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To determine the association between the induction rate and 6-month neurologic outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who underwent targeted temperature management (TTM). This retrospective observational study analyzed data prospectively collected from adult comatose OHCA survivors treated with TTM at the Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju, Korea, between October 2015 and December 2020. We measured the core body temperature (BT) through an esophageal probe and recorded it every 5 minutes throughout TTM. Induction time was defined as the elapsed time between the initiation of TTM and the achievement of target BT of 33°C. We calculated the induction rate as the change of BT divided by induction time. The primary outcome was a poor 6-month neurologic outcome, defined as cerebral performance category 3-5. Of the OHCA survivors, 218 patients were included, and 137 (62.8%) patients had a poor neurologic outcome. Patients with a poor neurologic outcome had lower BT at the initiation of TTM, shorter induction time, and higher induction rate than those with good neurologic outcomes. After adjusting for confounders, induction time (odds ratio [OR] 0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.992-0.999) and induction rate (OR 2.362; 95% CI, 1.178-4.734) were independently associated with poor neurologic outcome. BT at TTM initiation was not associated with a poor neurologic outcome. Induction rate was independently associated with a poor neurologic outcome in OHCA survivors who underwent TTM at 33°C.

We investigated the association of insulin administration method with the achievement of mean glucose ≤ 180 mg/dL and neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who had hyperglycemia after the return of spontaneous circulation. From a multicenter prospective registry, we extracted the data of adult OHCA survivors who underwent targeted temperature management (TTM) between 2015 and 2018. Blood glucose levels every 4 h after initiating TTM were obtained for 72 h. We divided insulin administration methods into three categories: subcutaneous (SQI), intravenous bolus (IBI), and continuous intravenous (CII). We calculated the mean glucose and standard deviation (SD) of glucose. The primary outcome was the achievement of mean glucose ≤ 180 mg/dL. The secondary outcomes were the 6-month neurological outcome based on the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale (good, CPC 1-2; poor, CPC 3-5), mean glucose, and SD of glucose. Of the 549 patients, 296 (53.9%) achieved mean glucose ≤ 180 mg/dL, and 438 (79.8%) had poor neurological outcomes, 134 (24.4%), 132 (24.0), and 283 (51.5%) were in the SQI, IBI, and CII groups, respectively. The SQI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.848; 95% confidence intervals [CIs], 0.493-1.461) and IBI (aOR, 0.673; 95% CIs, 0.415-1.091) groups were not associated with mean glucose ≤ 180 mg/dL and the SQI (aOR, 0.660; 95% CIs, 0.335-1.301) and IBI (aOR, 1.757; 95% CIs, 0.867-3.560) groups were not associated with poor neurological outcomes compared to the CII group. The CII (168 mg/dL [147-202]) group had the lowest mean glucose than the SQI (181 mg/dL [156-218]) and IBI (184 mg/dL [162-216]) groups. The CII (45.0[33.9-63.5]) group had a lower SD of glucose than the IBI (50.8 [39.1-72.0]) group. The insulin administration method was not associated with achieving mean glucose ≤ 180 mg/dL and 6-month neurological outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

We examined the association between variability in body temperature (BT) and water temperature (WT) during the maintenance period of targeted temperature management (TTM) and neurologic outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. Adult (≥18 years), comatose OHCA survivors who underwent TTM at 33°C between October 2015 and December 2019 were included. We collected data on BT and WT recorded every minute during the TTM maintenance period. Temperature variability was measured as the standard deviation of BT and WT during the 33°C maintenance period. The primary outcome was a poor neurologic outcome, defined as a cerebral performance category scale 3-5 at 6 months. Of the 154 included patients, 96 (62.3%) had poor outcomes. The BT variability in the poor outcome group was lower than that in the good outcome group (0.16°C [0.13-0.27°C] vs. 0.13°C [0.11-0.18°C]). In addition, the WT variability during the maintenance period in the poor outcome group was lower than that in the good outcome group (2.24°C [1.80-3.96°C] vs. 1.77°C [1.26-2.32°C]). In the multivariate analysis, WT variability (odds ratio 0.508; 95% confidence interval, 0.295-0.874; p  = 0.014) was independently associated with poor neurologic outcome. BT variability and cooling beyond 33.0°C ± 1.0°C were not associated with poor neurologic outcomes. WT variability during the maintenance period was independently associated with neurologic outcomes in OHCA survivors who underwent TTM at 33°C. In addition, overcooling or undercooling during the maintenance period was not associated with neurologic outcomes.

