Pulseless electrical activity following traumatic cardiac arrest: Sign of life or death?

Can absence of cardiac activity on point-of-care echocardiography predict death in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest? A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the accuracy of the absence of cardiac motion on point-of-care echocardiography (PCE) in predicting termination of resuscitation (TOR), short-term death (STD), and long-term death (LTD), in adult patients with cardiac arrest of all etiologies in out-of-hospital and emergency department setting.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines. A literature search in Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, WHO registry, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed from inspection to August 2022. Risk of bias was evaluated using QUADAS-2 tool. Meta-analysis was divided into medical cardiac arrest (MCA) and traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA). Sensitivity and specificity were calculated using bivariate random-effects, and heterogeneity was analyzed using I2 statistic.

RESULTS

A total of 27 studies (3657 patients) were included in systematic review. There was a substantial variation in methodologies across the studies, with notable difference in inclusion criteria, PCE timing, and cardiac activity definition. In MCA (15 studies, 2239 patients), the absence of cardiac activity on PCE had a sensitivity of 72% [95% CI 62-80%] and specificity of 80% [95% CI 58-92%] to predict LTD. Although the low numbers of studies in TCA preluded meta-analysis, all patients who lacked cardiac activity on PCE eventually died.

CONCLUSIONS

The absence of cardiac motion on PCE for MCA predicts higher likelihood of death but does not have sufficient accuracy to be used as a stand-alone tool to terminate resuscitation. In TCA, the absence of cardiac activity is associated with 100% mortality rate, but low number of patients requires further studies to validate this finding. Future work would benefit from a standardized protocol for PCE timing and agreement on cardiac activity definition.

A Contemporary Study of Pre-hospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest: Distinguishing Exsanguination From Non-exsanguination Arrest With a Review of Current Literature

Background Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) remains a challenging problem in terms of diagnosis and management. This is due to difficulty distinguishing the TCA cause and therefore understanding the pathophysiology. The goal of this study was to analyze a contemporary series of TCA patients and classify the causes of TCA into exsanguination (EX) arrest and non-exsanguination (non-EX) arrest. Methods This was a retrospective review of patients suffering TCA during 2019 at a level I trauma center. We excluded patients whose arrests were from medical causes such as ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, pulmonary embolus, etc., hanging, drowning, thermal injury, outside transfer, and pediatric patients (age <13 as this is our institutional definition for pediatric trauma patients). We reviewed pre-hospital run-sheets, hospital charts including autopsy findings, and classified patients into EX and non-EX TCA. We defined a witnessed arrest (WA) using the traditional outside hospital cardiac (non-trauma) arrest definition. Outcomes included the incidence of EX arrest, survival to discharge, and hospital costs. Descriptive statistics were used. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results After exclusion, 54 patients suffered TCA with a mean age of 45.9 (±19.8) years. Eighty-three percent of patients were male. The average cost per TCA was ~$16,000. Of the 54 TCAs, 26 (48%) were WA, with one (1.85%) survivor (no non-WA TCA patients survived). Twenty-two (41%) patients died from EX-arrest; 59% penetrating vs. 28% blunt (p = 0.03). The one EX-arrest survivor was a 19-year-old gunshot wound to the leg whose arrest was witnessed, with a short downtime, and the cause of arrest (bleeding leg wound) was quickly reversible. Conclusion We classified 41% of TCAs to have died from EX-arrest with only a 1.85% survival rate. This study calls for a TCA pre-hospital registry with accurate and consistent data definitions and collection. The registry should capture the cause of arrest for future research, management decision-making, and prognostication.

Cardiac arrest in the perioperative period: a consensus guideline for identification, treatment, and prevention from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac arrest in the operating room is a rare but potentially life-threatening event with mortality rates of more than 50%. Contributing factors are often known, and the event is recognised rapidly as patients are usually under full monitoring. This guideline covers the perioperative period and is complementary to the European Resuscitation Council guidelines.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery jointly nominated a panel of experts to develop guidelines for the recognition, treatment, and prevention of cardiac arrest in the perioperative period. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All searches were restricted to publications from 1980 to 2019 inclusive and to the English, French, Italian and Spanish languages. The authors also contributed individual, independent literature searches.

