Post resuscitation care of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in the Nordic countries: a questionnaire study

Post-cardiac arrest intensive care in Sweden: A survey of current clinical practice

BACKGROUND

European guidelines recommend targeted temperature management (TTM) in post-cardiac arrest care. A large multicentre clinical trial, however, showed no difference in mortality and neurological outcome when comparing hypothermia to normothermia with early treatment of fever. The study results were valid given a strict protocol for the assessment of prognosis using defined neurological examinations. With the current range of recommended TTM temperatures, and applicable neurological examinations, procedures may differ between hospitals and the variation of clinical practice in Sweden is not known.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate current practice in post-resuscitation care after cardiac arrest as to temperature targets and assessment of neurological prognosis in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs).

METHODS

A structured survey was conducted by telephone or e-mail in all Levels 2 and 3 (= 53) Swedish ICUs during the spring of 2022 with a secondary survey in April 2023.

RESULTS

Five units were not providing post-cardiac arrest care and were excluded. The response rate was 43/48 (90%) of the eligible units. Among the responding ICUs, normothermia (36-37.7°C) was applied in all centres (2023). There was a detailed routine for the assessment of neurological prognosis in 38/43 (88%) ICUs. Neurological assessment was applied 72-96 h after return of spontaneous circulation in 32/38 (84%) units. Electroencephalogram and computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were the most common technical methods available.

CONCLUSION

Swedish ICUs use normothermia including early treatment of fever in post-resuscitation care after cardiac arrest and almost all apply a detailed routine for the assessment of neurological prognosis. However, available methods for prognostic evaluation varies between hospitals.

Association between Cardiac Arrest Time and Favorable Neurological Outcomes in Witnessed Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients Treated with Targeted Temperature Management

BACKGROUND

Patients who achieve a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) with prolonged cardiac arrest have been recognized to have a poor prognosis. This might lead to reluctance in the provision of post-resuscitation care. Hence, we evaluated the impact of cardiac arrest time on neurologic outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a hospital-based nationwide registry of OHCAs in Korea between 2012 and 2016. All witnessed OHCA patients aged ≥ 15 years and treated with targeted temperature management were included. We collected the time from collapse to sustained ROSC, which was defined as the downtime. The primary outcome was a favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine independent factors for primary outcome in patients with downtime > 30 minutes.

RESULTS

Overall, neurologically favorable outcome rates were 30.5% in 1,963 patients. When the downtime was stratified into categories of 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and > 60 minutes according to 10-minute intervals, neurologically favorable outcome rates were 58.2%, 52.3%, 37.3%, 24.6%, 14.1%, 17.4%, and 16.7%, respectively (P < 0.001). In patients with downtime > 30 minutes, age 51-70 years (odds ratio [OR], 5.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-11.49), age ≤ 50 years (OR, 13.16; 95% CI, 6.06-28.57), shockable rhythm (OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 2.71-5.68), bystander resuscitation (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.27-2.55), cardiac cause (OR, 3.50; 95% CI, 1.69-7.25), percutaneous coronary intervention (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.18-2.81), and downtime ≤ 40 minutes (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.42-2.88) were associated with favorable neurological outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In patients with prolonged downtime, predicting favorable neurologic outcome may be multifactorial. The cutoff value for downtime is not the only determining factor to provide post-resuscitation care.

The association between duration of mechanical ventilation and survival in post cardiac arrest patients

PURPOSE

To assess the association between the duration of mechanical ventilation during post resuscitation care and 30-day survival after cardiac arrest.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study using data from two national registries. Comatose cardiac arrest patients admitted to general intensive care in Swedish hospitals between 2011 and 2016 were eligible. Based on the median duration of mechanical ventilation for patients who did not survive to hospital discharge, used as a proxy for the endurance of post resuscitation care, the hospitals were divided into four ordered groups for which association with 30-day survival was analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 5.113 patients in 56 hospitals were included. Median duration of mechanical ventilation for patients who did not survive to hospital discharge ranged from 17 h in hospital group 1-51 hours in hospital group 4. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, 30-day survival in the entire cohort was positively and independently associated with ordered hospital group: (adjusted odds ratio (95%CI); 1.12 (1.02,1.23); p = 0.02). Thus, hospitals with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation among non-survivors had better survival rate among patients admitted to ICU after a cardiac arrest. However, in a secondary analysis restricted to patients with length of stay in the intensive care unit ≥ 48 h, there was no significant association between 30-day survival and ordered hospital group.