We evaluated the performance of cardiac arrest-specific prognostication scores developed for outcome prediction in the early hours after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in predicting long-term outcomes using independent data. The following scores were calculated for 1,163 OHCA patients who were treated with targeted temperature management (TTM) at 21 hospitals in South Korea: OHCA, cardiac arrest hospital prognosis (CAHP), C-GRApH (named on the basis of its variables), TTM risk, 5-R, NULL-PLEASE (named on the basis of its variables), Serbian quality of life long-term (SR-QOLl), cardiac arrest survival, revised post-cardiac arrest syndrome for therapeutic hypothermia (rCAST), Polish hypothermia registry (PHR) risk, and PROgnostication using LOGistic regression model for Unselected adult cardiac arrest patients in the Early stages (PROLOGUE) scores and prediction score by Aschauer et al. Their accuracies in predicting poor outcome at 6 months after OHCA were determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration belt. In the complete-case analyses, the PROLOGUE score showed the highest AUC (0.923; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.904-0.941), whereas the SR-QOLl score had the lowest AUC (0.749; 95% CI, 0.711-0.786). The discrimination performances were similar in the analyses after multiple imputation. The PROLOGUE, TTM risk, CAHP, NULL-PLEASE, 5-R, and cardiac arrest survival scores were well calibrated. The rCAST and PHR risk scores showed acceptable overall calibration, although they showed miscalibration under the 80% CI level at extreme prediction values. The OHCA score, C-GRApH score, prediction score by Aschauer et al., and SR-QOLl score showed significant miscalibration in both complete-case (P = 0.026, 0.013, 0.005, and < 0.001, respectively) and multiple-imputation analyses (P = 0.007, 0.018, < 0.001, and < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, the discrimination performances of the prognostication scores were all acceptable, but some showed significant miscalibration., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: We investigated awakening time and characteristics of awakening compared nonawakening and factors contributing to poor neurologic outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors in no withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy settings., Design: Retrospective analysis of the Korean Hypothermia Network Pro registry., Setting: Multicenter ICU., Patients: Adult (≥ 18 yr) comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors who underwent targeted temperature management at 33-36°C between October 2015 and December 2018., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: We measured the time from the end of rewarming to awakening, defined as a total Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than or equal to 9 or Glasgow Coma Scale motor score equals to 6. The primary outcome was awakening time. The secondary outcome was 6-month neurologic outcomes (poor outcome: Cerebral Performance Category 3-5). Among 1,145 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, 477 patients (41.7%) regained consciousness 30 hours (6-71 hr) later, and 116 patients (24.3%) awakened late (72 hr after the end of rewarming). Young age, witnessed arrest, shockable rhythm, cardiac etiology, shorter time to return of spontaneous circulation, lower serum lactate level, absence of seizures, and multisedative requirement were associated with awakening. Of the 477 who woke up, 74 (15.5%) had poor neurologic outcomes. Older age, liver cirrhosis, nonshockable rhythm, noncardiac etiology, a higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and higher serum lactate levels were associated with poor neurologic outcomes. Late awakeners were more common in the poor than in the good neurologic outcome group (38/74 [51.4%] vs 78/403 [19.4%]; p < 0.001). The awakening time (odds ratio, 1.005; 95% CIs, 1.003-1.008) and late awakening (odds ratio, 3.194; 95% CIs, 1.776-5.746) were independently associated with poor neurologic outcomes., Conclusions: Late awakening after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was common in no withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy settings and the probability of awakening decreased over time., Competing Interests: The authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

