scholarly journals The Value of Focused Echocardiography During Cardiac Arrest

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 484-490
Author(s):  
Julie White

Cardiac arrest is the absence of a centrally palpable pulse and no respiratory effort in an unresponsive patient. This often-lethal medical condition affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone every year. Immediate intervention is crucial to provide the patient with any chance of survival. Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) is the cornerstone therapy for cardiac arrest. Increased awareness and proper identification of life-threatening arrhythmias is critical, as it may lead to prompt medical treatment and improved mortality. The use of focused echocardiography, during a cardiac arrest, has been a developing area of interest over the past several years. The specific aim of this literature review was to emphasize the role of a focused echocardiogram and the valuable information that can be provided during a cardiac arrest.

Circulation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 140 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Zoheb Azhar ◽  
Monil Majmundar ◽  
Shmuel Golfeyz ◽  
Tikal Kansara ◽  
Jonna Mercado ◽  
...  

Introduction: There are approximately 200,000 cases of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) annually in the United States. Of these cases, only 40-50% achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and only 20-30% are discharged. Though most hospital staff are trained in cardiac arrest resuscitation, a significant disparity in resuscitation has been noted between different hospital settings. We thus instituted additional structured cardiac arrest training in an Internal Medicine residency program, to supplement the biennial advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that institution of a dedicated structured cardiac arrest team (code team) in addition to monthly training for those on the team, would improve the confidence, skills, and leadership level, of residents at managing an IHCA situation. Methods: A structured code team with specific roles for each resident was instituted in a New York City-based community hospital. Training was guided by audio-visual lectures and then reinforced by performing mock cardiac arrest drills. Resident assessments were done pre and post-training through an anonymous standardized questionnaire. Summative measures of mean confidence, mean ACLS skills, and leadership were evaluated. Uni and bivariate analysis, and T-tests for statistical significance were performed using STATA 15 software. Results: Our sample of 32 residents showed an increase in mean learning scores across all the three domains. Confidence scores increased from 7.23 to 8.44, ACLS skills increased from 7.40 to 8.57 and leadership scores increased from 6.56 to 7.88. Paired T-tests demonstrated high significance (P<0.000). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of additional structured cardiac arrest training on confidence, skills, and leadership of resident physicians in an Internal Medicine program. The next phase of this study will be to re-evaluate knowledge and confidence at 3 and 6 months after training.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tumul Chowdhury ◽  
Andrea Petropolis ◽  
Ronald B. Cappellani

Perioperative safety concerns are a major area of interest in recent years. Severe cardiac perturbation such as cardiac arrest is one of the most dreaded complications in the intraoperative period; however, little is known about the management of these events in the patients undergoing elective neurosurgery. This special group needs further attention, as it is often neither feasible nor appropriate to apply conventional advanced cardiac life support algorithms in patients undergoing neurosurgery. Factors such as neurosurgical procedure and positioning can also have a significant effect on the occurrence of cardiac arrest. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to describe the various causes and management of cardiac emergencies with special reference to cardiac arrest during elective neurosurgical procedures, including discussion of position-related factors and resuscitative considerations in these situations. This will help to formulate possible guidelines for management of such events.


10.2196/17425 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. e17425
Author(s):  
Daniel Katz ◽  
Ronak Shah ◽  
Elizabeth Kim ◽  
Chang Park ◽  
Anjan Shah ◽  
...  

Background The incidence of cardiac arrests per year in the United States continues to increase, yet in-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates significantly vary between hospitals. Current methods of training are expensive, time consuming, and difficult to scale, which necessitates improvements in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training. Virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as an alternative or adjunct to high-fidelity simulation (HFS) in several environments. No evaluations to date have explored the ability of a VR program to examine both technical and behavioral skills and demonstrate a cost comparison. Objective This study aimed to explore the utility of a voice-based VR ACLS team leader refresher as compared with HFS. Methods This prospective observational study performed at an academic institution consisted of 25 postgraduate year 2 residents. Participants were randomized to HFS or VR training and then crossed groups after a 2-week washout. Participants were graded on technical and nontechnical skills. Participants also completed self-assessments about the modules. Proctors were assessed for fatigue and task saturation, and cost analysis based on local economic data was performed. Results A total of 23 of 25 participants were included in the scoring analysis. Fewer participants were familiar with VR compared with HFS (9/25, 36% vs 25/25, 100%; P<.001). Self-reported satisfaction and utilization scores were similar; however, significantly more participants felt HFS provided better feedback: 99 (IQR 89-100) vs 79 (IQR 71-88); P<.001. Technical scores were higher in the HFS group; however, nontechnical scores for decision making and communication were not significantly different between modalities. VR sessions were 21 (IQR 19-24) min shorter than HFS sessions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration task load index scores for proctors were lower in each category, and VR sessions were estimated to be US $103.68 less expensive in a single-learner, single-session model. Conclusions Utilization of a VR-based team leader refresher for ACLS skills is comparable with HFS in several areas, including learner satisfaction. The VR module was more cost-effective and was easier to proctor; however, HFS was better at delivering feedback to participants. Optimal education strategies likely contain elements of both modalities. Further studies are needed to examine the utility of VR-based environments at scale.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengqi Gao ◽  
Chenguang Liu ◽  
Dawn Jorgenson

