Utility of Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging in Comatose Patients after Cardiac Arrest: A Preliminary Study

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the efficacies of susceptibility weighted images (SWI) for predicting the clinical prognosis of comatose patients following cardiac arrest. METHODS: Thirty-two patients who were resuscitated from cardiac arrest and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were retrospectively investigated and compared to 32 subjects with normal brain MRI findings who served as controls. The SWI readings were divided into three categories: prominent, diminished, and normal. Comatose patients were divided into two groups: those with a Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) of 1-2 (good outcome group) and those with a CPC of 3-5 (poor outcome group). RESULTS: Of the 32 patients, 17 (53.1%) showed good neurological outcomes upon hospital discharge. Normal patterns on SWI were mainly seen in the good outcome group (15 patients, 88.2%), while diminished patterns and prominent patterns were frequently found in the poor outcome group (13 patients, 88.7%). The combination of diminished pattern and prominent pattern predicted poor outcome with 86.7% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, 69.5%-100%) and 88.2% specificity (95% confidence interval, 72.9%-100%). CONCLUSION: The SWI findings correlate with the outcome of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and may be a useful adjunct of vegetative state or death in comatose patients after cardiac arrest.

Prognosis of Acute Pancreatitis in Glyphosate Surfactant Herbicide-intoxicated Patients

PURPOSE: Glyphosate herbicides (GHs) are widely used and increasingly associated with poisoning cases. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is among the many complications associated with the toxicity of GHs. We investigated the relationship between incidence of AP and its prognosis in patients with GH poisoning. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at a single tertiary hospital between January 2004 and December 2014. We enrolled all patients presented to the emergency department with GH poisoning. The Clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed to investigate the relationship between GH intoxication and AP. RESULTS: We studied 245 patients. Incidence of AP after GH poisoning was 6.5%. Patients with AP (mean 66 years) were older than the non-AP group (56 years). Systolic blood pressure, Glasgow Coma Scale, and amount of ingested poison differed significantly between the two groups. In the blood tests, white blood cell count, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, potassium, amylase, and lipase showed significant differences. The pH, bicarbonate, and lactate levels also differed significantly. Patients with AP demonstrated higher incidence of respiratory failure, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, rhabdomyolysis, and intensive care unit stay time. Additionally, 30-day mortality (n=11, 68.8%) was significantly higher in the AP group. On multivariate analysis, adjusted age, amount of ingestion, and lactate correlated with occurrence of AP. CONCLUSION: The incidence of GH-induced AP was 6.5% with a 30-day mortality of 68.8%. The patient's age, ingested dosage, and lactate levels were associated with GH-induced AP.

Clinical Analysis of Flumazenil Administration in the Single Emergency Department for Unconscious Patients, Suspected Benzodiazepine Overdose

PURPOSE: Flumazenil is an effective benzodiazepine antagonist. However, serious adverse effects, including seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and even death, have been reported in patients treated with flumazenil. These adverse effects are commonly associated with co-ingested tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepine withdrawal. Herein, we examined the safety, effectiveness, and risk of using flumazenil to treat suspected benzodiazepine overdose in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study of adult patients administered with flumazenil for a known or suspected benzodiazepine overdose in the ED between July 2010 and January 2016. The outcomes included mental status improvement, incidence of seizures, and intubation rate after flumazenil administration. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included in the analysis. Thirty-eight (50%) patients experienced clinically significant mental status improvement. One patient had a seizure (1.3%), despite 17 reported proconvulsant coingestants. No patient required endotracheal intubation, and no patient had arrhythmias after flumazenil administration. Flumazenil was given intravenously bolus in all cases, and the average dose was 0.44mg. There were no significant changes in the vital signs after flumazenil administration. CONCLUSION: Flumazenil was effective and associated with a low frequency of seizure. However, patients with contraindications may develop seizures. The benefits with respect to risk of adverse effects should be considered carefully in all patients.

