Abstract 052: Improved Hospital Outcomes With Hypokalemia on Admission in Cardiac Arrest Survivors Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia

Author(s):  
Angelo de la Rosa ◽  
Manuel Tapia ◽  
Yong Ji ◽  
Basil Saour ◽  
Mikhail Torosoff

Purpose: We hypothesized that advanced circulatory compromise, as manifested by acidosis and hyperkalemia should be associated with worsened clinical outcomes in cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Methods: Results of initial admission laboratory studies, medical history, and echocardiogram in 203 consecutive cardiac arrest patients (59 females, 59+/- 15 years old) undergoing therapeutic hypothermia were reviewed. Mortality was ascertained through hospital records. ANOVA, chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, and logistic regression analyses were used. The study was approved by the institutional IRB. Results: Increased mortality was noted with older age, decreased admission pH, elevated admission lactate, lower admission hemoglobin, and pulseless electrical activity or asystole as presenting rhythms (Table). Admission hypokalemia and ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia were associated with improved hospital mortality (Table). Potassium was significantly lower in patients admitted with ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia (3.897+/-0.92) as compared to patients with asystole (4.674+/-1.377) or pulseless electrical activity (4.491+/-1.055 mEq/dL, p<0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of increased hospital mortality included increased admission potassium (OR 2.0, 95%CI 1.291-3.170, p=0.002)), older age (OR 1.04, 95%CI 1.007-1.071, p=0.017), admission PEA (OR 3.7, 95%CI 1.358-10.282, p=0.011 when compared to ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia) or asystole (OR 17.2, 95%CI 4.423-66.810, p<0.001 when compared to ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia); while decreased mortality was associated with higher hemoglobin (OR 0.8, 95%CI 0.665-0.997, p=0.047). Conclusions: Hyperkalemia, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole are predictive of increased hospital mortality in survivors of cardiac arrest. An association between low or low-normal potassium, observed VT-VF, and better outcomes is unexpected and may be used for prognostic purposes. More prospective investigations of mortality predictors in these critically ill patients are needed.

Author(s):  
Yong Ji ◽  
Vikash Khurana ◽  
Theresa Waters ◽  
Matthew Liakos ◽  
Mikhail Torosoff

Purpose : We hypothesized that advanced circulatory compromise, as manifested by acidosis and hyperkalemia should be associated with worsened clinical outcomes in cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Methods: Results of initial admission laboratory studies, medical history, and echocardiogram in 41 consecutive cardiac arrest patients (13 females, 60+/- 32 years old, 6 with diabetes, 7 with chronic kidney disease, and 8 with history of cardiovascular disease) undergoing therapeutic hypothermia were reviewed. Mortality was ascertained through hospital records and Social Security Death Index. ANOVA, chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, and logistic regression analyses were used. The study was approved by the institutional IRB. Results : Age, gender, medication use, history of CAD, degree of systolic dysfunction by echocardiogram, serum pH, creatinine, sodium, glucose, magnesium, calcium, lactate, BUN, and osmolality were not predictive of mortality in our patient population. However, higher hemoglobin (0.336 per 1 mg/dL, 95% CI 0.138-0.818, p=0.016) and pre-resuscitation ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT-VF vs. pulseless electrical activity or asystole, 0.02, 95% CI 0.002-0.312, p=0.004) were associated with decreased hospital mortality in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Median admission potassium level was 4.0 mEq/L. Unexpectedly, correlation between admission serum potassium and pH was poor (R^2= 0.06). Similarly, actual K requirements were poorly correlated with calculated K deficit (R^2=0.007). VT or VF were more prevalent in patients with K less than 4 (p=0.002). There was also a trend towards improved mortality in patients with lower K levels (72% survival in K≤4 vs. 47% in K>4 mEq/L, p=0.129). Conclusions: Hyperkalemia, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole are predictive of increased hospital mortality in survivors of cardiac arrest. In patients with admission hypokalemia, lack of correlation between admission potassium, pH, and potassium requirements are suggestive for acute event etiology in many cardiac arrests patients. An association between low or low-normal potassium, observed VT-VF, and better outcomes is unexpected and may be used for prognostic purposes. More prospective investigations of mortality predictors in these critically ill patients are needed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 133 (6) ◽  
pp. 495-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cássia Regina Vancini-Campanharo ◽  
Rodrigo Luiz Vancini ◽  
Claudio Andre Barbosa de Lira ◽  
Marília dos Santos Andrade ◽  
Aécio Flávio Teixeira de Góis ◽  
...  