Background: Early defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED) is crucial for improving the survival rate in out-of-hospital resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Chance of survival decreases by 7% to 10% for every minute that defibrillation is delayed. While simulation studies have been used to assess AED usability factors, our objective was to report the actual operating time for three Philips AED models used in SCA responses. Methods: A convenience dataset recorded by Philips AEDs (HS1, FRx, or FR3) was obtained from Europe and the United States from 2007 - 2018. The HS1 is intended for minimally trained or untrained individuals, the FRx is for Basic Life Support (BLS), and the FR3 is for both BLS and Advanced Life Support (ALS) responders. A retrospective analysis was conducted to report the operating time intervals for cases where a shock was delivered after initial rhythm analysis. The study analyzed 90 HS1, 46 FRx and 32 FR3 cases. Results: Compared with HS1, both FRx (p < 0.001) and FR3 (p = 0.001) responders spent less time in placing pads on the patient after powering on the AED (Figure 1) as expected. Similarly, time intervals from the start of shock advised prompt to first shock delivery for FRx (p = 0.02) and FR3 (p < 0.01) are shorter than for HS1. Time from AED power-on to first shock was within 90 seconds in 74.4% (67 of 90) HS1 cases, 97.8% (45 of 46) FRx cases, and 100% (32 of 32) FR3 cases. On average, the FR3 and FRx responders were able to deliver the first shock within 48 seconds. Conclusions: The analysis shows that responders were able to quickly apply the AEDs and respond to the shock advisory prompt for all three AED models despite different training levels. This real-world performance is better than most reported simulation studies, however, this analysis cannot convey variety of activities that account for the differences in timing (e.g. pads applied before power-on, or compressions began before applying pads, etc.).


Author(s):  
Mark S. Link ◽  
Mark Estes III

Resuscitation on the playing field is at least as important as screening in the prevention of death. Even if a screening strategy is largely effective, individuals will suffer sudden cardiac arrests. Timely recognition of a cardiac arrest with rapid implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and deployment and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will save lives. Basic life support, including CPR and AED use, should be a requirement for all those involved in sports, including athletes. An emergency action plan is important in order to render advanced cardiac life support and arrange for transport to medical centres.


Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Wyatt ◽  
Robin N. Illingworth ◽  
Colin A. Graham ◽  
Kerstin Hogg ◽  
Michael J. Clancy ◽  
...  

Anaphylaxis 42 Treatment algorithm for adults with anaphylaxis 44 Choking 45 Cardiac arrest 46 In-hospital resuscitation algorithm 47 Adult basic life support 48 Cardiac arrest management 50 Advanced life support algorithm 52 Notes on using the advanced life support algorithm 53 Post-resuscitation care 54 Central venous access ...


1997 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H Burton ◽  
Mark Mass ◽  
James J Menegazzi ◽  
Donald M Yealy

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ra Charles ◽  
F Lateef ◽  
V Anantharaman

Introduction The concept of the chain of survival is widely accepted. The four links viz. early access, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), early defibrillation and early Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) are related to survival after pre-hospital cardiac arrest. Owing to the dismal survival-to-discharge figures locally, we conducted this study to identify any weaknesses in the chain, looking in particular at bystander CPR rates and times to Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and ACLS. Methods and materials A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Emergency Department of an urban tertiary 1500-bed hospital. Over a 12-month period, all cases of non-trauma out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were evaluated. Results A total of 142 cases of non-trauma out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were identified; the majority being Chinese (103/142, 72.5%) and male (71.8%) with a mean age of 64.3±7.8 years (range 23–89 yrs). Most patients (111/142, 78.2%) did not receive any form of life support until arrival of the ambulance crew. Mean time from collapse to arrival of the ambulance crew and initiation of BCLS and defibrillation was 9.2±3.5 minutes. Mean time from collapse to arrival in the Emergency Department (and thus ACLS) was 16.8±7.1 minutes. Three patients (2.11%) survived to discharge. Conclusion There is a need to (i) facilitate layperson training in bystander CPR, and (ii) enhance paramedic training to include ACLS, in order to improve the current dismal survival outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088506662090680
Author(s):  
Natalie Achamallah ◽  
Jeffrey Fried ◽  
Rebecca Love ◽  
Yuri Matusov ◽  
Rohit Sharma

Introduction: Absence of pupillary light reflex (PLR) is a well-studied indicator of poor neurologic recovery after cardiac arrest. Interpretation of absent PLR is difficult in patients with hypothermia or hypotension, or who have electrolyte or acid-base disturbances. Additionally, many studies exclude patients who receive epinephrine or atropine from their analysis on the basis that these drugs are thought to abolish the PLR. This observational cohort study assessed for presence or absence of PLR in in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received epinephrine with or without atropine during advanced cardiac life support and achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Methods: Pupil size and reactivity were assessed in adult patients who had an in-hospital cardiac arrest, received epinephrine with or without atropine, and achieved ROSC. Measurements were taken using a NeurOptics NPi-200 infrared pupillometer. Results: Forty patients had pupillometry performed within 1 hour (median: 6 minutes) after ROSC. Of these only 1 (2.5%) patient had nonreactive pupils at first measurement after ROSC. The remaining 39 (97.5%) had reactive pupils. Of the 19 patients who had pupils checked within 3 minutes of ROSC, 100% had reactive pupils. Degree of pupil responsiveness was not correlated with cumulative dose of epinephrine. Ten patients received atropine in addition to epinephrine, including the sole patient with nonreactive pupils. The remaining 9 (90%) had reactive pupils. Conclusion: Epinephrine and atropine do not abolish the PLR in patients who achieve ROSC after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Lack of pupillary response in the post-arrest patient should not be attributed to these drugs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document