INTRODUCTION: Out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest (OHCA) is a major public health challenge and post-return-of-spontaneous-circulation (ROSC) goals have shifted from just survival to survival with intact neurology. Although post-ROSC care is crucial for survival with intact neurology, there are insufficient well-established protocols for post-resuscitation care. We aimed to evaluate post-resuscitation care in the emergency department (ED) of adult (aged ≥16 years) OHCA patients with sustained ROSC and its associated neurologically intact survival. METHODS: A retrospective review of electronic medical records was conducted for OHCA patients with sustained ROSC at the ED. Data including demographics, pre-hospital resuscitation, ED resuscitation, post-resuscitation care and eventual outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: Among 921 OHCA patients, 85 (9.2%) had sustained ROSC at the ED. Nineteen patients (19/85, 22.4%) survived, with 13 (13/85, 15.3%) having intact neurology at discharge. Electrocardiogram and chest X-ray were performed in all OHCA patients, whereas computed tomography (CT) was performed inconsistently, with CT brain being most common (74/85, 87.1%), while CT pulmonary angiogram (6/85, 7.1%), abdomen and pelvis (4/85, 4.7%) and aortogram (2/85, 2.4%) were done infrequently. Only four patients (4.7%) had all five neuroprotective goals of normoxia, normocarbia, normotension, normothermia and normoglycaemia achieved in the ED. The proportion of all five neuroprotective goals being met was significantly higher ( P = 0.01) among those with neurologically intact survival (3/13, 23.1%) than those without (1/72, 1.4%). CONCLUSION Post-resuscitation care at the ED showed great variability, indicating gaps between recommended guidelines and clinical practice. Good quality post-resuscitation care, centred around neuroprotection goals, must be initiated promptly to achieve meaningful survival with intact neurology.
Humans ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/mortality* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/methods* ; Return of Spontaneous Circulation ; Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Electrocardiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Aged, 80 and over

OBJECTIVE: The benefits of targeted temperature management (TTM) for resuscitated out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with an initial non-shockable rhythm are still unclear. This study examined whether TTM reduces the mortality and improves the neurological outcomes of OHCA with a non-shockable initial rhythm. METHODS: This study analyzed the clinical outcome of 401 resuscitated patients with an initial non-shockable rhythm among a total of 1,616 OHCA patients who were registered in Cardiac Arrest Pursuit Trial with Unique Registration and Epidemiologic Surveillance. The impact of TTM was investigated after accounting for the patients' propensity for TTM. The primary outcome was a 30-day in-hospital course with a neurologically favorable outcome defined by a cerebral performance categories scale ≤2. RESULTS: TTM was performed in 89 patients (22%) with an initial non-shockable rhythm. Patients who has received TTM had a tendency to be younger, more likely to be female, and more likely to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. The clinical outcome of the patients in the initial non-shockable rhythm treated by TTM was superior to those without TTM (hazard ratio [HR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27–0.46). Further analysis after propensity score matching or inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) showed consistent findings (propensity score matching: HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.22–0.45; IPTW: HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.31–0.52; P<0.001, all). CONCLUSION: In this nationwide OHCA registry, TTM was related to an approximately three-fold better 30-day neurologically favorable survival of resuscitated patients with TTM treatment than patients without TTM in the initial non-shockable rhythm.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Epidemiological Monitoring ; Female ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Mortality ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to confirm the effects of traditional holidays on the incidence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in South Korea. METHODS: We studied 95,066 OHCAs of cardiac cause from a nationwide, prospective study from the Korea OHCA Registry from January 2012 to December 2016. We compared the incidence of OHCA, in-hospital mortality, and neurologic outcomes between traditional holidays, Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day), and other day types (weekday, weekend, and public holiday). RESULTS: OHCA occurred more frequently on traditional holidays than on the other days. The median OHCA incidence were 51.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 44.0–58.0), 53.0 (IQR, 46.0–60.5), 52.5 (IQR, 45.3–59.8), and 60.0 (IQR, 52.0–69.0) cases/day on weekday, weekend, public holiday, and traditional holiday, respectively (p<0.001). The OHCA occurred more often at home rather than in public place, lesser bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed, and the rate of cessation of CPR within 20 minutes without recovery of spontaneous circulation was higher on traditional holiday. After multivariable adjustment, traditional holiday was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.339; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.058–1.704; p=0.016) but better neurologic outcomes (adjusted HR, 0.503; 95% CI, 0.281–0.894; p=0.020) than weekdays. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of OHCAs was associated with day types in a year. It occurred more frequently on traditional holidays than on other day types. It was associated with higher in-hospital mortality and favorable neurologic outcomes than weekday.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Epidemiology ; Heart Arrest ; Holidays ; Hospital Mortality ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mortality ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Coronary vasospasms are one of the important causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Provocation of coronary vasospasms can be useful, though some results may lead to false positives, with patients potentially experiencing recurrent SCD despite appropriate medical treatments. We hypothesized that it is not coronary vasospasms but inherited primary arrhythmia syndromes (IPAS) that underlie the development of SCD. METHODS: We analyzed 74 consecutive patients (3.8%) who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among 1,986 patients who had angiographically proven coronary vasospasms. Electrical abnormalities were evaluated in serial follow-up electrocardiograms (ECGs) during and after the index event for a 3.9 years median follow-up. Major clinical events were defined as the composite of death and recurrent SCD events. RESULTS: Forty five patients (60.8%) displayed electrocardiographic abnormalities suggesting IPAS: Brugada type patterns in six (8.2%), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia patterns in three (4.1%), long QT syndrome pattern in one (2.2%), and early repolarization in 38 (51.4%). Patients having major clinical events showed more frequent Brugada type patterns, early repolarization, and more diffuse multivessel coronary vasospasms. Brugada type pattern ECGs (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 4.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 15.99; p = 0.034), and early repolarization (HR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.09 to 8.10; p = 0.034) were ultimately associated with an increased risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Even though a number of aborted SCD survivors have coronary vasospasms, some also have IPAS, which has the potential to cause SCD. Therefore, meticulous evaluations and follow-ups for IPAS are required in those patients.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia ; Coronary Vasospasm* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac* ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome ; Masks* ; Mortality ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Survivors