We aimed to verify whether slow heart rate (HR) is associated with neurologic outcome and the factors that can contribute to the development of bradycardia in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who underwent targeted temperature management (TTM). We extracted the data of comatose adult OHCA survivors who underwent TTM between October 2015 and December 2018 from the prospective multicenter registry. Data on HR recorded every 6 hours within 72 hours after return of spontaneous circulation and calculated minimal, mean, and maximal HR and time to the lowest HR were obtained. HR <50 bpm was defined as bradycardia. The primary outcome was a 6-month neurologic outcome based on Pittsburgh-Glasgow Cerebral Performance Category Scale. Of the 814 included patients, 508 (62.4%) had poor neurologic outcome and 197 (24.2%) had bradycardia. Bradycardia (odds ratio [OR], 0.574; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.362-0.192), minimal HR (OR, 1.023; 95% CI, 1.008-1.037), and mean HR (OR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.002-1.030) were independently associated with poor neurologic outcome, but not maximal HR and time to the lowest HR. Preexisting arrhythmia (OR, 2.067; 95% CI, 1.037-4.118), renal disease (OR, 2.028; 95% CI, 1.153-3.567), cardiac etiology (OR, 1.526; 95% CI, 1.045-2.228), downtime (OR, 0.985; 95% CI, 0.974-0.996), and serum lactate levels (OR, 0.936; 95% CI, 0.900-0.974) were independently associated with bradycardia. Bradycardia and decreased mean and minimal HR were independently associated with good neurologic outcomes. Bradycardia was associated with preexisting arrhythmia, renal disease, cardiac etiology, shorter downtime, and lower serum lactate level.

Aim: To examine the association between heat index (HI) during the induction, maintenance, and rewarming periods of targeted temperature management (TTM) and neurologic outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors., Methods: Adult (≥18 years) comatose OHCA survivors who underwent TTM at 33 °C between 2016 and 2018 were included. We collected data on water temperature (WT) recorded every minute during TTM. We calculated HI during induction as the inverse of the average WT × induction time (h) × 100 and HI of maintenance and rewarming as the inverse of the average WT × 100. The primary outcome was a poor neurologic outcome, based on Cerebral Performance Category 3-5 after 6 months., Results: Of the 118 included patients, 78 (66.1%) had poor outcome. Poor outcome group had lower HI during each of three periods than good outcome group. The areas under the curves for poor outcome of HI during the induction, maintenance, and rewarming periods were 0.819 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.737-0.883), 0.781 (95% CI, 0.696-0.852), and 0.844 (95% CI, 0.765-0.904), respectively. Induction time (odds ratio [OR], 0.991; 95% CI, 0.983-0.999) and HI during induction (OR, 0.916; 95% CI, 0.854-0.983), maintenance (OR, 0.082; 95% CI, 0.011-0.589), and rewarming (OR, 0.009; 95% CI, 0.000-0.285) were associated with poor outcome., Conclusions: Heat generation was independently associated with neurologic outcome in OHCA survivors who underwent TTM at 33 °C. The performance of HI was higher in the rewarming period than in the induction or maintenance period in association with poor neurologic outcomes., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim of the Study: Brain swelling after cardiac arrest may affect the ventricles. We aimed to investigate the prognostic performance of ventricular characteristics on brain computed tomography (CT) in cardiac arrest survivors who underwent targeted temperature management (TTM)., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult comatose cardiac arrest survivors who underwent brain CT scan within 24 h after resuscitation and underwent TTM from 2014 to 2016. The ventricular areas (lateral, third, and fourth ventricle), distances between the anterior horns of the lateral ventricle (LV) and the posterior horns of the LV, and maximal internal diameter of the skull were measured. Grey-to-white matter ratio (GWR), Evans' index, and relative LV area were calculated. The primary outcome was a 6-month neurologic outcome., Results: Of 258 patients, 176 (68.2%) had an unfavourable neurologic outcome. GWR, LV area, third ventricle area, distance between the anterior horns of the LV, distance between the posterior horns of the LV, Evans' index, and relative LV area were different between neurologic outcome groups. Evans' index (0.683; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.623-0.739) and relative LV area (0.670; 95% CI, 0.609-0.727) had higher value of area under the curve than the other ventricular characteristics and showed prognostic performance comparable with GWR (0.600; 95% CI, 0.538-0.661). All ventricular characteristics and GWR were not independently associated with neurologic outcome after adjusting for covariates., Conclusion: Ventricular characteristics on brain CT were associated with 6 months neurologic outcome in cardiac arrest survivors. Ventricular characteristics were objective measures that had comparable prognostic performance with GWR., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac arrest (CA) is challenging. We aimed to identify the diagnostic and prognostic performance of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for AKI and its clinical outcomes. A retrospective observational study, involving adult comatose CA survivors treated with therapeutic hypothermia between May 2013 and December 2016, was conducted. AKI was classified according to the guidelines of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes. NGAL levels were measured after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The