Prognostic Value of Blood Lactate for Mortality of Acutely Poisoned Patients in Emergency Department

PURPOSE: Patients suffering from acute poisoning by different substances often visit the emergency department (ED) and receive various prognoses according to the toxic material and patients' condition. Hyperlactatemia, which is an increased blood lactate level that generally indicates tissue hypoperfusion, is commonly utilized as a prognostic marker in critically ill patients such as those with sepsis. This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between blood lactate and clinical prognosis in acute poisoned patients. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted from January 2013 to June 2014 at a single and regional-tertiary ED. We enrolled study patients who were examined for blood test with lactate among acute intoxicated patients. The toxic materials, patient demographics, laboratory data, and mortalities were also reviewed. Additionally, we analyzed variables including blood lactate to verify the correlation with patient mortality. RESULTS: A total of 531 patients were enrolled, including 24 (4.5%) non-survivors. Patient age, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), serum creatinine (Cr), aspartate transaminase (AST), and serum lactate differed significantly between survivors and non-survivors in the binary logistic regression analysis. Among these variables, GCS, AST, and lactate differed significantly. The median serum lactate levels were 2.0 mmol/L among survivors and 6.9 mmol/L among non-survivors. The AUC with the ROC curve and odds ratio of the initial serum lactate were 0.881 and 3.06 (0.89-8.64), respectively. CONCLUSION: Serum lactate was correlated with fatalities of acute poisoning patients in the ED; therefore, it may be used as a clinical predictor to anticipate their prognoses.

Differences in Hands-off Time According to the Position of a Second Rescuer When Switching Compression in Pre-hospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Provided by Two Bystanders: A Randomized, Controlled, Parallel Study

The change of compressing personnel will inevitably accompany hands off time when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed by two or more rescuers. The present study assessed whether changing compression by a second rescuer located on the opposite side (OS) of the first rescuer can reduce hands-off time compared to CPR on the same side (SS) when CPR is performed by two rescuers. The scenario of this randomized, controlled, parallel simulation study was compression-only CPR by two laypersons in a pre-hospital situation. Considering sex ratio, 64 participants were matched up in 32 teams equally divided into two gender groups, i.e. , homogenous or heterogeneous. Each team was finally allocated to one of two study groups according to the position of changing compression (SS or OS). Every team performed chest compression for 8 min and 10 sec, with chest compression changed every 2 min. The primary endpoint was cumulative hands-off time. Cumulative hands-off time of the SS group was about 2 sec longer than the OS group, and was significant (6.6 +/- 2.6 sec vs. 4.5 +/- 1.5 sec, P = 0.005). The range of hands off time of the SS group was wider than for the OS group. The mean hands-off times of each rescuer turn significantly shortened with increasing number of turns (P = 0.005). A subgroup analysis in which cumulative hands-off time was divided into three subgroups in 5-sec intervals revealed that about 70% of the SS group was included in subgroups with delayed hands-off time > or = 5 sec, with only 25% of the OS group included in these subgroups (P = 0.033). Changing compression at the OS of each rescuer reduced hands-off time compared to the SS in prehospital hands-only CPR provided by two bystanders.

The Factors Associated with the Hypotension Development in Acute Glyphosate-surfactant Herbicide Poisoning

PURPOSE: Recently, glyphosate-surfactant herbicide has been used increasingly because it is known for its low toxicity in mammals. However, some cases presented severe clinical complications including hypotension. Previous studies have shown that hypotension is a predictor of poor outcome and mortality. Therefore, we aimed to identify factors that may be related to hypotension in glyphosate intoxication. METHODS: This retrospective study targeted patients with glyphosate intoxication who were admitted to the emergency department of a single hospital from January 1st, 2004 to November 2014. The data were collected retrospectively from clinical records and laboratory files. Using multivariate logistic analysis, data were analyzed retrospectively for association with hypotension. RESULTS: Of the 245 patients, 63 patients (25.7%) had hypotension. The results of this study showed statistically significant differences in old age, underlying disease, amount of ingestion, GCS (Glasgow coma scale), White blood cell, hemoglobin, total bilirubin, glucose level, pH, bicarbonate, base excess, lactate level, AST (aspartate aminotransferase), creatinine level, saturation, Chest X-ray abnormality, and prolonged QTc (corrected QT interval) between hypotension group and non-hypotension group. By multivariate logistic analysis, GCS, creatinine level, chest X-ray abnormality, and prolonged QTc interval were associated with the cases presenting with hypotension. CONCLUSION: GCS, creatinine level, chest X-ray abnormality, and prolonged QTc interval were significant factors associated with hypotension in patients with glyphosate intoxication.

