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Aim: Cardiac arrest afflicts over 600,000 people annually in the United States. Rates of survival from cardiac arrest have remained stagnant for decades. Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) is most commonly used in the management of severe hemorrhagic shock, primarily for non-compressible thoracoabdominal trauma. A growing body of evidence suggests it may serve a role in augmenting cardiac and cerebral perfusion in non-traumatic, refractory cardiac arrest. Typically, REBOA is deployed by interventional radiologists under real-time fluoroscopy. Limited data exist to demonstrate the feasibility or logistics of successful REBOA deployment in emergency departments by emergency medicine physicians., Methods: We describe an emergency medicine-driven training program and treatment protocol developed to deploy REBOA in the emergency department for patients experiencing refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and deemed ineligible for ECPR. We detail the training, certification processes, and clinical outcomes from our first eight cases., Results: Five emergency medicine physicians underwent training for REBOA placement through a didactic curriculum and hands-on training with mannequin and live tissue porcine models. Since protocol implementation, eight patients have undergone REBOA catheterization by emergency medicine physicians: 5 males and 3 females, age range 25-79. The first pass success was 8/8 (100 %), and all 3 commercially available catheters in the United States were successfully used. ROSC was achieved in 3/8 (37.5 %) patients, although no patients survived to hospital discharge. No REBOA catheter-associated complications were identified., Conclusions: This series demonstrates feasibility of emergency physician placed REBOA for non-traumatic, refractory cardiac arrest a novel resuscitative technique. Through a combination of focused education, innovative technology use, robust large animal model-based training, and strategic procedural integration, we showcase the potential for emergency departments to spearhead the adoption of this potentially life-saving intervention., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Austin Johnson is a co-founder, board member, consultant, and stockholder in Certus Critical Care. Dr. Austin Johnson is a board member of TitinKM Biomedical.

Background: Cardiac arrest is a common and devastating emergency of both the heart and brain. More than 380,000 patients suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually in the USA. Induced cooling of comatose patients markedly improved neurological and functional outcomes in pivotal randomized clinical trials, but the optimal duration of therapeutic hypothermia has not yet been established., Methods: This study is a multi-center randomized, response-adaptive, duration (dose) finding, comparative effectiveness clinical trial with blinded outcome assessment. We investigate two populations of adult comatose survivors of cardiac arrest to ascertain the shortest duration of cooling that provides the maximum treatment effect. The design is based on a statistical model of response as defined by the primary endpoint, a weighted 90-day mRS (modified Rankin Scale, a measure of neurologic disability), across the treatment arms. Subjects will initially be equally randomized between 12, 24, and 48 h of therapeutic cooling. After the first 200 subjects have been randomized, additional treatment arms between 12 and 48 h will be opened and patients will be allocated, within each initial cardiac rhythm type (shockable or non-shockable), by response adaptive randomization. As the trial continues, shorter and longer duration arms may be opened. A maximum sample size of 1800 subjects is proposed. Secondary objectives are to characterize: the overall safety and adverse events associated with duration of cooling, the effect on neuropsychological outcomes, and the effect on patient-reported quality of life measures., Discussion: In vitro and in vivo studies have shown the neuroprotective effects of therapeutic hypothermia for cardiac arrest. We hypothesize that longer durations of cooling may improve either the proportion of patients that attain a good neurological recovery or may result in better recovery among the proportion already categorized as having a good outcome. If the treatment effect of cooling is increasing across duration, for at least some set of durations, then this provides evidence of the efficacy of cooling itself versus normothermia, even in the absence of a normothermia control arm, confirming previous RCTs for OHCA survivors of shockable rhythms and provides the first prospective controlled evidence of efficacy in those without initial shockable rhythms., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04217551. Registered on 30 December 2019., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Differences in outcomes by indication for venoarterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) are poorly described. We hypothesized that patients on VA-ECLS