[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basic resuscitation and success rate after sudden cardiac arrest]. / A COVID­19-pandémia hatása a hirtelen szívmegállást követo alapszintu újraélesztésre és annak sikerességére.

Since the onset of the coronavirus disease, infection-related mortality has been tracked worldwide and the number of deaths caused by the virus is counted daily. The coronavirus pandemic has not only transformed our daily life, but reorganized the whole healthcare system. In response to the increased demand for hospital admissions, leaders in different countries have implemented a number of emergency actions. The restructuring has had both direct and indirect negative effects on the epidemiology of sudden cardiac death, the willingness of lay rescuer to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators, but these negative effects vary widely across continents and countries. In order to protect lay people and health workers as well as to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the previous recommendations of the European Resuscitation Council on basic and advanced life support have undergone a few modifications. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(13): 483-487.

Treatment of adult, child and newborn cardiac arrest victims with COVID-19. Recommendations from the Interamerican Society of Cardiology / Sociedad Interamericana de Cardiología (SIAC), Mexican National Cardiologists Association / Asociación Nacional de Cardiólogos de México (ANCAM) and Mexican Society of Cardiology / Sociedad Mexicana de Cardiología (SMC).

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha infligido grandes estragos a la población y en especial al personal de salud. Los esfuerzos de reanimación exigen modificaciones potenciales de las guías internacionales existentes de reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) debido al elevado índice de contagiosidad del virus SARS-CoV-2. Se considera que hasta 15% de los casos de COVID-19 tiene una enfermedad grave y 5% padece un trastorno crítico con una mortalidad promedio del 3%, la cual varía según sean el país y las características de los pacientes. La edad y las comorbilidades como la hipertensión arterial, enfermedad cardiovascular, obesidad y diabetes incrementan la mortalidad hasta 24%. También se ha informado un aumento reciente del número de casos de paro cardíaco extrahospitalario (PCEH). Aunque el paro cardíaco (PC) puede ser efecto de factores diversos en estos pacientes, en la mayoría de los casos se ha demostrado que el origen es respiratorio, con muy pocos casos de causa cardíaca. Se debe considerar la indicación de iniciar o continuar las maniobras de RCP por dos razones fundamentales: la posibilidad de sobrevida de las víctimas, que hasta la fecha se ha registrado muy baja, y el riesgo de contagiar al personal de salud, que es muy alto.The COVID-19 pandemic is having a large impact on the general population, but it has taken a specially high toll on healthcare personnel. Resuscitation efforts require potential modifications of the present Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) international guidelines because of the transmissibility rate of the new SARS-CoV 2 virus. It has been seen that up to 15% of COVID-19 patients have a severe disease, 5% have a critical form of infection and the mean death rate is 3%, although there are significant differences according to the country that reports it and patients' baseline conditions that include age, presence of arterial hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or obesity. In these high risk subjects, mortality might go up to 24%. There are also reports of a recent increase in out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (OHCA) victims. Cardiac arrest (CA) in these subjects might be related to many causes, but apparently, that phenomenon is related to respiratory diseases rather than cardiac issues. In this context, the decision to start or continue CPR maneuvers has to be carefully assessed, because of the low survival rate reported so far and the high contagion risk among healthcare personnel.

In-hospital cardiac arrest.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe our knowledge about in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) including recent developments. RECENT FINDINGS: Improving trends in IHCA outcomes appear to have stalled or reversed since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are disparities in care based on patient sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status that need to be tackled. The increased use of emergency treatment plans that include do-not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommendations will help to decrease the number of resuscitation attempts. System approaches and strong local leadership through resuscitation champions can improve patient outcomes. SUMMARY: In-hospital cardiac arrest is a global health problem with a 25% survival in high-income settings. There remain significant opportunities to both decrease the incidence of, and outcomes from IHCA.

