Resuscitation
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Cerebral Performance Category (CPC), Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and discharge disposition are commonly used to determine outcomes following cardiac arrest. This study tested the association between these outcome measures. ⋯ Determination of the CPC, mRS and discharge disposition at hospital discharge is reliable from chart review. These instruments provide widely differing estimates of "good outcome". Agreement between these measures ranges from poor to fair. A more nuanced outcome measure designed for the post-cardiac arrest population is needed.
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Shivering during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) after cardiac arrest (CA) is common, but the optimal means of detection and appropriate threshold for treatment are not established. In an effort to develop a quantitative, continuous tool to measure shivering, we hypothesized that continuous derived electromyography (dEMG) power detected by the Aspect A2000 or VISTA monitor would correlate with the intermittent Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale (BSAS) performed by nurses. ⋯ dEMG power measured from the forehead with the Aspect A2000 or VISTA monitor during therapeutic hypothermia correlated with the Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale. Given its continuous trending of dEMG power, the A2000 or VISTA may be a useful research and clinical tool for objectively monitoring shivering.
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Many Emergency Departments (EDs) utilise 'triple marker' testing with CK-MB, myoglobin and troponin I (cTnI) to exclude acute myocardial infarction (AMI) within hours of presentation. We evaluated the ability of 8 biomarkers to rapidly exclude AMI at the point of presentation and investigated whether 'triple marker' testing represents the optimal multimarker strategy. ⋯ We have derived an algorithm that would enable AMI to be immediately excluded in 315 (44.7%) patients at the cost of missing 6 AMIs per 1000 patients treated. While the risk is likely to be unacceptable for clinical implementation, we have highlighted an area for future development using serial testing and increasingly sensitive assays.
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To develop an early warning score (EWS) system based on the statistical properties of the vital signs in at-risk hospitalised patients. ⋯ A centile-based EWS system will identify patients with abnormal vital signs regardless of their eventual outcome and might therefore be more likely to generate an alert when presented with patients with redeemable morbidity or avoidable mortality. We are about to start a stepped-wedge clinical trial gradually introducing an electronic version of our EWS system on the trauma wards in a teaching hospital.
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To characterize the survival rate for out-of-hospital arrests of cardiac aetiology and predictor variables associated with survival in Boston, MA, and to develop a composite multivariate logistic regression model for projecting survival rates. ⋯ The unique model describes the major contribution of VF/VT and ROSC, and key relationships among predictors of survival. These connections may have otherwise gone underreported using standard approaches and should be considered when allocating scarce resources to impact cardiac arrest survival.