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and mortality and neurologic outcomes with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: Patients with PCAS after OHCA admitted to the intensive care unit between January 2014 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: total of 104 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 54.4 ± 15.3 years, and 75 of the patients were male (72.1%). Arrest with a cardiac origin was found in 55 (52.9%). LVEF < 45%, 45-55%, and > 55% was measured in 39 (37.5%), 18 (17.3%), and 47 (45.2%) of patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, severe LV dysfunction (LVEF < 45%) was significantly related to 7-day mortality (odds ratio 3.02, 95% Confidence Interval 1.01-9.0, p-value 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, moderate to severe LVEF within 48 hours after return of spontaneous circulation was significantly related to 7-day short-term mortality in patients with PCAS after OHCA. Clinicians should actively treat myocardial dysfunction, and further studies are needed.
Echocardiography ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Mortality* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest* ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume*

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and mortality and neurologic outcomes with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: Patients with PCAS after OHCA admitted to the intensive care unit between January 2014 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: total of 104 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 54.4 ± 15.3 years, and 75 of the patients were male (72.1%). Arrest with a cardiac origin was found in 55 (52.9%). LVEF < 45%, 45-55%, and > 55% was measured in 39 (37.5%), 18 (17.3%), and 47 (45.2%) of patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, severe LV dysfunction (LVEF < 45%) was significantly related to 7-day mortality (odds ratio 3.02, 95% Confidence Interval 1.01-9.0, p-value 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, moderate to severe LVEF within 48 hours after return of spontaneous circulation was significantly related to 7-day short-term mortality in patients with PCAS after OHCA. Clinicians should actively treat myocardial dysfunction, and further studies are needed.
Echocardiography ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume

PURPOSE: The relationship between prognostic factors and outcomes of post-cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia was analyzed. METHODS: We conducted a tertiary center retrospective study of post-cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia between January 2008 and December 2012. We investigated the association of the following factors with outcomes: BMI, time to ROSC, number of vasoactive drugs, smoking, alcohol, and short time to therapeutic range in hypothermia. RESULTS: A total of 251 patients were enrolled in this study. Large number of vasoactive drugs was a prognostic factor of 3-month mortality (adjusted OR 1.96, 95% CI:1.41-2.71, p<0.001). Obesity (BMI> or =25 kg/m2) was not associated with delayed time to therapeutic range in hypothermia. Both univariate and multivariate analysis showed that high initial BT (beta(SE)=63.64 (11.53), p<0.001) and a small number of vasoactive drugs (beta(SE)=18.66(8.74), p=0.034) were independent predictors of delayed time to therapeutic range in hypothermia. CONCLUSION: In this study, a small number of vasoactive drugs showed a significant influence on delayed time to therapeutic range in patients receiving therapeutic hypothermia after return of spontaneous circulation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Heart Arrest* ; Humans ; Hypothermia* ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obesity ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking

We validated the basic life support termination of resuscitation (BLS TOR) rule retrospectively using Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) data of metropolitan emergency medical service (EMS) in Korea. We also tested it by investigating the scene time interval for supplementing the BLS TOR rule. OHCA database of Seoul (January 2011 to December 2012) was used, which is composed of ambulance data and hospital medical record review. EMS-treated OHCA and 19 yr or older victims were enrolled, after excluding cases occurred in the ambulance and with incomplete information. The primary and secondary outcomes were hospital mortality and poor neurologic outcome. After calculating the sensitivity (SS), specificity (SP), and the positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), tested the rule according to the scene time interval group for sensitivity analysis. Of total 4,835 analyzed patients, 3,361 (69.5%) cases met all 3 criteria of the BLS TOR rule. Of these, 3,224 (95.9%) were dead at discharge (SS,73.5%; SP,69.6%; PPV,95.9%; NPV, 21.3%) and 3,342 (99.4%) showed poor neurologic outcome at discharge (SS, 75.2%; SP, 89.9%; PPV, 99.4%; NPV, 11.5%). The cut-off scene time intervals for 100% SS and PPV were more than 20 min for survival to discharge and more than 14 min for good neurological recovery. The BLS TOR rule showed relatively lower SS and PPV in OHCA data in Seoul, Korea.
Adult ; Advanced Cardiac Life Support/*mortality ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/*mortality ; Critical Care/statistics & numerical data ; Decision Support Techniques ; Electric Countershock/*mortality ; Emergency Medical Services ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/*epidemiology/*mortality/therapy ; Refusal to Treat ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Time Factors ; Time-to-Treatment ; Treatment Outcome

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a significant issue affecting national health policies. The National Emergency Department Information System for Cardiac Arrest (NEDIS-CA) consortium managed a prospective registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) at the emergency department (ED) level. We analyzed the NEDIS-CA data from 29 participating hospitals from January 2008 to July 2009. The primary outcomes were incidence of OHCA and final survival outcomes at discharge. Factors influencing survival outcomes were assessed as secondary outcomes. The implementation of advanced emergency management (drugs, endotracheal intubation) and post-cardiac arrest care (therapeutic hypothermia, coronary intervention) was also investigated. A total of 4,156 resuscitation-attempted OHCAs were included, of which 401 (9.6%) patients survived to discharge and 79 (1.9%) were discharged with good neurologic outcomes. During the study period, there were 1,662,470 ED visits in participant hospitals; therefore, the estimated number of resuscitation-attempted CAs was 1 per 400 ED visits (0.25%). Factors improving survival outcomes included younger age, witnessed collapse, onset in a public place, a shockable rhythm in the pre-hospital setting, and applied advanced resuscitation care. We found that active advanced multidisciplinary resuscitation efforts influenced improvement in the survival rate. Resuscitation by public witnesses improved the short-term outcomes (return of spontaneous circulation, survival admission) but did not increase the survival to discharge rate. Strategies are required to reinforce the chain of survival and high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation in Korea.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/*mortality ; Critical Care/*statistics & numerical data ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac/*epidemiology ; Electric Countershock/mortality ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/*epidemiology/*mortality/therapy ; Registries ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has become a standard strategy for reducing brain damage in the postresuscitation period. The aim of this study is to investigate the outcomes and current performance of TH with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors through the Korean hypothermia network (KORHN) registry. METHODS: We used the KORHN registry, a web-based, multicenter registry that includes 24 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea. Adult comatose OHCA survivors treated with TH from 2007 to 2012 were included. The primary outcomes were neurologic outcome at hospital discharge and in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes were TH performance and adverse events during TH. RESULTS: A total of 930 patients were included; of these, 556 (59.8%) patients survived to discharge and 249 (26.8%) were discharged with good neurologic outcomes. The median time from return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) to the start of TH was 101 (interquartile range (IQR): 46-200) minutes. The induction, maintenance, and rewarming durations were 150 (IQR: 80-267) minutes, 1440 (IQR: 1290-1440) minutes, and 708 (IQR: 420-900) minutes, respectively. The time from the ROSC to coronary angiography was 1,045 (IQR: 121-12,051) hours. Hyperglycemia (46.3%) was the most frequent adverse event. CONCLUSION: Over one quarter of OHCA survivors (26.8%) were discharged with good neurologic outcome. TH performance was managed appropriately in terms of the factors related to the timing of TH, which were the start time for cooling and the rewarming duration.
Adult ; Brain ; Coma ; Coronary Angiography ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypothermia* ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Korea ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest* ; Registries ; Republic of Korea ; Rewarming ; Survivors