Nationwide Analysis of Cardiac Arrest Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on the chain of survival following cardiac arrest. However, large population-based reports of COVID-19 in patients hospitalized after cardiac arrest are limited. The National Inpatient Sample database was queried for cardiac arrest admissions during 2020 in the United States. Propensity score matching was used to match patients with and without concurrent COVID-19 according to age, race, sex, and comorbidities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of mortality. A weighted total of 267,845 hospitalizations for cardiac arrest were identified, among which 44,105 patients (16.5%) had a concomitant diagnosis of COVID-19. After propensity matching, cardiac arrest patients with concomitant COVID-19 had higher rate of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis (64.9% vs 54.8%) mechanical ventilation >24 hours (53.6% vs 44.6%) and sepsis (59.4% vs 40.4%) compared to cardiac arrest patients without COVID-19. In contrast, cardiac arrest patients with COVID-19 had lower rates of cardiogenic shock (3.2% vs 5.4%, P < 0.001), ventricular tachycardia (9.6% vs 11.7%, P < 0.001), and ventricular fibrillation (6.7% vs 10.8%, P < 0.001), and a lower utilization of cardiac procedures. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with COVID-19 (86.9% vs 65.5%, P < 0.001) and, on multivariate analysis, a diagnosis of COVID-19 was an independent predictor of mortality. Among patients hospitalized following a cardiac arrest during 2020, concomitant COVID-19 infection was associated with significantly worse outcomes characterized by an increased risk of sepsis, pulmonary and renal dysfunction, and death.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Cardiac Arrest and Emergency Care.

The incidence of both out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Patient survival and neurologic outcome after both out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest were reduced. Direct effects of the COVID-19 illness combined with indirect effects of the pandemic on patient's behavior and health care systems contributed to these changes. Understanding the potential factors offers the opportunity to improve future response and save lives.

A Successful Case of Cardiac Arrest due to Acute Myocarditis with COVID-19: 120 Minutes on Manual Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation then Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Acute myocarditis is one of the common complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a relatively high case fatality. Here reported is a fulminant case of a 42-year-old previously healthy woman with cardiogenic shock and refractory cardiac arrest due to COVID-19-induced myocarditis who received veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after 120 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This is the first adult case of cardiac arrest due to COVID-19-induced myocarditis supported by ECMO that fully recovered with normal neurological functions. The success of the treatment course with full recovery emphasized the potential role of ECMO in treating these patients.

Hospital Outcomes Among COVID-19 Hospitalizations With Myocarditis from the California State Inpatient Database.

Many case reports have indicated that myocarditis could be a prognostic factor for predicting morbidity and mortality among patients with COVID-19. In this study, using a large database we examined the association between myocarditis among COVID-19 hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality and other adverse hospital outcomes. The present study was a retrospective analysis of data collected in the California State Inpatient Database during 2020. All hospitalizations for COVID-19 were included in the analysis and grouped into those with and without myocarditis. The outcomes were in-hospital mortality, cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, mechanical ventilation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Propensity score matching, followed by conditional logistic regression, was performed to find the association between myocarditis and outcomes. Among 164,417 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 578 (0.4%) were with myocarditis. After propensity score matching, the rate of in-hospital mortality was significantly higher among COVID-19 hospitalizations with myocarditis (30.0% vs 17.5%, p <0.001). Survival analysis with log-rank test showed that 30-day survival rates were significantly lower among those with myocarditis (39.5% vs 46.3%, p <0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of cardiac arrest (odds ratio [OR] 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16 to 3.14), cardiogenic shock (OR 4.13, 95% CI 2.14 to 7.99), mechanical ventilation (OR 3.30, 95% CI 2.47 to 4.41), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.70 to 3.66) were significantly higher among those with myocarditis. Myocarditis was associated with greater rates of in-hospital mortality and adverse hospital outcomes among patients with COVID-19, and early suspicion is important for prompt diagnosis and management.

