The effect of ventilation rate on outcome in adults receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

AIM: To investigate whether a ventilation rate ≤10 breaths min-1 in adult cardiac arrest patients treated with tracheal intubation and chest compressions in a prehospital setting is associated with improved Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC), survival to hospital discharge and one-year survival with favourable neurological outcome, compared to a ventilation rate >10 breaths min-1. METHODS: In this retrospective study, prospectively acquired data were analysed. Ventilation rates were measured with end-tidal CO2 and ventilation pressures. Analyses were corrected for age, sex, compression rate, compression depth, initial heart rhythm and cause of cardiac arrest. RESULTS: 337 of 652 patients met the inclusion criteria. Hyperventilation was common, with 85% of the patients ventilated >10 breaths min-1. The mean ventilation rate was 15.3 breaths min-1. The corrected odds ratio (OR) of ventilating >10 breaths min-1 for achieving ROSC was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.49 - 1.71, p = 0.78), the uncorrected OR of ventilating >10 breaths min-1 for survival to hospital discharge was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.30 - 2.77, p = 0.78), and the uncorrected OR of ventilating >10 breaths min1 for one-year survival with a favourable neurological outcome was 0.59 (95% CI: 0.19 - 1.87, p = 0.32). A logistic regression with continuous ventilation rate showed no significant relation with ROSC, and a ROC curve for ROSC showed a poor predictive performance (AUC: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.46 - 0.58), suggesting no other adequate cut-off value for ventilation rate. CONCLUSION: A ventilation rate ≤10 breaths min-1 was not associated with significantly improved outcomes compared to a ventilation rate >10 breaths min-1. No other adequate cut-off value could be proposed.

Emergency care in Belgium.

Emergency care in Belgium. Problems and objectives: Europe encompasses not only fifty or more different languages and cultures, but also a similar number of different systems of healthcare and medical practice. Each country has different medical traditions, different systems of professional registration and differing lists of medical specialties. METHODOLOGY: Literature, Report of The European Observatory on Health Systems, as well as World Health Organization health statistics analysis Results and conclusions: In this chapter, the Belgian healthcare system will be discussed, as well as the area of emergency medicine, which is currently recognized as an independent specialty. The different stakeholders in emergency medicine will also be discussed in this chapter, and their qualifications and responsibilities will be presented.

First-line attitudes in acute medicine.

First-line attitudes in acute medicine. The often complex problems of the trauma and/or severely ill patient present many challenges to front-line emergency staff. Multiple injuries and/or systems of the body involved require careful and timely prioritization and intervention. Optimum evaluation and resuscitation involves repetitive, systematic ipproaches that are known as the "primary", "secondary" and "tertiary" surveys. The primary survey focuses in general on the ABCDE approach of "Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Expoure", and is designed to recognize and to treat immediate life-threatening conditions within the initial minutes. This primary resuscitation of non-trauma patients does not differ from the ABCDE approach used to evaluate severely traumatized patients. This approach is applicable in all clinical emergencies, whether the patient is located in the street, at home, in the emergency room, and even in the intensive care or the general wards of the hospital. This approach is widely accepted by experts, and is likely to improve outcomes by helping healthcare professionals to focus on the most life-threatening clinical problems. In an acute setting, high-quality ABCDE skills among all treating team members can save valuable time and improve team performance. The secondary and the tertiary surveys are intended to diagnose all injuries before formulating definitive management strategies. This chapter briefly describes how to perform the ABCDE approach in general, and how to conduct the secondary and the tertiary surveys. A more detailed use of this approach within a specific medical condition will be described in later chapters of this report.

Facing coagulation disorders after acute trauma.

Facing coagulation disorders after acute trauma. PROBLEMS/OBJECTIVES: Trauma is the leading cause of mortality for persons between one and 44 years of age, essentially due to bleeding complications. METHODOLOGY: We screened the PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases, using specific keywords. Only publications in English were considered. MAIN RESULTS: The pathophysiology of trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is complex and includes the classic "lethal triad" (i.e., haemodilution, acidosis, hypothermia) but may also include activation of protein C, endothelial and platelet dysfunction, and fibrinogen depletion. The time between trauma and treatment of the resultant massive bleeding should be as short as possible using techniques for rapid control of bleeding and avoiding aggravating factors (hypothermia, metabolic acidosis and hypocalcaemia). If given within three hours of injury, tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces all causes of mortality in trauma patients and reduces transfusion requirements. In a bleeding patient, crystalloids are preferred to colloids and the ratio of fresh frozen plasma to packed red blood cells should be at least 1:2. Damage control surgery (DCS) should be considered for patients who present with, or are at risk for developing, the "lethal triad", multiple life-threatening injuries or shock, and in mass casualty situations. DCS can also aid in the evaluation of the extent of tissue injuries and the control of haemorrhage and infection. Finally, there is currently no evidence of the added value of laboratory assays in the management of TIC. CONCLUSIONS: TIC appears quickly after trauma and should be anticipated and detected as soon as possible. TXA plays a central role in the management of such patients. Each institution should establish a local algorithm for the management of bleeding patients.

Pre-hospital interventions: introduction to life support systems.

