scholarly journals 3 - Epinephrine and non-shockable rhythm: Is there a difference between pulseless electrical activity and asystole?

Author(s):  
Valentine Baert ◽  
Joséphine Escutnaire
Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 144 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Romolo Gaspari ◽  

Objective: To measure prevalence of discordance between electrical activity recorded by electrocardiography (ECG) and myocardial activity visualized by echocardiography (echo) in patients presenting after cardiac arrest and to compare survival outcomes in cohorts defined by ECG and echo. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a previously published prospective study at twenty hospitals. Patients presenting after out-of-hospital arrest were included. The cardiac electrical activity was defined by ECG and contemporaneous myocardial activity was defined by bedside echo. Myocardial activity by echo was classified as myocardial asystole- -the absence of myocardial movement, pulseless myocardial activity (PMA)--visible myocardial movement but no pulse, and myocardial fibrillation- -visualized fibrillation. Primary outcome was the prevalence of discordance between electrical activity and myocardial activity. Secondary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Results: 793 patients and 1943 pauses in CPR were included. 28.6% of CPR pauses demonstrated a difference in electrical activity (ECG) and myocardial activity (echo), 5.0% with asystole (ECG) and PMA (echo), and 22.1% with PEA (ECG) and myocardial asystole (echo). Survival to hospital admission for patients with PMA (echo) was 29.1% (95%CI-23.9-34.9) compared to those with PEA (ECG) (21.4%, 95%CI-17.7-25.6). Twenty-five percent of the 32 pauses in CPR with a shockable rhythm by echo demonstrated a non-shockable rhythm by ECG and were not defibrillated. One of these patients survived, a patient with asystole on ECG and vfib by echo survived because vfib was identified on ECG during a subsequent pause and was defibrillated. Conclusion: Patients in cardiac arrest commonly demonstrate different electrical (ECG) and myocardial activity (echo). Further research is needed to better define cardiac activity during cardiac arrest and to explore outcome between groups defined by electrical and myocardial activity.


Resuscitation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. e29
Author(s):  
Valentine Baert ◽  
Tahar Chouihed ◽  
Joséphine Escutnaire ◽  
Christian Vilhelm ◽  
Michaël Genin ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 767-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiping Chen ◽  
Bharathi H. Scott ◽  
Thomas V. Bilfinger ◽  
John Petrie ◽  
Peter S.A. Glass

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.


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.


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