The Temporal Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in adaptations to pediatric resuscitation systems of care. The objective of this study was to determine the temporal association between the pandemic and pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) process of care metrics, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) quality, and patient outcomes. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective analysis of a dataset comprising observations of IHCA outcomes pre pandemic (March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) versus pandemic (March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021). SETTING: Data source was the ICU-RESUScitation Project ("ICU-RESUS;" NCT028374497), a prospective, multicenter, cluster randomized interventional trial. PATIENTS: Children (≤ 18 yr) who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation while admitted to the ICU and were enrolled in ICU-RESUS. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 429 IHCAs meeting inclusion criteria, occurrence during the pandemic period was associated with higher frequency of hypotension as the immediate cause of arrest. Cardiac arrest physiology, cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality metrics, and postarrest physiologic and quality of care metrics were similar between the two periods. Survival with favorable neurologic outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score 1-3 or unchanged from baseline) occurred in 102 of 195 subjects (52%) during the pandemic compared with 140 of 234 (60%) pre pandemic ( p = 0.12). Among survivors, occurrence of IHCA during the pandemic period was associated with a greater increase in Functional Status Scale (FSS) (i.e., worsening) from baseline (1 [0-3] vs 0 [0-2]; p = 0.01). After adjustment for confounders, IHCA survival during the pandemic period was associated with a greater increase in FSS from baseline (+1.19 [95% CI, 0.35-2.04] FSS points; p = 0.006) and higher odds of a new FSS-defined morbidity (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88 [95% CI, 1.03-3.46]; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Using the ICU-RESUS dataset, we found that relative to the year prior, pediatric IHCA during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with greater worsening of functional status and higher odds of new functional morbidity among survivors.

In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic in RI: A Qualitative Analysis.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been growing but limited data describing the poor mortality outcomes in COVID-19 patients who experienced In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (IHCA). This study evaluated the baseline characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients who underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during hospitalization in the early phases of the pandemic and compared them to that of several national and international centers. A list of all the IHCA events in the Lifespan hospital network from March 2020 to April 2021 was generated, and data, including de-identified patient characteristics, comorbidities, and details of the IHCA event, were examined. The primary outcome of all-cause mortality was then calculated. Forty-three patients with COVID-19 who experienced an IHCA event and underwent CPR were identified. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 23 (53%) patients, and all-cause in-hospital mortality was 97.67%, with only one patient surviving until discharge. During the early pandemic, experiencing an IHCA event while admitted with COVID-19 carried an extremely poor prognosis, even if ROSC was achieved. This outcome likely reflects the lack of clear management guidelines or established therapeutic agents and the prevalence of the Delta strain during this time period.

Guidance for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Children With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19.

This article aims to provide guidance to health care workers for the provision of basic and advanced life support to children and neonates with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It aligns with the 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular care while providing strategies for reducing risk of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to health care providers. Patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and cardiac arrest should receive chest compressions and defibrillation, when indicated, as soon as possible. Because of the importance of ventilation during pediatric and neonatal resuscitation, oxygenation and ventilation should be prioritized. All CPR events should therefore be considered aerosol-generating procedures. Thus, personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for aerosol-generating procedures (including N95 respirators or an equivalent) should be donned before resuscitation, and high-efficiency particulate air filters should be used. Any personnel without appropriate PPE should be immediately excused by providers wearing appropriate PPE. Neonatal resuscitation guidance is unchanged from standard algorithms, except for specific attention to infection prevention and control. In summary, health care personnel should continue to reduce the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission through vaccination and use of appropriate PPE during pediatric resuscitations. Health care organizations should ensure the availability and appropriate use of PPE. Because delays or withheld CPR increases the risk to patients for poor clinical outcomes, children and neonates with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should receive prompt, high-quality CPR in accordance with evidence-based guidelines.