RESULTS

This guideline contains background information and recommendation for the treatment of cardiac arrest in the operating room environment, and addresses controversial topics such as open chest cardiac massage, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion and resuscitative thoracotomy, pericardiocentesis, needle decompression, and thoracostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful prevention and management of cardiac arrest during anaesthesia and surgery requires anticipation, early recognition, and a clear treatment plan. The ready availability of expert staff and equipment must also be taken into consideration. Success not only depends on medical knowledge, technical skills and a well-organised team using crew resource management, but also on an institutional safety culture embedded in everyday practice through continuous education, training, and multidisciplinary co-operation.

Cardiac arrest in the perioperative period: a consensus guideline for identification, treatment, and prevention from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac arrest in the operating room is a rare but potentially life-threatening event with mortality rates of more than 50%. Contributing factors are often known, and the event is recognised rapidly as patients are usually under full monitoring. This guideline covers the perioperative period and is complementary to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery jointly nominated a panel of experts to develop guidelines for the recognition, treatment and prevention of cardiac arrest in the perioperative period. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All searches were restricted to publications from 1980 to 2019 inclusive and to the English, French, Italian and Spanish languages. The authors also contributed individual, independent literature searches.

RESULTS

This guideline contains background information and recommendation for the treatment of cardiac arrest in the operating room environment, and addresses controversial topics such as open chest cardiac massage (OCCM), resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion (REBOA) and resuscitative thoracotomy, pericardiocentesis, needle decompression and thoracostomy.

CONCLUSION

Successful prevention and management of cardiac arrest during anaesthesia and surgery requires anticipation, early recognition and a clear treatment plan. The ready availability of expert staff and equipment must also be taken into consideration. Success not only depends on medical knowledge, technical skills and a well organised team using crew resource management but also on an institutional safety culture embedded in everyday practice through continuous education, training and multidisciplinary co-operation.

EFSUMB Clinical Practice Guidelines for Point-of-Care Ultrasound: Part One (Common Heart and Pulmonary Applications) LONG VERSION

AIMS

 To evaluate the evidence and produce a summary and recommendations for the most common heart and lung applications of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS).

METHODS

 We reviewed 10 clinical domains/questions related to common heart and lung applications of PoCUS. Following review of the evidence, a summary and recommendation were produced, including assignment of levels of evidence (LoE) and grading of the recommendation, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). 38 international experts, the expert review group (ERG), were invited to review the evidence presented for each question. A level of agreement of over 75 % was required to progress to the next section. The ERG then reviewed and indicated their level of agreement regarding the summary and recommendation for each question (using a 5-point Likert scale), which was approved if a level of agreement of greater than 75 % was reached. A level of agreement was defined as a summary of "strongly agree" and "agree" on the Likert scale responses.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 One question achieved a strong consensus for an assigned LoE of 3 and a weak GRADE recommendation (question 1). The remaining 9 questions achieved broad agreement with one assigned an LoE of 4 and weak GRADE recommendation (question 2), three achieving an LoE of 3 with a weak GRADE recommendation (questions 3-5), three achieved an LoE of 3 with a strong GRADE recommendation (questions 6-8), and the remaining two were assigned an LoE of 2 with a strong GRADE recommendation (questions 9 and 10).

CONCLUSION

 These consensus-derived recommendations should aid clinical practice and highlight areas of further research for PoCUS in acute settings.

Application of Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma in the Intensive Care Unit

The Extended-Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (E-FAST) allows clinicians to rapidly diagnose traumatic thoracoabdominal injuries at the bedside without ionizing radiation. It has high specificity and is extremely useful as an initial test to rule in dangerous diagnoses such as hemoperitoneum, pericardial effusion, hemothorax, and pneumothorax. Its moderate sensitivity means that it should not be used alone as a tool to rule out dangerous thoracoabdominal injuries. In patients with a concerning mechanism or presentation, additional imaging should be obtained despite a negative FAST examination.