primary outcome was development of AKI within 7 days after CA, and the secondary outcome was inhospital mortality. The study included 279 patients, of which 111 (39.8%) developed AKI and 61 (21.9%) died. Thirty-seven (33.3%) of patients in the AKI group had stage 3 AKI, and 45 (40.5%) patients received renal replacement therapy. The area under the curve of NGAL levels for diagnosing AKI was 0.725 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.668-0.776), and NGAL levels were independently associated with the development of AKI (odds ratio [OR] 1.004; 95% CI 1.002-1.006). Nonsurvivors had significantly higher NGAL levels (221.0 ng/mL [154.0-355.5] vs. 148.5 ng/mL [97.0-232.9]; p < 0.001). The development of AKI was independently associated with mortality (OR 4.926; 95% CI 2.353-10.311); however, NGAL level was not associated with mortality (OR 1.000; 95% CI 0.999-1.001). Plasma NGAL level measured after ROSC can be an early predictor for the development of AKI after CA. The presence of AKI was associated with increased inhospital mortality.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the serial changes in coagulofibrinolytic markers that occurred after the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in cardiac arrest patients, who were treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). We also evaluated the association between the disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) score and clinical outcomes., Methods: This was a single-centre, retrospective observational study that included cardiac arrest patients who were treated with TTM from May 2012 to December 2015. The prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT), along with the levels of fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP), and D-dimer were obtained after ROSC and on day 1, 2, and 3. The DIC score was calculated after ROSC. The primary outcome was the neurologic outcome at discharge and the secondary outcome was the 6-month mortality., Results: This study included 317 patients. Of these, 222 (70.0%) and 194 (61.2%) patients had a poor neurologic outcome at discharge and 6-month mortality, respectively. The PT, PTT, and fibrinogen level significantly increased over time, while the FDP and D-dimer levels decreased during first three days after ROSC. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed that the DIC score remained a significant predictor for poor neurologic outcome (odds ratio [OR], 1.800; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.323-2.451) and 6-month mortality (OR, 1.773; 95% CI, 1.307-2.405)., Conclusion: The activity of coagulation and fibrinolysis decreased over time. An increased DIC score was an independent prognostic factor for poor neurologic outcome and 6-month mortality., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We examined the association between neuromuscular blockade (NMB) requirements and outcomes and lactate clearance in cardiac arrest survivors treated with targeted temperature management (TTM)., Methods: We included consecutive adult cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM between 2012 and 2015. NMB use was categorized into 3 groups: no NMB, bolus NMB (intermittent bolus use), and continuous NMB (continuous infusion). Serum lactate levels were measured on admission and at 12h, 24h, and 48h after admission. The primary outcome was neurologic outcome at discharge. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and lactate clearance., Results: In total, 309 patients were included. Of these, 206 (66.7%) and 73 (23.6%) were discharged with poor neurologic outcome and death, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that continuous NMB, as opposed to no NMB use, was associated with decreased poor neurologic outcomes (odds ratio [OR], 0.317; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.124-0.815) and decreased in-hospital mortality (OR, 0.414; 95% CI, 0.183-0.941). There were no differences in lactate clearance between the NMB groups., Conclusion: Continuous NMB requirement was associated with improved neurologic outcome and decreased in-hospital mortality in cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM. The NMB requirement was not associated with lactate clearance., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim of the Study: Studies examining associations between time to target temperature and outcomes in cardiac arrest patients who underwent targeted temperature management (TTM) have shown inconsistent results. We examined these associations separately for time from restoration of spontaneous circulation to TTM initiation (pre-induction time) and time from TTM initiation to target temperature (induction time). Furthermore, we examined whether critical time thresholds exist if there is an association., Methods: This was a single-centre retrospective observational study including adult cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM from 2008 to 2015. We tested the associations of pre-induction time and induction time with outcomes at hospital discharge