for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) have fewer complications and better survival than patients on VA-ECLS for other indications., Methods: All patients ≥18 years on VA-ECLS from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization global registry (2010-2019) were evaluated (n = 29,842). After excluding patients aged >79 years (n = 729) and those with incomplete indication data (n = 2530), patients were stratified by VA-ECLS indication for PE vs all other indications. The association between being discharged alive and each type of complication with VA-ECLS indication was assessed., Results: Of 26,583 patients included in the analysis, 978 (3.7%) were on VA-ECLS for a primary diagnosis of acute PE. Acute PE patients were younger (53.1 vs 56.7 years, P < .001) and were more likely to be women (52.1% vs 32.3%, P < .001). Patients who underwent VA-ECLS for acute PE were 78% more likely to be discharged alive vs patients supported with VA-ECLS for other reasons (52.8% vs 40.4%; P < .001). Acute PE patients had fewer cardiovascular and renal complications (26.6% vs 38.0% and 31.1% vs 39.4%, respectively; adjusted P < .001). Acute PE patients had higher odds of having clots and mechanical complications (8.7% vs 7.9% and 16.7% vs 14.6%, respectively; adjusted P < .001)., Conclusions: Patients undergoing VA-ECLS for acute PE have higher odds of survival to hospital discharge compared with those supported for other indications. Additionally, VA-ECLS in this population is associated with fewer cardiovascular and renal complications but higher mechanical complications., (Copyright © 2024 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cardiac arrest is a common and devastating emergency of both the heart and brain. More than 380,000 patients suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually in the United States. Induced cooling of comatose patients markedly improved neurological and functional outcomes in pivotal randomized clinical trials, but the optimal duration of therapeutic hypothermia has not yet been established., Methods: This study is a multi-center randomized, response-adaptive, duration (dose) finding, comparative effectiveness clinical trial with blinded outcome assessment. We investigate two populations of adult comatose survivors of cardiac arrest to ascertain the shortest duration of cooling that provides the maximum treatment effect. The design is based on a statistical model of response as defined by the primary endpoint, a weighted 90-day mRS (modified Rankin Scale, a measure of neurologic disability), across the treatment arms. Subjects will initially be equally randomized between 12, 24, and 48 hours of therapeutic cooling. After the first 200 subjects have been randomized, additional treatment arms between 12 and 48 hours will be opened and patients will be allocated, within each initial cardiac rhythm type (shockable or non-shockable), by response adaptive randomization. As the trial continues, shorter and longer duration arms may be opened. A maximum sample size of 1800 subjects is proposed. Secondary objectives are to characterize: the overall safety and adverse events associated with duration of cooling, the effect on neuropsychological outcomes, and the effect on patient reported quality of life measures., Discussion: In-vitro and in-vivo studies have shown the neuroprotective effects of therapeutic hypothermia for cardiac arrest. We hypothesize that longer durations of cooling may improve either the proportion of patients that attain a good neurological recovery or may result in better recovery among the proportion already categorized as having a good outcome. If the treatment effect of cooling is increasing across duration, for at least some set of durations, then this provides evidence of the efficacy of cooling itself versus normothermia, even in the absence of a normothermia control arm, confirming previous RCTs for OHCA survivors of shockable rhythms and provides the first prospective controlled evidence of efficacy in those without initial shockable rhythms., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04217551, 2019-12-30)., Competing Interests: Competing interests {28} B Abella: Funding: NIH, DOD, Neuroptics, Becton Dickinson; equity: VOC Health, Neuroptics, MDAlly, volunteer: AHA T Aufderheide: Unrestricted research grant from ZOLL Medical, Inc. S Berry: Part owner of Berry Consultants K Broglio: Owns stock in AstraZeneca NIH (K23HL157610) and Hyper ne (SAFE MRI study) S Cho: NIH (K23HL157610) and Hyper ne (SAFE MRI study) R Lewis: I am the Senior Medical Scientist at Berry Consultants, LLC, a statistical consulting firm that specializes in the design, conduct, and analysis of Bayesian adaptive clinical trials. Berry Consultants contributed to the statistical design of the trial reported here. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Background: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a key support modality for cardiogenic shock. The 2018 United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) heart transplant allocation algorithm prioritizes VA-ECMO patients., Objective: To evaluate the role of VA-ECMO in bridging to advanced heart failure therapies., Methods: We analyzed adult patients from the multicenter Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry receiving VA-ECMO for cardiac support or resuscitation between 2016 and 2021 in the United States, comparing bridge-to-transplant (BTT) and non-BTT intent patients, as well as pre- vs post-2018 patients, on a wide range of demographic and clinical outcome predictors., Results: Of 17,087 patients, 797 received left ventricular assist device (LVAD)/heart transplant, 7,931 died or had poor prognosis, and 8,359 had expected recovery at ECMO discontinuation. Patients supported with BTT intent had lower clinical acuity than non-BTT candidates and were more likely to receive LVAD/transplant. The proportion of patients who received VA-ECMO as BTT and received LVAD/transplant increased after 2018. Post-2018 BTT patients had significantly lower clinical acuity and higher likelihood of transplant than both post-2018 non-BTT patients and pre-2018 BTT patients. ECMO complications were associated with lower likelihood of transplant but were significantly less common post-2018 than pre-2018., Conclusions: After implementation of the 2018 UNOS allocation system, ECMO utilization as BTT or LVAD has increased, and the acuity of BTT intent patients cannulated for ECMO has decreased. There has not yet been an increase in more acute ECMO patients getting transplanted. This may partially explain the post-transplant outcomes of ECMO patients in the current era reported in UNOS., (Copyright © 2023 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite efforts to advance therapies in cardiogenic shock (CS), outcomes remain poor. This is likely due to several factors, including major gaps in our understanding of the pathophysiology, phenotyping of patients, and challenges with conducting adequately powered clinical studies. An unmet need exists for a comprehensive multicentre "all-comers" prospective registry to facilitate characterising contemporary presentation, treatment (in a device-agnostic fashion), and short- and intermediate-term outcomes and quality of life (QOL) of CS patients., Methods: The Multicenter Collaborative to Enhance Biological Understanding, Quality and Outcomes in Cardiogenic Shock (VANQUISH Shock) registry is a prospective observational registry that will study unrestricted adult patients with a primary diagnosis of CS at 4 North American centres with multidisciplinary shock programs. Both acute myocardial infarction (AMI-CS) and acute heart failure (HF-CS) etiologies will be included, and the registry will be device agnostic and widely inclusive. The primary end point will be survival at 30 days after hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes will include in-hospital adverse events and survival to 6 and 12 months. Patients will also undergo neurologic and health-related QOL assessments with the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) and Short-Form 36 (SF-36) health survey tools before discharge and during follow-up. Serial biospecimens will facilitate biomarker studies., Conclusions: The VANQUISH Shock registry provides a unique opportunity to study the pathophysiology, contemporary management, clinical course, and outcomes of CS. By capturing detailed and high-quality longitudinal data, the registry will address existing knowledge gaps and serve as a springboard for future mechanistic clinical studies to advance the field., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The impact of cervical cannulation on neurologic outcome has not been yet studied among children receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the context of severe sepsis or septic shock. A retrospective cohort study was performed using the extracorporeal life support organization (ELSO) registry. A total of 559 children weighing less than 20 kg with a primary or secondary diagnosis of severe sepsis, septic shock or toxic shock syndrome were included between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. Cervical cannulation was performed in 485 children (87%) and central cannulation in 74 children (13%). The prevalence of acute neurologic event (ANE) was 32%, including clinical and/or electroencephalographic seizures, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and/or brain death. In multivariable analysis, we did not find an association between cervical cannulation and greater/lesser odds of ANE during ECMO (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-2.65; P = 0.326). Only pre-ECMO acidosis was independently associated with the development of ANE (pH < 6.99; aOR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.34-5.49; P = 0.006; pH 6.99 to <7.12; aOR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.37-4.82; P = 0.003). Thus, the site of cannulation appears not as a modifiable neurologic risk factor in this young septic population., Competing Interests: Disclosure: P.R. is a member of the ELSO Executive Committee and J.T. is a member of the ELSO Registry committee. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright © ASAIO 2021.)