Survival and Neurologic Outcomes of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients Who Were Transferred after Return of Spontaneous Circulation for Integrated Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome Care: The Another Feasibility of the Cardiac Arrest Center

It has been proven that safety and efficiency of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients is transported to specialized hospitals that have the capability of performing therapeutic hypothermia (TH). However, the outcome of the patients who have been transferred after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) has not been well evaluated. We conducted a retrospective observational study between January 2010 to March 2012. There were primary outcomes as good neurofunctional status at 1 month and the secondary outcomes as the survivals at 1 month between Samsung Medical Center (SMC) group and transferred group. A total of 91 patients were enrolled this study. There was no statistical difference between good neurologic outcomes between both groups (38% transferred group vs. 40.6% SMC group, P=0.908). There was no statistical difference in 1 month survival between the 2 groups (66% transferred group vs. 75.6% SMC group, P=0.318). In the univariate and multivariate models, the ROSC to induction time and the induction time had no association with good neurologic outcomes. The good neurologic outcome and survival at 1 month had no significant differences between the 2 groups. This finding suggests the possibility of integrated post-cardiac arrest care for OHCA patients who are transferred from other hospitals after ROSC in the cardiac arrest center.

Performance Assessment of the SOFA, APACHE II Scoring System, and SAPS II in Intensive Care Unit Organophosphate Poisoned Patients

This study assessed the ability of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology, Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring systems, as well as the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II method to predict group mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients who were poisoned with organophosphate. The medical records of 149 organophosphate poisoned patients admitted to the ICU from September 2006 to December 2012 were retrospectively examined. The SOFA, APACHE II, and SAPS II were calculated based on initial laboratory data in the Emergency Department, and during the first 24 hr of ICU admission. The probability of death was calculated for each patient based on the SOFA score, APACHE II score, and SAPS II equations. The ability to predict group mortality by the SOFA score, APACHE II score, and SAPS II method was assessed using two by two decision matrices and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A total of 131 patients (mean age, 61 yr) were enrolled. The sensitivities, specificities, and accuracies were 86.2%, 82.4%, and 83.2% for the SOFA score, respectively; 65.5%, 68.6%, and 67.9% for the APACHE II scoring system, respectively; and 86.2%, 77.5%, and 79.4% for the SAPS II, respectively. The areas under the curve in the ROC curve analysis for the SOFA score, APACHE II scoring system, and SAPS II were 0.896, 0.716, and 0.852, respectively. In conclusion, the SOFA, APACHE II, and SAPS II have different capability to discriminate and estimate early in-hospital mortality of organophosphate poisoned patients. The SOFA score is more useful in predicting mortality, and easier and simpler than the APACHE II and SAPS II.

Effectiveness of a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Team with an Emergency Physician for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

PURPOSE: Emergency physicians are usually more experienced in emergency situations; therefore, a cardiopulmonary resuscitation team with an emergency physician as a leader would be operated effectively. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation that includes an emergency physician. METHODS: A retrospective analysis for in-hospital arrests that occurred in the general ward was conducted based on the in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation registry of a tertiary care university hospital in Korea from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2010. We compared outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by a team that included an emergency physician with those by a cardiopulmonary resuscitation team that included a non-emergency physician. RESULTS: Survival rates at discharge were 29.6% for the emergency physician team and 17.7% for the non-emergency physician team. The good neurologic outcome rates at discharge were 20.6% and 10.6%, respectively. In multivariate analysis with adjustment for pre-arrest patient condition and arrest variables, survival rate did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the good neurologic outcomes showed an association with the emergency physician team. CONCLUSION: For in-hospital cardiac arrest, outcomes for patients who were rescued by the emergency physician-directing CPR team might be comparable or better, compared with those by the non-emergency physician team.

