EMS from 2011-2017 for rVF/VT OHCA, defined as persistent VF/VT after 3 defibrillations, were included in the analysis. Actual survival with good neurologic outcome, defined as cerebral performance category (CPC) 1 or 2, was abstracted from the LAC OHCA Registry. Theoretical patient outcome with routing directly to an ECMO-capable center was determined by applying outcomes as described by the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium (MRC) for rVF/VT transported for ECMO. Assumptions included the availability of ECMO within a 30-minute transport time, and similar proportions of patients meeting criteria for transport/cannulation and surviving with CPC 1-2 as the MRC cohort, 78% and 40% respectively. For the remaining patients, we assumed no change in outcome. We compared the actual to the theoretical outcome with regional ECMO to determine the annual increase in survival with good neurologic outcome. Results: During the 7-year study period, there were 1862 patients with rVT/VT OHCA with outcomes available for 1454 (78%) patients. Median age was 59 years (IQR 51-66); 76% were male. Actual survival with CPC 1-2 was 13% (187 patients). Theoretical survival with CPC 1-2 in a regional ECMO-capable system was 34% (495 patients); OR 3.5 (95%CI 2.9-4.2), p<0.0001 with ECMO routing versus without. Conclusion: Assuming ECMO availability within a 30-minute transport time throughout the regional system, routing patients with rVF/VT to ECMO-capable centers could improve survival with CPC 1-2 nearly three-fold and result in 44 additional patients/year with meaningful survival.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byuk Sung Ko ◽  
Youn-Jung Kim ◽  
Kap Su Han ◽  
You Hwan Jo ◽  
Jonghwan Shin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Early defibrillation is vital to improve outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with shockable rhythm. Currently, there is no agreed consensus on the number of defibrillation attempts before transfer to a hospital. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the number of defibrillations on the prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).Methods: A multicenter, prospective, observational registry-based study was conducted for OHCA in patients with presumed cardiac etiology that underwent prehospital defibrillation between October 2015 and June 2017. The primary outcome was prehospital ROSC, and the secondary outcome was a good neurologic outcome at hospital discharge, defined as Cerebral Performance Category score 1 or 2. Results: Among 2,155 OHCA patients’ data, 178 patients with missing data were excluded, a total of 1,983 OHCA patients who received prehospital defibrillation were included. The median age was 61 years and prehospital ROSC was observed in 738 patients (37.2%). The median time from arrest to first defibrillation was 10 (interquartile range: 7-15) minutes. The cumulative ROSC rates and good neurologic outcome from the initial defibrillation to the sixth defibrillation were 43%, 68%, 81%, 90%, 95%, 98% and 42%, 66%, 81%, 90%, 95%, 98%, respectively. After clinical characteristics adjustment and time to defibrillation, the number of defibrillations were independently associated with ROSC (odds ratio 0.81 95% CI 0.76-0.86) and good neurologic outcome (odds ratio 0.86 95% CI 0.80-0.91). Moreover, subgroup analysis results with patients that underwent the initial defibrillation within 10 minutes from arrest were consistent (95% up to five times).Conclusion: More than 95% of prehospital ROSC was achieved within five times of defibrillation in OHCA patients. This result provides a basis for the ideal number of defibrillation attempts before transfer to hospital with the possibility of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in these refractory ventricular fibrillation patients.


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