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Cardiac arrest is a common occurrence, and even with efficient emergency treatment, it is associated with a poor prognosis. Identification of predictors of survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation may provide important information for the healthcare team and family. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the survival of patients treated for cardiac arrest, after a one-year follow-up period. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study conducted in the emergency department of a Brazilian university hospital. METHODS: The inclusion criterion was that the patients presented cardiac arrest that was treated in the emergency department (n = 285). Data were collected using the In-hospital Utstein Style template. Cox regression was used to determine which variables were associated with the survival rate (with 95% significance level). RESULTS: After one year, the survival rate was low. Among the patients treated, 39.6% experienced a return of spontaneous circulation; 18.6% survived for 24 hours and of these, 5.6% were discharged and 4.5% were alive after one year of follow-up. Patients with pulseless electrical activity were half as likely to survive as patients with ventricular fibrillation. For patients with asystole, the survival rate was 3.5 times lower than that of patients with pulseless electrical activity. CONCLUSIONS: The initial cardiac rhythm was the best predictor of patient survival. Compared with ventricular fibrillation, pulseless electrical activity was associated with shorter survival times. In turn, compared with pulseless electrical activity, asystole was associated with an even lower survival rate.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Herken ◽  
Weilun Quan

Purpose: Amplitude spectrum area (AMSA), which is calculated from the ventricular fibrillation (VF) waveform using fast Fourier transformation, has been recognized as a predictor of successful defibrillation (DF) and as an index of myocardial perfusion and viability during resuscitation. In this study, we investigated whether a change in AMSA occurring during CPR would predict DF outcome for subsequent DF attempts after a failed DF. We hypothesized that a patient responding to CPR with an increase in AMSA would have an increased likelihood of DF success. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received a second DF due to initially shock-resistant VF. A total of 193 patients with an unsuccessful first DF were identified in a manufacturer database of electrocardiographic defibrillator records. AMSA was calculated for the first DF (AMSA1) and the second DF (AMSA2) during a 2.1 sec window ending 0.5 sec prior to DF. A successful DF attempt was defined as the presence of an organized rhythm with a rate ≥ 40 / min starting within 60 sec from the DF and lasting for > 30 sec. After the failed first DF, all patients received CPR for 2 to 3 minutes before delivery of the second DF. Change in AMSA (dAMSA) was calculated as dAMSA = AMSA2 - AMSA1. Results: The overall second DF success rate was 14.5%. Multivariable logistic regression showed that both AMSA1 and dAMSA were independent predictors of second DF success with odds ratios of 1.24 (95% CI 1.12 - 1.38, p<0.001) and 1.27 (95% CI 1.16 - 1.41, p<0.001) for each mVHz change in AMSA or dAMSA, respectively. Conclusions: In initially DF-resistant VF, a high initial AMSA value predicted an increased likelihood of second shock success. An increase of AMSA in response to CPR also predicted a higher second shock success rate. Monitoring of AMSA during resuscitation therefore may be useful to guide CPR efforts, possibly including timing of second shock delivery. These findings also further support the value of AMSA as indicator of myocardial viability.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar W Skjeflo ◽  
Eirik Skogvoll ◽  
Jan Pål Loennechen ◽  
Theresa M Olasveengen ◽  
Lars Wik ◽  
...  