Effects of Left Ventricular Versus Traditional Chest Compressions in a Traumatic Pulseless Electrical Activity Model

BACKGROUND

Prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation has commonly been considered ineffective in traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest because traditional chest compressions do not produce substantial cardiac output. However, recent evidence suggests that chest compressions located over the left ventricle (LV) produce greater hemodynamics when compared to traditional compressions. We hypothesized that chest compressions located directly over the LV would result in an increase in return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and hemodynamic variables, when compared to traditional chest compressions, in a swine model of traumatic pulseless electrical activity (PEA).

METHODS

Transthoracic echocardiography was used to mark the location of the aortic root (traditional compressions) and the center of the LV on animals (n = 34) that were randomized to receive chest compressions in one of the two locations. Animals were hemorrhaged to mean arterial pressure <20 to simulate traumatic PEA. After 5 minutes of PEA, basic life support (BLS) with mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated and performed for 10 minutes followed by advanced life support for an additional 10 minutes. Hemodynamic variables were averaged over the final 2 minutes of BLS and advanced life support periods.

RESULTS

Six of the LV group (35%) achieved ROSC compared to eight of the traditional group (47%) (P = .73). There was an increase in aortic systolic blood pressure (P < .01), right atrial systolic blood pressure (P < .01), and right atrial diastolic blood pressure (P = .02) at the end of BLS in the LV group compared to the traditional group.

CONCLUSIONS

In our swine model of traumatic PEA, chest compressions performed directly over the LV improved blood pressures during BLS but not ROSC.

Prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Circulatory arrest after trauma is a life-threatening situation that mandates urgent action. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis on prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) were to provide an updated pooled mortality rate for prehospital TCA, to investigate the impact of the time of patient inclusion and the type of prehospital trauma system on TCA mortality rates and neurological outcome, and to investigate which pre- and intra-arrest factors are prognostic for prehospital TCA mortality.

METHODS

This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and CHARMS guidelines. Databases were searched for primary studies published about prehospital TCA patients (1995-2020). Studies were divided into various EMS-system categories. Data were analyzed using MedCalc, Review Manager, Microsoft Excel, and Shinyapps Meta Power Calculator software.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies involving 51.722 patients were included. Overall mortality for TCA was 96.2% and a favorable neurological outcome was seen in 43.5% of the survivors. Mortality rates were 97.2% in studies including prehospital deaths and 92.3% in studies excluding prehospital deaths. Favorable neurological outcome rates were 35.8% in studies including prehospital deaths and 49.5% in studies excluding prehospital deaths. Mortality rates were 97.6% if no physician was available at the prehospital scene and 93.9% if a physician was available. Favorable neurological outcome rates were 57.0% if no physician was available at the prehospital scene and 38.0% if a physician was available. Only non-shockable rhythm was associated with a higher mortality (RR 1.12, p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION

Approximately 1 in 20 patients with prehospital TCA will survive; about 40% of survivors have favorable neurological outcome.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Trauma Anesthesiologist

Purpose of Review

With advances in technology and availability of handheld ultrasound probes, studies are focusing on the perioperative care of patients, but a limited number specifically on trauma patients. This review highlights recent findings from studies using point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to improve the care of trauma patients.

Recent Findings

Major findings include the use of POCUS to assess volume status of trauma patients upon arrival to measure the major vasculature. Additionally, several studies have advanced the use of POCUS to identify pneumothorax in trauma patients. Finally, the ASA POCUS certification and ASRA expert guidelines are examples of international organizations establishing guidelines for utilization and training of anesthesiologists in the field of POCUS, which will be discussed.

Summary

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and considerable resources being diverted to fight this global healthcare crisis, advances are being made in utilization of POCUS to aid the care of trauma patients.

Is point-of-care ultrasound a reliable predictor of outcome during traumatic cardiac arrest? A systematic review and meta-analysis from the SHoC investigators

AIM

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been shown to assist in predicting outcomes in cardiac arrest. We evaluated the test characteristics of POCUS in predicting poor outcomes: failure of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival to hospital admission (SHA), survival to hospital discharge (SHD) and neurologically intact survival to hospital discharge (NISHD) in adult and paediatric patients with blunt and penetrating traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) in out-of-hospital or emergency department settings.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using the PRISMA guidelines. We searched Clinicaltrials.gov, CINAHL, Cochrane library, EMBASE, Medline and the World Health Organization-International Clinical Trials Registry from 1974 to November 9, 2020. Risk of bias was assessed using QUADAS-2 tool. We used a random-effects meta-analysis model with 95% confidence intervals with I² statistics for heterogeneity.