CONCLUSION

A tendency for longer duration of post resuscitation care in the ICU was associated with higher 30-day survival in comatose patients admitted to intensive care after cardiac arrest.

Postresuscitation Care after Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest: Clinical Update and Focus on Targeted Temperature Management

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. With the introduction of targeted temperature management more than a decade ago, postresuscitation care has attracted increased attention. In the present review, we discuss best practice hospital management of unconscious out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with a special focus on targeted temperature management. What is termed post-cardiac arrest syndrome strikes all organs and mandates access to specialized intensive care. All patients need a secured airway, and most patients need hemodynamic support with fluids and/or vasopressors. Furthermore, immediate coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention, when indicated, has become an essential part of the postresuscitation treatment. Targeted temperature management with controlled sedation and mechanical ventilation is the most important neuroprotective strategy to take. Targeted temperature management should be initiated as quickly as possible, and according to international guidelines, it should be maintained at 32° to 36°C for at least 24 h, whereas rewarming should not increase more than 0.5°C per hour. However, uncertainty remains regarding targeted temperature management components, warranting further research into the optimal cooling rate, target temperature, duration of cooling, and the rewarming rate. Moreover, targeted temperature management is linked to some adverse effects. The risk of infection and bleeding is moderately increased, as is the risk of hypokalemia and magnesemia. Circulation needs to be monitored invasively and any deviances corrected in a timely fashion. Outcome prediction in the individual patient is challenging, and a self-fulfilling prophecy poses a real threat to early prognostication based on clinical assessment alone. Therefore, delayed and multimodal prognostication is now considered a key element of postresuscitation care. Finally, modern postresuscitation care can produce good outcomes in the majority of patients but requires major diagnostic and therapeutic resources and specific training. Hence, recent international guidelines strongly recommend the implementation of regional prehospital resuscitation systems with integrated and specialized cardiac arrest centers.

Factors determining level of hospital care and its association with outcome after resuscitation from pre-hospital pulseless electrical activity

Background

Patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with pulseless electrical activity (PEA) as initial cardiac rhythm are not always treated in intensive care units (ICUs): some are admitted to high dependency units with various level of care, others to ordinary wards. Aim of this study was to describe the factors determining level of hospital care after OHCA with PEA, post-resuscitation care and survival.

Methods

Adult OHCA patients with PEA (n = 221), who were resuscitated in southern Finland between 2010 and 2013 were included, provided patient survived to hospital admission. The patients were divided into four groups according to the level of hospital care provided: ordinary ward and Level 1–3 ICUs. Differences in patient characteristics, post-resuscitation care and survival were compared between the groups.

Results

Most patients (62.4%) were treated at Level 2 ICUs. Longer time to ROSC and advanced age decreased admission rate to Level 2 or 3 post-resuscitation care, whereas good pre-arrest CPC (1–2) increased the admission rate to Level 2/3 ICUs independently. Treatment with targeted temperature management (TTM) (4.1%) or early coronary angiography (3.2%) were very rare. Prognostic decisions were made earlier in the lower treatment intensity groups (p < 0.01). One-year survival rate was 24.0, 17.1% survived with good neurological outcome. Neurological outcome was better with more intensive care. After adjustment, level of care was not independent predictor for outcome: only return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) time, cardiac arrest cause and pre-arrest performance affected independently to 1-year survival, age and ROSC for neurologic outcome.

Conclusions

PEA are usually admitted to Level 2 ICUs for post-resuscitation care in the capital area of Finland. Age, ROSC and pre-arrest CPC were independent predictors for level of post-resuscitation care. TTM and early CAG were rare and provided only for Level 3 ICU patients. Prognostication was earlier in lower level of care units. Good neurologic survival was more common with more intensive level of post-resuscitation care. After adjustment, level of care was not independent predictor for survival or neurologic outcome: only ROSC, cardiac arrest cause and pre-arrest performance predicted 1-year survival; age and ROSC neurologic outcome.

Post resuscitation care--some words of caution and a call for action

This fall the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Cardiology Society (ESC) publish updated post resuscitation care guidelines. For these guidelines to have an impact they must be implemented into daily clinical practice. Newer studies imply that differences in hospital care explain much of the observed differences in survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A recent Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) survey suggests worrisome variations in post resuscitation care provided and should urge us all to act in the coming years. One important step will be to build up resuscitation systems with integrated cardiac arrest centres in all the 5 Nordic countries and benchmark process of care, financial implications and survival.