using multivariate logistic regression analysis. We then performed additional multivariate analyses, each with the significant timing variable at different binary cutoffs., Results: A total of 515 patients were analysed. At hospital discharge, 357 patients (69.3%) were alive, of whom 161 (31.3%) had a favourable neurologic outcome. In multivariate analysis, a shorter pre-induction time was independently associated with a favourable neurologic outcome (odds ratio [OR], 1.110; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.025-1.202), whereas the induction time was not (OR, 0.954; 95% CI, 0.852-1.067). We found two pre-induction time thresholds (120 and 360min) that were associated with neurologic outcome., Conclusion: We found that a shorter pre-induction time was independently associated with a favorable neurologic outcome at hospital discharge, whereas induction time was not. We also found two time thresholds at 120 and 360min, after which initiation of cooling was associated with a worse neurologic outcome., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Obesity is a well-known risk factor in various health conditions. We analyzed the association between obesity and clinical outcomes, and its effect on targeted temperature management (TTM) practice for cardiac arrest survivors by calculating and classifying their body mass indexes (BMIs)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective data analysis of adult comatose cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM from 2008 to 2015. BMI was calculated and the cohort was divided into four categories based on the cut-off values of 18.5, 23.0, and 27.5kgm -2 . The primary outcome was six-month mortality and the secondary outcomes were neurologic outcome at hospital discharge, cooling rate, and rewarming rate., Results: The study included 468 patients. Poor neurologic outcome at discharge and six-month mortality were reported in 311 (66.5%) and 271 (57.9%) patients, respectively. A multivariate logistic analysis showed that an overweight compared to normal BMI was associated with lower probability of six-month mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.481; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.274-0.846; p=0.011) and poor neurologic outcome at discharge (OR, 0.482; 95% CI, 0.258-0.903; p=0.023). BMI correlated with cooling rate (B, -0.073; 95% CI, -0.108 to -0.039; p<0.001), but had no association with rewarming rate (B, 0.003; 95% CI, -0.001-0.008; p=0.058)., Conclusion: Overweight BMI compared to normal BMI classification was found to be associated with lower six-month mortality and poor neurologic outcome at discharge in cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM. Higher BMI correlated with a slower induction rate., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a marker of severe brain injury. Here we aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of CDI in cardiac arrest survivors treated with targeted temperature management (TTM)., Methods: This retrospective observational study included consecutive adult cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM between 2008 and 2014. Central diabetes insipidus was confirmed if all of the following criteria were met: urine volume >50 cc kg(-1) d(-1), serum osmolarity >300 mmol/L, urine osmolarity <300 mmol/L, and serum sodium >145 mEq/L. The primary outcome was the incidence of CDI., Results: Of the 385 included patients, 45 (11.7%) had confirmed central CDI. Univariate analysis showed that younger age, nonwitness of collapse, nonshockable rhythm, a high incidence of asphyxia arrest, longer downtime, and lower initial core temperature were associated with CDI development. Patients with CDI had a higher incidence of poor neurologic outcomes at discharge and higher in-hospital mortality rate (20/45 vs 76/340, P= .001) as well as 180-day mortality (44/45 vs 174/340, P< .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that age (odds ratio [OR], 0.963; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.942-0.984), shockable rhythm (OR, 0.077; 95% CI, 0.009-0.662), downtime (OR, 1.025; 95% CI, 1.006-1.044), and asphyxia etiology (OR, 6.815; 95% CI, 2.457-18.899) were independently associated with CDI development., Conclusion: Central diabetes insipidus developed in 12% of cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM, and those with CDI showed poor neurologic outcomes and high mortality rates. Younger age, nonshockable rhythm, long downtime, and asphyxia arrest were significant risk factors for development of CDI., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim of the Study: We evaluated the influence of post-rewarming temperature management (PRTM) on post-rewarming fever development and determined the association between the temperature in the immediate post-targeted temperature management (TTM) period and outcomes., Methods: This retrospective observational study included consecutive adult cardiac arrest survivors treated with TTM from January 2008 to December 2013. Beginning in August 2010, our institution