RESULTS

We included 8 studies involving 710 cases of TCA. For all blunt and penetrating TCA patients who failed to achieve ROSC, the specificity (proportion of patients with cardiac activity on POCUS who achieved ROSC) was 98% (95% CI 0.13 to 1.0). The sensitivity (proportion of patients with cardiac standstill on POCUS who failed to achieve ROSC) was 91% (95% CI 0.67 to 0.98). No patient with cardiac standstill survived. Substantial level of heterogeneity was noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients in TCA without cardiac activity on POCUS have a high likelihood of death and negligible chance of SHD. The numbers of patients included in published studies remains too low for practice recommendations for termination of resuscitation based solely upon the absence of cardiac activity on POCUS.

[Cardiac arrest under special circumstances]

These guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Cardiac Arrest under Special Circumstances are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations. This section provides guidelines on the modifications required for basic and advanced life support for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrest under special circumstances; in particular, specific causes (hypoxia, trauma, anaphylaxis, sepsis, hypo-/hyperkalaemia and other electrolyte disorders, hypothermia, avalanche, hyperthermia and malignant hyperthermia, pulmonary embolism, coronary thrombosis, cardiac tamponade, tension pneumothorax, toxic agents), specific settings (operating room, cardiac surgery, cardiac catheterization laboratory, dialysis unit, dental clinics, transportation [in-flight, cruise ships], sport, drowning, mass casualty incidents), and specific patient groups (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurological disease, morbid obesity, pregnancy).

European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: Cardiac arrest in special circumstances

These European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Cardiac Arrest in Special Circumstances guidelines are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations. This section provides guidelines on the modifications required to basic and advanced life support for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrest in special circumstances; specifically special causes (hypoxia, trauma, anaphylaxis, sepsis, hypo/hyperkalaemia and other electrolyte disorders, hypothermia, avalanche, hyperthermia and malignant hyperthermia, pulmonary embolism, coronary thrombosis, cardiac tamponade, tension pneumothorax, toxic agents), special settings (operating room, cardiac surgery, catheter laboratory, dialysis unit, dental clinics, transportation (in-flight, cruise ships), sport, drowning, mass casualty incidents), and special patient groups (asthma and COPD, neurological disease, obesity, pregnancy).

Pre-arrest and intra-arrest prognostic factors associated with survival following traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To summarize the prognostic associations of pre- and intra-arrest factors with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival (in-hospital or 30 days) after traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

METHODS

We conducted this review in accordance with the PRISMA and CHARMS guidelines. We searched Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception through December 1st, 2019. We included English language studies evaluating pre- and intra-arrest prognostic factors following penetrating or blunt traumatic OHCA. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUIPS tool. We pooled unadjusted odds ratios using random-effects models and presented adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. We used the GRADE method to describe certainty.

RESULTS

We included 53 studies involving 37,528 patients. The most important predictors of survival were presence of cardiac motion on ultrasound (odds ratio 33.91, 1.87-613.42, low certainty) or a shockable initial cardiac rhythm (odds ratio 7.29, 5.09-10.44, moderate certainty), based on pooled unadjusted analyses. Importantly, mechanism of injury was not associated with either ROSC (odds ratio 0.97, 0.51-1.85, very low certainty) or survival (odds ratio 1.40, 0.79-2.48, very low certainty).

CONCLUSION

This review provides very low to moderate certainty evidence that pre- and intra-arrest prognostic factors following penetrating or blunt traumatic OHCA predict ROSC and survival. This evidence is primarily based on unadjusted data. Further well-designed studies with larger cohorts are warranted to test the adjusted prognostic ability of pre- and intra-arrest factors and guide therapeutic decision-making.