Resuscitation
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Meta Analysis
Drug therapy versus placebo or usual care for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest; a systematic review with meta-analysis.
In Europe, approximately 291,000 cardiac arrests occur annually. Despite critical care therapy, hospital mortality remains high. This systematic review assessed whether, in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, any drug therapy, compared to placebo or usual care, improves outcomes. ⋯ In comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, the majority of trials of drug therapy reported no effect on mortality. Meta-analyses of steroids, coenzyme Q10 and thiamine demonstrated no evidence of an effect on mortality. However, the low certainty of evidence warrants further research.
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Multicenter Study
Outcomes of extracorporeal life support in hypothermic cardiac arrest: Revisiting ELSO guidelines.
Predictive factors for poor outcomes in hypothermic cardiac arrest (HCA) differ from those in normothermic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in HCA patients who may not be considered eligible based on the guidelines set by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). ⋯ Qualification of patients with hypothermic cardiac arrest for ECLS rewarming should not be strictly based on guidelines for normothermic cardiac arrest, as this may result in not initiating potentially life-saving treatment for patients who could have favourable prognoses for survival with good neurological outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Interleukin 6 blockage alters the plasma metabolome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Comatose patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) exhibit a systemic inflammatory response, as indicated by elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, which is associated with increased mortality. Tocilizumab, an IL-6 receptor antagonist that reduced C-reactive protein response and markers of myocardial injury in a phase II OHCA trial. ⋯ Blocking the IL-6 receptor with tocilizumab early after OHCA impacts circulating metabolites, particularly those within the glycine, serine, and threonine pathways, highlighting the connection between acute systemic inflammation and metabolism. Further, early levels of TCA metabolites are independently associated with early inflammatory response and early medium-chain acylcarnitine with later markers of neurological injury.
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Multicenter Study
Lung parenchymal and pleural findings on computed tomography after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are common after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but the imaging characteristics of lung parenchymal and pleural abnormalities in these patients have not been well-characterized. We aimed to describe the incidence of lung parenchymal and pleural findings among patients who had return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and who underwent computed tomography (CT) of the chest after OHCA. ⋯ Over three-quarters of patients who survived to the hospital post OHCA and received a chest CT had lung parenchymal or pleural abnormalities, the most common of which were aspiration, pulmonary edema, and consolidation/pneumonia. Future planned research will characterize the clinical impact of these findings and whether early chest CT could identify patients at risk for ARDS or other pulmonary complications.