Evaluating the Accuracy of Emergency Medicine Resident Interpretations of Abdominal CTs in Patients with Non-Traumatic Abdominal Pain

Abdominal computed tomography (CT) is widely used as a diagnostic tool in emergency medicine (EM) to accurately diagnose abdominal pain. EM residents must be able to offer preliminary interpretations of CT imaging. In this study, we evaluated the preliminary interpretation ability of a sample of emergency residents presented with adult abdominal CT images, and compared their results with those of radiology residents. We conducted a prospective observational study from November 16, 2008 to June 30, 2009. During this time, we gathered preliminary interpretations of consecutive abdominal CT made by emergency and radiology residents. We assessed the discrepancy rates of both samples by comparing their findings to the final reports from attending radiologists. A total of 884 cases were enrolled in the present study. The discrepancy rates of emergency and radiology residents were 16.7% and 12.2%, respectively. When female genital organs, peritoneum, adrenal glands, or the musculoskeletal system were abnormal, we found that emergency residents' preliminary interpretations of CT images were insufficient compared to those of radiology residents. Therefore more formal education is needed to emergency residents. If possible, the preliminary interpretations of radiology attending physicians are ideal until improving the ability of interpretations of emergency residents in abdomen CT.

Effect of Hydrogel Pad and Conventional Method on the Induction Time of Therapeutic Hypothermia in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia has been recommended as a standard treatment of cardiac arrest patients after return of spontaneous circulation. There are various methods to drop patient's core body temperature below 33.5degrees C. We compared the cooling rate of the conventional cooling method using cold saline bladder irrigation with the commercial hydrogel pad in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. METHODS: We collected data retrospectively from the Samsung Medical Center hypothermia database. The conventional method group was cooled with IV infusion of 2,000 ml of 4degrees C cold saline and cold saline bladder irrigation. Patients in the hydrogel pad group had their body temperature lowered with the Artic Sun(R) after receiving 2,000 ml of 4degrees C cold saline intravenously. The induction time was defined as time from cold saline infusion to the esophageal core temperature below 33.5degrees C. The esophageal temperature probe insertion to the target temperature time (ET to target BT time) was defined as the time from the esophageal probe insertion to the core temperature below 33.5degrees C. We compared these times and cooling rates between the two groups. RESULTS: Eighty one patients were enrolled. Fifty seven patients were included in the hydrogel pad group and 24 patients were in the conventional group. There were no statistical differences of baseline characteristics between the two groups. The induction time of the conventional group (138 min., IQR 98-295) was shorter than that of the hydrogel pad group (190 min., IQR 140-250). The ET to target BT time of the conventional group (106 min., IQR 68-249) was shorter than that of the hydrogel pad group (163 min., IQR 108-222). The cooling rate of the conventional group (0.93degrees C/hr., IQR 0.58-2.08) was lower than that of the hydrogel pad group (1.05degrees C/hr., IQR 0.74-1.96). However, there were no statistical differences in the induction time, the ET to target BT time and the cooling rate between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant statistical difference of the cooling rate of the hydrogel pad and conventional method on the induction time of therapeutic hypothermia in Patients with OHCA. The conventional cooling method can be used as an effective and efficient way to lower OHCA patient's core body temperature during the induction phase of therapeutic hypothermia.

