Current opinion in critical care
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Most patients who are successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest are initially comatose and require mechanical ventilation and other organ support in an ICU. Knowledge about the optimal strategy for treating these patients is evolving rapidly. This review will summarize the evidence on key aspects of postarrest care and prognostication, with a focus on actionable parameters that may impact patient survival and neurologic outcomes. ⋯ Clinical guidelines for postresuscitation care have recently been updated and incorporate all the available science supporting the treatment of postcardiac arrests. At a minimum, fever should be strictly avoided in comatose postcardiac patients. Prognostication must involve multiple modalities and should not be attempted until assessment confounders have been sufficiently excluded.
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Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains a major health burden around the globe, most often occurring in the community (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest [OHCA]). SCA accounts for 15-20% of all natural deaths in adults in the USA and Western Europe, and up to 50% of all cardiovascular deaths. To reduce this burden, more knowledge is needed about its key facets such as its incidence in various geographies, its risk factors, and the populations that may be at risk. ⋯ Our insights into the causes of SCA are steadily increasing thanks to the creation of big datasets dedicated to SCA research. These insights may be used to earlier recognize of individuals at risk, the design of personalized methods for prevention, and more effective resuscitation strategies for OHCA.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2021
ReviewThe world restart a heart initiative: how to save hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.
Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is still one of the top reasons for death in industrialized countries. Bystander resuscitation rates differ significantly across the world despite bystanders being easily able to save lives in this situation. In the 4 years since initiation of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) World Restart a Heart (WRAH), the initiative helped educating millions of people and thus enabled them to save lives. ⋯ The WRAH awareness campaign has reached 194 countries and more than 200 million people in the last years. The success of it could even be kept going in the pandemic due to social media and digital/virtual programmes. International guidelines recommend raising awareness and name ILCOR WRAH as a way to do it.
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Postoperative neurocognitive disorders (NCD) are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. In this paper, we will review our understanding and potential management of postoperative NCD. ⋯ A spectrum of NCD exists in surgical patients ranging from postoperative delirium, delayed neurocognitive recovery, and POCD. Identification of patients at-risk for developing NCD can help target appropriate perioperative intervention. Also, specialized care teams and the implementation of standardized protocols are crucial for the successful management perioperative NCD. Finally, large, randomized, multicenter studies are needed to confirm benefits of preventive and treatment strategies.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2021
ReviewMyocardial injury after noncardiac surgery: facts, fallacies and how to approach clinically.
Acute myocardial injury occurs commonly during perioperative care. There is still considerable confusion regarding its diagnosis and definition, and a lack of consensus on who and how to screen, exacerbated by a lack of studies addressing how to manage patients with detected myocardial injury. ⋯ This review aims to bring together current literature regarding myocardial injury that is detected perioperatively, identifies knowledge gaps for future research and provides suggestions for management.