Survival after Cardiac Arrest Secondary to Massive Pulmonary Embolism

The use of ultrasonography to guide diagnosis and treatment in resuscitation in a case of arrest due to pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is one of the reversible causes of death. Simultaneous diagnostic procedures are beneficial for successfully resuscitating patients brought to the emergency department as an arrest after pulmonary embolism. Ultrasonography is one of the few diagnostic procedures to be performed on an unstable patient during resuscitation and is a direct guide for treatment. We followed the passage of the thrombus from the inferior vena cava to the right atrium in the ultrasonography performed simultaneously with the resuscitation of the 76-year-old male patient who was brought to the hospital with arrest, and we started thrombolytic therapy simultaneously with resuscitation. Thrombus enlargement was observed in the right atrium. The patient who did not respond to resuscitation died. Although the causes of reversible arrest are known, there may be uncertainties in diagnostic procedures and treatment during resuscitation. Classical resuscitation practice may be insufficient to solve reversible problems such as pulmonary embolism. Although there are reservations about the inclusion of point-of-care ultrasound in resuscitation, it can play a life-saving role.

Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia and Cardiac Arrest: A Presentation of Pulmonary Embolism With Infarction as a Sequela of Long COVID Syndrome

With the emergence of diverse post-COVID sequelae, there have been reports of thromboembolic events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and pulmonary embolism. These events have been reported after severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections mostly requiring intensive care unit admissions. The findings of acute pulmonary embolism on electrocardiography are commonly sinus tachycardia and S1Q3T3. However, the presentation of pulmonary embolism with arrhythmias is rare. We report a case of a young 31-year-old female who had a history of COVID-19 with a chest computed tomography (CT) severity score of 5/25 five weeks back and presented with acute onset chest pain, breathlessness for one hour followed by collapse. She was intubated in the emergency department and managed with antiarrhythmic drugs however she went into sudden cardiorespiratory arrest and was revived with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The patient was finally diagnosed as a case of pulmonary embolism leading to pulmonary infarction presenting as paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest as a result of long COVID syndrome. This emphasizes the importance of routine follow-up and strict vigilance even in young patients with mild COVID-19 as it might result in serious life-threatening complications which otherwise seem to be unexpected.

International Survey of Thrombolytic Use for Treatment of Cardiac Arrest Due to Massive Pulmonary Embolism

Objectives

This survey sought to characterize the national prescribing patterns and barriers to the use of thrombolytic agents in the treatment of pulmonary embolism, with a specific focus on treatment during actual or imminent cardiac arrest.

Design

A 19-question international, cross-sectional survey on thrombolytic use in pulmonary embolism was developed, validated, and administered. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine factors predictive of utilization of thrombolytics in the setting of cardiac arrest secondary to pulmonary embolism.

Setting

International survey study.

Subjects

Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who were members of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Thrombolytic users were compared with nonusers. Respondents (n = 272) predominately were physicians (62.1%) or pharmacists (30.5%) practicing in an academic medical center (54.8%) or community teaching setting (24.6%). Thrombolytic users (n = 177; 66.8%) were compared with nonusers (n = 88; 33.2%) Thrombolytic users were more likely to work in pulmonary/critical care (80.2% thrombolytic use vs 59.8%; p < 0.01) and emergency medicine (6.8% vs 3.5%; p < 0.01). Users were more likely to have an institutional guideline or policy in place pertaining to the use of thrombolytics in cardiac arrest (27.8% vs 13.6%; p < 0.01) or have a pulmonary embolism response team (38.6% vs 19.3%; p < 0.01). Lack of evidence supporting use and the risk of adverse outcomes were barriers to thrombolytic use. Working in a pulmonary/critical care environment (odds ratio, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.24-4.52) and comfort level (odds ratio, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.7-4.53) were predictive of thrombolytic use in the multivariable analysis.

Conclusions

Most survey respondents used thrombolytics in the setting of cardiac arrest secondary to known or suspected pulmonary embolism. This survey study adds important data to the literature surrounding thrombolytics for pulmonary embolism as it describes thrombolytic user characteristic, barriers to use, and common prescribing practices internationally.

A Systematic Review of the Spectrum of Cardiac Arrhythmias in Sub-Saharan Africa

Major structural cardiovascular diseases are associated with cardiac arrhythmias, but their full spectrum remains unknown in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which we addressed in this systematic review. Atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL) prevalence is 16-22% in heart failure, 10-28% in rheumatic heart disease, 3-7% in cardiology admissions, but <1% in the general population. Use of oral anticoagulation is heterogenous (9-79%) across SSA. The epidemiology of sudden cardiac arrest/death is less characterized in SSA. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is challenging, owing to low awareness and lack of equipment for life-support. About 18% of SSA countries have no cardiac implantable electronic devices services, leaving hundreds of millions of people without any access to treatment for advanced bradyarrhythmias, and implant rates are more than 200-fold lower than in the western world. Management of tachyarrhythmias is largely non-invasive (about 80% AF/AFL via rate-controlled strategy only), as electrophysiological study and catheter ablation centers are almost non-existent in most countries.

Highlights

- Atrial fibrillation/flutter prevalence is 16-22% in heart failure, 10-28% in rheumatic heart disease, 3-7% in cardiology admissions, and <1% in the general population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).- Rates of oral anticoagulation use for CHA2DS2VASC score ≥2 are very diverse (9-79%) across SSA countries.- Data on sudden cardiac arrest are scant in SSA with low cardiopulmonary resuscitation awareness.- Low rates of cardiac implantable electronic devices insertions and rarity of invasive arrhythmia treatment centers are seen in SSA, relative to the high-income countries.