Background: Early adrenaline administration is associated with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Animal data demonstrate a similar rate of ROSC when early intramuscular (IM) adrenaline is given compared to early intravenous (IV) adrenaline., Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of protocolized first-dose IM adrenaline in OHCA and it's effect on time from Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) call receipt to adrenaline administration when compared to IO and IV administration., Methods: This is a before-and-after feasibility study of adult OHCAs in a single EMS service following adoption of a protocol for first-dose IM adrenaline. Time from PSAP call to administration and outcomes were compared to 674 historical controls (from January 1, 2013-February 8, 2021) who received at least one dose of adrenaline by IV or IO routes., Results: During the study period, first-dose IM adrenaline was administered to 99 patients (December 1, 2019-February 8, 2021). IM adrenaline was given a median of 12.2 min (95% CI 11.4-13.1 min) after the PSAP call receipt compared to 15.3 min for the IV route (95% CI 14.6-16.0 min) and 15.3 min for the IO route (95% CI 14.9-15.7 min) with a time savings of 3 min (95% CI 2-4 min). Rates of survival to hospital discharge appeared similar between groups: 10% for IM, 8% for IV and 7% for IO. However, results related to survival were underpowered for statistical comparison., Conclusions: Within the limitations of a small sample size and before-and-after design, first-dose IM adrenaline was feasible and reduced the time to adrenaline administration., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Quality improvement in the intensive care unit has transitioned from focusing on mortality to improving care and reducing morbidity., Objective: This study prospectively investigated clinical and system drivers of family satisfaction in a large quaternary hospital ICU., Methods: A validated tool was distributed to family members and a registry chart analysis was conducted. The aims were to assess associations with high or low family satisfaction to evaluate unit-level satisfaction. Candidate predictors were selected from univariate logistic regressions and finalized in a multivariate model by a stepwise selection approach., Results: Overall, 75% (n = 188) of respondents (n = 250) indicated high satisfaction. Respondents with higher satisfaction had a Plan of the Day posted (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.63, 6.89, p = 0.001), and did not live with the patient (OR =0.5, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.96, p = 0.044)., Conclusion: This study indicates that communication and transparency of plans contributes to family satisfaction with ICU care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No authors have any conflict of interest or financial or other relationship that may inappropriately influence the work to report., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Although acute brain injury is common in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, little is known regarding the mechanism and predictors of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. We aimed to determine the risk factors and outcomes of each ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in patients with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support., Design: Retrospective analysis., Setting: Data reported to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization by 310 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation centers from 2013 to 2017., Patients: Patients more than 18 years old supported with a single run of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Of 10,342 venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients, 401 (3.9%) experienced ischemic stroke and 229 (2.2%) experienced hemorrhagic stroke. Reported acute brain injury during venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation decreased from 10% to 6% in 5 years. Overall in-hospital mortality was 56%, but rates were higher when ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke were present (76% and 86%, respectively). In multivariable analysis, lower pre-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation pH (adjusted odds ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.09-0.49; p < 0.001), higher PO2 on first day of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (adjusted odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02; p = 0.009), higher rates of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit mechanical failure (adjusted odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.02-1.74; p = 0.03), and renal replacement therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14-1.94; p = 0.004) were independently associated with ischemic stroke. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.16-2.22; p = 0.004), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration (adjusted odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.03; p = 0.02), renal replacement therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.30-2.52; p < 0.001), and hemolysis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.11-3.16; p = 0.02) were independently associated with hemorrhagic stroke., Conclusions: Despite a decrease in the prevalence of acute brain injury in recent years, mortality rates remain high when ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes are present. Future research is necessary on understanding the timing of associated risk factors to promote prevention and management strategy.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the association between vasopressor dosing intensity during the first 6 hours and first 24 hours after the onset of septic shock and 30-day in-hospital mortality; 2) determine whether the effect of vasopressor dosing intensity varies by fluid resuscitation volume; and 3) determine whether the effect of vasopressor dosing intensity varies by dosing titration pattern., Design: Multicenter prospective cohort study between September 2017 and February 2018. Vasopressor dosing intensity was defined as the total vasopressor dose infused across all vasopressors in norepinephrine equivalents., Setting: Thirty-three hospital sites in the United States (n = 32) and Jordan (n = 1)., Patients: Consecutive adults requiring admission to the ICU with septic shock treated with greater than or equal to 1 vasopressor within 24 hours of shock onset., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Out of 1,639 patients screened, 616 were included. Norepinephrine (93%) was the most common vasopressor. Patients received a median of 3,400 mL (interquartile range, 1,851-5,338 mL) during the 24 hours after shock diagnosis. The median vasopressor dosing intensity during the first 24 hours of shock onset was 8.5 μg/min norepinephrine equivalents (3.4-18.1 μg/min norepinephrine equivalents). In the first 6 hours, increasing vasopressor dosing intensity was associated with increased odds ratio of 30-day in-hospital mortality, with the strength of association dependent on concomitant fluid administration. Over the entire 24 hour period, every 10 μg/min increase in vasopressor dosing intensity was associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.16-1.53), and this association did not vary with the amount of fluid administration. Compared to an early high/late low vasopressor dosing strategy, an early low/late high or sustained high vasopressor dosing strategy was associated with higher mortality., Conclusions: Increasing vasopressor dosing intensity during the first 24 hours after septic shock was associated with increased mortality. This association varied with the amount of early fluid administration and the timing of vasopressor titration.