Creating a Learning Scenario for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Different organizations have recommended changes in life support in the COVID-19 pandemic, just when maintaining the competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation is compromised because on-site training must be avoided. We developed a pilot teaching-learning experience to promote cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills acquisition in this situation. The aim of this study was to describe that tool and to analyze its usefulness. METHODS: The experience consisted of three phases: first, reviewing the scientific literature; second, defining written local recommendations and recording a short video simulating the initial attention to a cardiac arrest in this COVID-19 context; third, creating a test to be answered by hospital health professionals. RESULTS: The final sample was 121 subjects; 66.1% were women; the mean age was 45.8 years (SD = 10.24). Among them, 43% were doctors, 43% nurses, 4.1% nursing assistants, and 9.9% others. 89.3% participants had received prior training in life support. In the test, questions 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were answered correctly by more than 80%; questions 3 and 4 were answered correctly by 57.9% and 41.3%, respectively. All participants expressed that the video helped them to refresh their knowledge and skills in life support. DISCUSSION: When on-site training is not possible, distance learning-as in our teaching-learning innovation because of the COVID-19 pandemic-may be a valid option to acquire/refresh cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills.

High-dose intravenous vitamin C decreases rates of mechanical ventilation and cardiac arrest in severe COVID-19.

Intravenous vitamin C (IV-VitC) has been suggested as a treatment for severe sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome; however, there are limited studies evaluating its use in severe COVID-19. Efficacy and safety of high-dose IV-VitC (HDIVC) in patients with severe COVID-19 were evaluated. This observational cohort was conducted at a single-center, 530 bed, community teaching hospital and took place from March 2020 through July 2020. Inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) was utilized to compare outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 treated with and without HDIVC. Patients were enrolled if they were older than 18 years of age and were hospitalized secondary to severe COVID-19 infection, indicated by an oxygenation index < 300. Primary study outcomes included mortality, mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and cardiac arrest. From a total of 100 patients enrolled, 25 patients were in the HDIVC group and 75 patients in the control group. The average time to death was significantly longer for HDIVC patients (P = 0.0139), with an average of 22.9 days versus 13.7 days for control patients. Patients who received HDIVC also had significantly lower rates of mechanical ventilation (52.93% vs. 73.14%; ORIPTW = 0.27; P = 0.0499) and cardiac arrest (2.46% vs. 9.06%; ORIPTW = 0.23; P = 0.0439). HDIVC may be an effective treatment in decreasing the rates of mechanical ventilation and cardiac arrest in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. A longer hospital stay and prolonged time to death may suggest that HDIVC may protect against clinical deterioration in severe COVID-19.

Arterial Pulsatility Augments Microcirculatory Perfusion and Maintains the Endothelial Integrity during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation via hsa_circ_0007367 Upregulation in a Canine Model with Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: The impairment of microcirculation is associated with the unfavorable outcome for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. Studies revealed that pulsatile modification improves hemodynamics and attenuates inflammation during ECMO support. However, whether flow pattern impacts microcirculation and endothelial integrity is rarely documented. The objective of this work was to explore how pulsatility affects microcirculation during ECMO. METHODS: Canine animal models with cardiac arrest were supported by ECMO, with the i-Cor system used to generate nonpulsatile or pulsatile flow. The sublingual microcirculation parameters were examined using the CytoCam microscope system. The expression of hsa_circ_0007367, a circular RNA, was measured during ECMO support. In vitro validation was performed in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) exposed to pulsatile or nonpulsatile flow, and the expressions of hsa_circ_0007367, endothelial tight junction markers, endothelial adhesive molecules, endothelial nitric oxide synthases (eNOS), and NF-κB signaling activity were analyzed. RESULTS: The pulsatile modification of ECMO enhanced microcirculatory perfusion, attenuated pulmonary inflammation, and stabilized endothelial integrity in animal models; meanwhile, the expression of hsa_circ_0007367 was significantly upregulated both in animals and PMVECs exposed to pulsatile flow. In particular, upregulation of hsa_circ_0007367 stabilized the expressions of endothelial tight junction markers zonula occludens- (ZO-) 1 and occludin, followed by modulating the endothelial nitric oxide synthases (eNOS) activity and inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: The modification of pulsatility contributes to microcirculatory perfusion and endothelial integrity during ECMO. The expression of hsa_circ_0007367 plays a pivotal role in this protective mechanism.