Is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Futile in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients Experiencing In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest?

OBJECTIVES: There is limited data regarding outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest among coronavirus disease 2019 patients. None of the studies have reported the outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in coronavirus disease 2019 patients in the United States. We describe the characteristics and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in coronavirus disease 2019 patients in rural Southwest Georgia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single-center, multihospital. PATIENTS: Consecutive coronavirus disease 2019 patients who experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest with attempted resuscitation. INTERVENTIONS: Attempted resuscitation with advanced cardiac life support. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: Out of 1,094 patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 during the study period, 63 patients suffered from in-hospital cardiac arrest with attempted resuscitation and were included in this study. The median age was 66 years, and 49.2% were males. The majority of patients were African Americans (90.5%). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (88.9%), obesity (69.8%), diabetes (60.3%), and chronic kidney disease (33.3%). Eighteen patients (28.9%) had a Charlson Comorbidity Index of 0-2. The most common presenting symptoms were shortness of breath (63.5%), fever (52.4%), and cough (46%). The median duration of symptoms prior to admission was 14 days. During hospital course, 66.7% patients developed septic shock, and 84.1% had acute respiratory distress syndrome. Prior to in-hospital cardiac arrest, 81% were on ventilator, 60.3% were on vasopressors, and 39.7% were on dialysis. The majority of in-hospital cardiac arrest (84.1%) occurred in the ICU. Time to initiation of advanced cardiac life support protocol was less than 1 minute for all in-hospital cardiac arrest in the ICU and less than 2 minutes for the remaining patients. The most common initial rhythms were pulseless electrical activity (58.7%) and asystole (33.3%). Although return of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 29% patients, it was brief in all of them. The in-hospital mortality was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, coronavirus disease 2019 patients suffering from in-hospital cardiac arrest had 100% in-hospital mortality regardless of the baseline comorbidities, presenting illness severity, and location of arrest.

Prognostic Value of Elevated Cardiac Troponin I in Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients.

This study aimed to determine if cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is an independent predictor of clinical outcomes and whether higher values are associated with worse clinical outcomes in Covid-19 patients. This case-series study was conducted at Phoebe Putney Health System. Participants were confirmed Covid-19 patients admitted to our health system between March 2, 2020 and June 7, 2020. Data were collected from electronic medical records. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with and without elevated cTnI. The cTnI were further divided in 4 tertiles. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for demographics, baseline comorbidities, and laboratory parameters including D-dimer, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein. Out of 309 patients, 116 (37.5%) had elevated cTnI. Those with elevated cTnI were older (59.9 vs. 68.2 years, p <0.001), and more likely to be males (53.5% vs. 36.3%, p = 0.003). Elevated cTnI group had higher baseline comorbidities. After multivariable adjustment, overall mortality was significantly higher in elevated cTnI group (37.9% vs. 11.4%, odds ratio:4.45; confidence interval:1.78 to 11.14, p <0.001). Need for intubation, dialysis, and intensive care unit (ICU) transfer was higher in elevated cTnI group. Among those with elevated cTnI, mortality was 23.2% for 50th percentile, 48.4% for 75th percentile, and 55.2% for 100th percentile. Similarly, further increase in cTnI was associated with a higher need for intubation, dialysis, and ICU transfer. In conclusion, myocardial injury occurs in significant proportion of hospitalized Covid-19 patients and is an independent predictor of clinical outcomes, with higher values associated with worse outcomes.