Objectives: To characterize the association between the use of physiologic assessment (central venous pressure, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure, stroke volume variation, pulse pressure variation, passive leg raise test, and critical care ultrasound) with fluid and vasopressor administration 24 hours after shock onset and with in-hospital mortality., Design: Multicenter prospective cohort study between September 2017 and February 2018., Settings: Thirty-four hospitals in the United States and Jordan., Patients: Consecutive adult patients requiring admission to the ICU with systolic blood pressure less than or equal to 90 mm Hg, mean arterial blood pressure less than or equal to 65 mm Hg, or need for vasopressor., Interventions: None., Measurement and Main Results: Of 1,639 patients enrolled, 39% had physiologic assessments. Use of physiologic assessment was not associated with cumulative fluid administered within 24 hours of shock onset, after accounting for baseline characteristics, etiology and location of shock, ICU types, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III, and hospital (beta coefficient, 0.04; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.15). In multivariate analysis, the use of physiologic assessment was associated with a higher likelihood of vasopressor use (adjusted odds ratio, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.45-2.71) and higher 24-hour cumulative vasopressor dosing as norepinephrine equivalent (beta coefficient, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19-0.55). The use of vasopressor was associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.27-2.78). In-hospital mortality was not associated with the use of physiologic assessment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.63-1.18)., Conclusions: The use of physiologic assessment in the 24 hours after shock onset is associated with increased use of vasopressor but not with fluid administration.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a supportive therapy for patients with severe cardiovascular or respiratory failure refractory to conventional medical therapy. Improvements in ECMO technology, easy access to ECMO devices, and a greater understanding of care of ECMO patients have led to increased utilization of ECMO. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry was established in 1984, to collect data on patients receiving ECMO support to help improve outcomes of these patients. The registry has grown to include over 400 contributing centers from 60 countries with data for more than 90,000 patients. Many investigators have used the ELSO registry to answer clinical questions on outcomes and care of this vulnerable patient population. This report provides a brief summary of 16 peer-reviewed articles that have advanced the knowledge and treatment of neonates, children, and adults supported with ECMO using data from the ELSO registry.

Study Objective: Point-of-care ultrasonography provides diagnostic information in addition to visual pulse checks during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The most commonly used modality, transthoracic echocardiography, has unfortunately been repeatedly associated with prolonged pauses in chest compressions, which correlate with worsened neurologic outcomes. Unlike transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography does not require cessation of compressions for adequate imaging and provides the diagnostic benefit of point-of-care ultrasonography. To assess a benefit of transesophageal echocardiography, we compare the duration of chest compression pauses between transesophageal echocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, and manual pulse checks on video recordings of cardiac arrest resuscitations., Methods: We analyzed 139 pulse check CPR pauses among 25 patients during cardiac arrest., Results: Transesophageal echocardiography provided the shortest mean pulse check duration (9 seconds [95% confidence interval {CI} 5 to 12 seconds]). Mean pulse check duration with transthoracic echocardiography was 19 seconds (95% CI 16 to 22 seconds), and it was 11 seconds (95% CI 8 to 14 seconds) with manual checks. Intraclass correlation coefficient between abstractors for a portion of individual and average times was 0.99 and 0.99, respectively (P<.001 for both)., Conclusion: Our study suggests that pulse check times with transesophageal echocardiography are shorter versus with transthoracic echocardiography for ED point-of-care ultrasonography during cardiac arrest resuscitations, and further emphasizes the need for careful attention to compression pause duration when using transthoracic echocardiography for point-of-care ultrasonography during ED cardiac arrest resuscitations., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: There is growing interest and application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a life-saving procedure for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), also called extracorporeal life support (ECLS). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation with ongoing chest compressions is challenging, and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an invaluable tool with which to guide ECMO wire guidance and cannula positioning., Methods: We describe our protocol for TEE guidance by emergency physicians in our hospital., Results: Of our first 12 cases of ECLS, 10 have had TEE guidance by an emergency physician with successful placement and without complication or need for repositioning. Emergency physician-performed TEE for ECLS vascular cannula placement has been both feasible and useful in our experience and warrants further study., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)