Introduction: Presence of electrocardiographic rhythm, documented by the electrocardiogram (ECG), in the absence of palpable pulses defines pulseless electrical activity (PEA). Our aims were to examine the development of ECG characteristics during advanced life support (ALS) from Out-of-Hospital-Cardiac-Arrest (OHCA) with initial PEA, and to explore the effects of epinephrine on these characteristics. Methods: Patients with OHCA and initial PEA in a randomized controlled trial of ALS with or without intravenous access and medications were included. QRS widths and heart-rates were measured in recorded ECG signals during pauses in compressions. Statistical analysis was carried out by multivariate regression (MANOVA). Results: Defibrillator recordings from 170 episodes of cardiac arrest were analyzed, 4840 combined measurements of QRS complex width and heart rate were made. By the multivariate regression model both whether epinephrine was administered and whether return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was obtained were significantly associated with changes in QRS width and heart rate. For both control and epinephrine groups, ROSC was preceded by decreasing QRS width and increasing rate, but in the epinephrine group an increase in rate without a decrease in QRS width was associated with poor outcome (fig). Conclusion: The QRS complex characteristics are affected by epinephrine administration during ALS, but still yields valuable prognostic information.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuichiro Kakizaki ◽  
Naofumi Bunya ◽  
Shuji Uemura ◽  
Takehiko Kasai ◽  
Keigo Sawamoto ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Targeted temperature management (TTM) is recommended for unconscious patients after a cardiac arrest. However, its effectiveness in patients with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) by hanging remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between TTM and favorable neurological outcomes in patients with PCAS by hanging.Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) registry between June 2014 and December 2017 among patients with PCAS admitted to the hospitals after an OHCA caused by hanging. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the propensity score and to predict whether patients with PCAS by hanging receive TTM. We compared patients with PCAS by hanging who received TTM (TTM group) and those who did not (non-TTM group) using propensity score analysis.Results: A total of 199 patients with PCAS by hanging were enrolled in this study. Among them, 43 were assigned to the TTM group and 156 to the non-TTM group. Logistic regression model adjusted for propensity score revealed that TTM was not associated with favorable neurological outcome at 1-month (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27–6.96). Moreover, no difference was observed in the propensity score-matched cohort (adjusted OR: 0, 73, 95% CI: 0.10–4.71) and in the inverse probability of treatment weighting-matched cohort (adjusted OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.15–2.69).Conclusions: TTM was not associated with increased favorable neurological outcomes at 1-month in patients with PCAS after OHCA by hanging.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Indik ◽  
Zacherie Conover ◽  
Meghan McGovern ◽  
Annemarie Silver ◽  
Daniel Spaite ◽  
...  

Background: Previous investigations in human out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) have shown that the frequency-based waveform characteristic, amplitude spectral area (AMSA) predicts defibrillation success and is associated with survival to hospital discharge. We evaluated the relative strength of factors associated with hospital discharge including witnessed/unwitnessed status, chest compression (CC) quality and AMSA. We then investigated if there is a threshold value for AMSA that can identify patients who are unlikely to survive. Methods: Adult OHCA patients (age ≥18), with initial rhythm of VF from an Utstein-Style database (collected from 2 EMS systems) were analyzed. AMSA was measured from the waveform immediately prior to each shock, and averaged for each individual subject (AMSA-ave). Univariate and stepwise multivariable logistic regression, and receiver-operator-characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. Factors analyzed: age, sex, witnessed status, time from dispatch to monitor/defibrillator application, number of shocks, mean CC rate, depth, and release velocity (RV). Results: 140 subjects were analyzed, [104 M (74%), age 62 ± 14 yrs, witnessed 65%]. Survival was 38% in witnessed and 16% in unwitnessed arrest. In univariate analyses, age (P=0.001), witnessed status (P=0.009), AMSA-ave (P<0.001), mean CC depth (P=0.025), and RV (P< 0.001) were associated with survival. Stepwise logistic regression identified AMSA-ave (P<0.001), RV (P=0.001) and age (P=0.018) as independently associated with survival. The area under the curve (ROC analysis) was 0.849. The probability of survival was < 5% in witnessed arrest for AMSA-ave < 5 mV-Hz, and in unwitnessed arrest for AMSA-ave < 15 mV-Hz. Conclusion: In OHCA with an initial rhythm of VF, AMSA-ave and CC RV are highly associated with survival. Further study is needed to evaluate whether AMSA-ave may be useful to identify patients highly unlikely to survive.


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