implemented a PRTM protocol involving continued use of temperature management device to maintain normothermia during the first 24h after rewarming. The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and neurologic outcome at discharge. We evaluated the effect on clinical outcomes of post-rewarming fever defined at a temperature over 38 °C within 48 h after rewarming., Results: Of 277 included patients, 55.2% underwent PRTM. The incidence of post-rewarming fever did not differ between the PRTM and no-PRTM groups (odds ratio [OR] 0.963, confidence interval [CI] 0.519, 1.787). Post-rewarming fever was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality (OR 0.243, CI 0.110, 0.534) and decreased rate of unfavorable neurologic outcome (OR 0.312, CI 0.182, 0.534). During 48 h following rewarming, mean temperature was 36.5 °C (36.2-36.8 °C), and peak temperature was 37.5 °C (36.8-38.1 °C). On multivariate analyses, lower mean temperature was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (OR 0.099, CI 0.037, 0.262) and unfavorable neurologic outcome (OR 0.071, CI 0.026, 0.193)., Conclusion: It appeared that PRTM did not prevent post-rewarming fever development. Post-rewarming fever was associated with favorable outcomes while lower body temperature after rewarming was associated with unfavorable outcomes. Our results require further confirmation by larger prospective studies., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Studies investigating the relationship between blood gas tension and outcome in cardiac arrest survivors have reported conflicting results. This might have resulted from the use of a blood gas value at a single time point and the difference in the proportion of patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH). We investigated the association of the mean blood gas tensions calculated from blood gas values obtained between restoration of spontaneous circulation and end of TH with the outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with TH., Methods: This was a retrospective observational study including 213 adult cardiac arrest patients. The cohort was divided into four categories based on the distribution of the mean Pao2 data using quartiles as cut-off values between categories. According to the mean Paco2, the cohort was divided into hypocarbia, normocarbia, and hypercarbia. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality., Results: In multivariate analysis, the mean Pao2 quartile was not associated with in-hospital mortality, but hypocarbia was significantly associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 2.522; 95% confidence interval 1.184-5.372; P = .016). We found a V-shaped independent association between the mean Pao2 and poor neurologic outcome at hospital discharge, with the risk of poor neurologic outcome increasing with a descending and ascending Pao2 ranges., Conclusion: Mean Pao2 had no independent association with in-hospital mortality whereas hypocarbia was independently associated with in-hospital mortality. We also found a V-shaped independent association between the mean Pao2 and poor neurologic outcome at hospital discharge., (© 2013.)

Aim of the Study: We determined whether combining the grey-to-white matter ratio (GWR) on brain computed tomography (CT) and serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) improves the prognostic performance when compared to either alone in cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH)., Methods: We performed a retrospective study of a cohort of cardiac arrest patients treated with TH. The Hounsfield unit was measured in the caudate nucleus (CN), putamen (P), posterior limb of internal capsule (PIC) and corpus callosum (CC); GWR was calculated as CN/PIC and P/CC. The NSE value was obtained at 0, 24, and 48h after restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We analysed the prognostic performance of GWR and NSE, singly and in combination, in predicting poor neurologic outcome (cerebral performance category 3-5)., Results: Of the 224 included patients, 82 showed good neurologic outcome at hospital discharge, while 142 showed poor neurologic outcome. The P/CC (area under receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) 0.864, sensitivity/specificity 52.9%/100%) showed better prognostic performance than did the CN/PIC (AUROC 0.721, sensitivity/specificity 19.8%/100%). The NSE value at 48h after ROSC (AUROC 0.895, sensitivity/specificity 60.2%/100%) showed the highest prognostic value among the three NSE time points. Analysis of 119 patients undergoing both brain CT and NSE at 48h indicated that combining P/CC and NSE improved the sensitivity (78.6%) compared to either alone (48.6%, 62.9%)., Conclusion: Combining brain CT and serum NSE improves the prognostic performance when compared to either alone in predicting poor neurologic outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with TH., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A recent study showed that increased blood glucose variability was an independent predictor of mortality in cardiac