Favorable Outcomes in Septic Shock Patients without Hyperlactatemia or Severe Organ Failure / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is a pathophysiologic state of circulatory failure with tissue hypoperfusion. However, it is usually defined as sepsis-induced hypotension not responding to fluid resuscitation, regardless of the objective findings of tissue hypoperfusion such as lactic acidosis or organ failures. Numerous patients with sepsis-induced hypotension present to the emergency department without hyperlactemia or severe organ failure. Hence, we investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with septic shock according to the presence of hyperlactatemia or significant organ failure. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of adult patients presenting with septic shock in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital between August 2008 and July 2010. Initial serum lactate was categorized low ( or =2.5 mmol/L). Organ failure was assessed by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Primary outcome measurement was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 227 patients were enrolled. There were 88 (38.8%) patients in the low lactate group, and 139 (61.2%) patients in the high lactate group. Patients with low lactate levels showed a lower mortality rate (6.8% compared with 25.1% of those with high lactate level). The low lactate group showed less rapid heart rate, less severe organ failures and shorter length of stay in the intensive care unit. During the early goal-directed therapy, they required a smaller amount of fluid administration and a lower dose of norepinephrine although other hemodynamic variables were similarly maintained. In particular, if patients showed less severe organ dysfunction (SOFA score < 8) in the low lactate group (n = 45), in-hospital mortality was 0% (adjusted mortality was 1.3% [95% confidence interval = 0.3-5.0]). CONCLUSION: Patients with septic shock, who were enrolled according to the traditional definition, showed a very favorable outcome if they did not have hyperlactatemia or significant organ failure.

A Retrospective Study about Characteristics of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Caused by Non-traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a fatal disease relatively common in the East Asian population. It can lead to cardiac arrest in several pathologic processes. We attempted to elucidate the characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest caused by non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational study in which patients who had visited Samsung medical center emergency room for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from January, 1999 to December 2008 were enrolled. A total of 218 OHCA patients who had achieved ROSC were investigated by review of medical charts. Excluding those who had worn trauma, we analyzed 22 patients who had been diagnosed for SAH by brain non-contrast CT scan. RESULTS: Median age of aneurysmal SAH-induced OHCA patients was 61 (IQR 54-67) years. Fourteen patients (64%) were female and 15 patients (68%) were witnessed. Besides, 7 patients (32%) had complained of headache before collapse. We also found 11 patients (50%) had been diagnosed with hypertension previously. All of them showed unshockable rhythm (asystole 60%, PEA 40%) initially. Their median duration of ACLS was 10 minutes. Majority of patients died within 24 hours and survivors showed poor neurologic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a relatively uncommon cause of cardiac arrest, and the outcome of OHCA induced by SAH is very poor. However, emergency physicians have to consider the possibility of SAH when trying to determine the cause of arrest, especially when treating patients who have the characteristics described above.

Factors Affecting the Delay of a Decision to Admit Severe Trauma Patients and the Effect of a Multidisciplinary Department System: a Preliminary Study

PURPOSE: Prolonged stay in the emergency department (ED), which is closely related with the time interval from the ED visit to a decision to admit, might be associated with poor outcomes for trauma patients and with overcrowding of the ED. Therefore, we examined the factors affecting the delay in the decision to admit severe trauma patients. Also, a multidisciplinary department system was preliminarily evaluated to see if it could reduce the time from triage to the admission decision. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care university hospital without a specialized trauma team or specialized trauma surgeons from January 2009 to March 2010. Severe trauma patients with an International Classification of Disease Based Injury Severity Score (ICISS) below 0.9 were included. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find independent variables associated with a delay in the decision for admission which was defined as the time interval between ED arrival and admission decision exceeded 4 hours. We also simulated the time from triage to the decision for admission by a multidisciplinary department system. RESULTS: A total of 89 patients were enrolled. The average time from triage to the admission decision was 5.2+/-7.1 hours and the average length of the ED stay was 9.0+/-11.5 hours. The rate of decision delay for admission was 31.5%. A multivariable regression analysis revealed that multiple trauma (odds ratio [OR]: 30.6, 95%; confidence interval [CI]: 3.18-294.71), emergency operation (OR: 0.55, 95%; CI: 0.01-0.96), and treatment in the Department of Neurosurgery (OR: 0.07, 95%; CI: 0.01-0.78) were significantly associated with the decision delay. In a simulation based on a multidisciplinary department system, the virtual time from triage to admission decision was 2.1+/-1.5 hours. CONCLUSION: In the ED, patients with severe trauma, multiple trauma was a significant factor causing a delay in the admission decision. On the other hand, emergency operation and treatment in Department of Neurosurgery were negatively associated with the delay. The simulated time from triage to the decision for admission by a multidisciplinary department system was 3 hours shorter than the real one.