arrest survivors treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH). We hypothesized that the association of blood glucose variability with outcomes would differ depending on the TH phase, as body temperature affects glucose homeostasis., Methods: A retrospective cohort of 147 consecutive cardiac arrest patients treated with TH was analyzed. Mean absolute glucose change (MAGC) was calculated using blood glucose values during the entire TH period and during each TH phase (induction, from the TH initiation to the achievement of the target temperature; maintenance, 24 hours from the end of induction; and rewarming, from the end of the maintenance to the achievement of 36.5°C). The primary and secondary outcomes were mortality and neurological outcome at 30 days. Multivariate regression analyses were performed with variables with a significance level <0.1 on univariate analyses., Results: The hypoglycemia rate increased significantly during the rewarming phase compared with the maintenance phase (P = .003). The MAGC during the TH maintenance phase was an independent predictor of mortality (OR = 1.056, 95% CI 1.008-1.107, P = .023) and unfavorable neurologic outcome (OR = 1.202, 95% CI 1.043-1.384, P = .038), while the MAGC during the rewarming phase and the entire TH period were not., Conclusion: The increased MAGC during the TH maintenance phase was associated with mortality and unfavorable neurologic outcome. However, this study cannot prove a causal association due to the retrospective design. In addition, we showed that the hypoglycemia rate increased significantly during the rewarming phase., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Endovascular cooling using the femoral cooling catheter is widely practiced. Central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring in patients undergoing femoral endovascular cooling may require the placement of another catheter near the right atrium (RA). We sought to estimate the agreement between the CVP recorded from catheters placed in the superior vena caval pressure (SVCP) and the inferior vena caval pressure (IVCP) recorded from the femoral cooling catheter in patients undergoing femoral endovascular cooling., Methods: We enrolled adult cardiac arrest survivors undergoing femoral endovascular cooling. A commercially available central venous catheter was placed in the SVC (superior vena cava) near the RA via subclavian venous access. Both SVCP and IVCP were recorded every 4 hours during therapeutic hypothermia. Arterial pressure, heart rate, peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) at the time of vena caval pressure measurements were obtained., Results: A total of 323 pairs of SVCP and IVCP measurements were collected. The correlation coefficient between SVCP and IVCP was 0.965 (P < .001). The mean difference between SVCP and IVCP was -0.45 mm Hg (SD, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, -0.59 to -0.31 mm Hg). The limits of agreement were -2.94 to 2.05 mm Hg. Vena caval pressures were significantly correlated with airway pressures (peak inspiratory pressure and positive end expiratory pressure), whereas the difference between SVCP and IVCP did not correlate with airway pressures., Conclusion: Inferior vena caval pressure measured via the femoral cooling catheter showed excellent agreement with CVP recorded from catheters placed in the SVC, which indicates that the femoral cooling catheter can be used for monitoring CVP., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Fenpyroximate is a potent inhibitor of the mitochondrial proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (complex I). Although it is widely used as an acaricide, data on the acute toxicity of fenpyroximate in humans are very limited., Case Detail: A 44-year-old woman was brought to our hospital with a reduced level of consciousness, hypotension, and severe lactic acidosis after deliberate ingestion of 5% fenpyroximate solution. The acidosis progressively deteriorated despite maximal supportive treatment, and cardiac arrest refractory to standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation developed. The patient was successfully resuscitated with percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, therapeutic hypothermia, and intravenous acetylcysteine. Blood gases of simultaneously obtained arterial and central venous blood revealed decreased arteriovenous oxygen difference., Discussion: The present case, along with previous cases of fatal complex I inhibitor poisoning, indicates that impaired oxygen utilization at the tissue level is the major mechanism underlying the fatality of this condition. Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support may help restore vital organ perfusion by increasing oxygen delivery even in the presence of decreased oxygen consumption, thereby allowing additional time for recovery and drug metabolism. Therapeutic hypothermia also may be beneficial in treating severe complex I inhibitor poisoning, since hypothermia itself attenuates oxidative processes and decreases the metabolic rate.