Pre-hospital interventions: introduction to life support systems. Crucial decisions in pre-hospital emergency care are often made; therefore, a tactical emergency medical support team (TEMS) should maintain the capacity to capture the situation instantaneously and in all circumstances. However, low exposure to severe trauma cases can be a weakness for emergency specialists, which makes pre-hospital assessment more difficult. Pre-hospital interventions (PHI) are usually classified in Western countries into BLS (basic life support) and ALS (ad- vanced life support) levels, according to the methods used. This review introduces tactical combat casualty care for medical personnel (TCCC) guidelines, designed for basic care management under fire or in a hostile environment. The phases of TCCC are: (1) care under fire (or in an unstable environment); (2) tactical field care; and (3) tactical evacuation care, and are mainly dependent on the different hazard zones (hot, warm or cold). In a mass casualty situation due to disaster or cataclysm, standardized protocol and triage are unquestionably required for identifying the environmental risks, for categorizing the casualties in accordance with medical care priorities, and for the initial management of casualty care. When considering conflict situations, or chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) events, processes always start at the local level. Even before the detection and analysis of agents can be undertaken, zoning, triage, decontamination, and treatment should be initiated promptly. Otorhinolaryngologists should be aware of PHI procedures for completing preliminary assessment and management together with emergency specialists or TEMS.

At risk populations: from children to the elderly.

At risk populations:from children to the elderly. PROBLEMS/OBJECTIVES: When considering emergencies in children and elderly people, the risks and consequences are considerably different. For example, the anatomical differences of children have direct consequences on intubation and airway physiology influences breathing, circulation and neurological outcomes.Pharmacotherapy should be adapted for children according to their differences (maturational changes) where drug metabolism and disposition is concerned and for the elderly, to geriatric pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, the existence of poly-medications and the risk of adverse drug reactions. METHODOLOGY: Literature review Results: Children respond better to rapid medical care than adults. Hypoxia is dangerous for the child and is responsible for bradycardia and cardiac arrest. Hypoxia can be deleterious for elderly patients because of their fragility, e.g., less metabolic reserves, poor muscular compensation and higher risk of heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: It is widely accepted that children require paediatric-specific assessment/treatment equipment and pharmacotherapy. When compared to adults, there is no difference in the Royal College of Physician guidelines for elderly people's reanimation, however, other criteria such as polypathology, co-morbidity, polypharmacy, fragility, risk of delirium, adverse drug reaction, poor outcome and quality of life should be considered.

Basilar skull fractures: the petrous bone.

Basilar skullfractures: the petrous bone. OBJECTIVES: to provide suggestions for the management of three of the most dangerous or important lesions (internal carotid artery lesions, cerebrospinal fluid leaks and facial nerve paralysis) associated with the petrous part of basilar skull fractures, thereby trying to assess categories of evidence and determine strengths of recommendation. METHODOLOGY: A PubMed-based literature review was carried out, as well as a consultation of online sources as encountered in the literature review. Also, a non-systematic search of chapters of well-known books dealing with the subject of temporal bone traumata was conducted. RESULTS: Specific levels of evidence and/or strength of recommendation can be retrieved from the literature, but only with respect to the prophylactic use of antibiotics, the prescription of antithrombotic medications and the indications for angiography. CONCLUSION: The ample amount of available literature allows for sound management decisions, with reference made to algorithms when available in the literature. Nevertheless, for most of the management/search questions, categories of evidence and strength of recommendation are low or lacking.

Complex intubation, cricothyrotomy and tracheotomy.

Complex intubation, cricothyrotomy and tracheotomy. Successful management of a difficult airway begins with recognizing the potential problem. When the patient cannot breathe spontaneously, oxygenation and ventilation should start first with bag-valve ventilation, with or without an airway adjunct such as a Mayo cannula, followed by an orotrache4l intubation attempt, performed by an experienced emergency doctor. If orotracheal intubation fails, a quick decision must be made regarding surgical options. In a "cannot intubate, cannot ventilate" situation, a surgical cricothyrotomy should be considered. When orotracheal intubation is impossible, but bag-valve or laryngeal mask ventilation is possible, an urgent surgical tracheostomy should be performed. In the long run, patients in need of longterm artificial ventilation will need a percutaneous or open tracheostomy. This review provides an update of all aspects of immediate and long-term airway management.

Complement factor H functional assay may help to monitor atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) results from uncontrolled complement system activation. Complement factor H gene mutations are common causes of aHUS. Plasmatherapy, including plasma infusions and/or plasma exchanges, has been tried in this setting with various successes. At present, we lack a specific marker to monitor functional factor H deficiency-related aHUS. METHODS: We report the use of factor H functional assay in three patients with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome. This assay is based on the requirement of soluble complement regulators that bind sheep red cells to prevent haemolysis. As factor H is highly abundant in the plasma, its defect results in haemolysis. Factor H activity was also measured among plasma donors. RESULTS: One patient suffered from a plasma-dependent form of atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Plasma exchanges restored higher factor H activity and were associated with a 15-months disease-free period. In the two other patients, one with a failing renal graft and the other on chronic dialysis, a bout of thrombotic microangiopathy was preceded by a drop of haemolytic activity below normal values. Plasma from healthy donors (N=65) showed only minimal variations of Factor H activity (mean activity: 98.3%, SD=4.0). CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest that factor H activity could be of interest in both the diagnosis and the treatment by plasmatherapy of factor H-related aHUS.

Paediatric community-acquired septic shock: results from the REPEM network study.

UNLABELLED: INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: With this study we aimed to describe a "true world" picture of severe paediatric 'community-acquired' septic shock and establish the feasibility of a future prospective trial on early goal-directed therapy in children. During a 6-month to 1-year retrospective screening period in 16 emergency departments (ED) in 12 different countries, all children with severe sepsis and signs of decreased perfusion were included. RESULTS: A 270,461 paediatric ED consultations were screened, and 176 cases were identified. Significant comorbidity was present in 35.8 % of these cases. Intensive care admission was deemed necessary in 65.7 %, mechanical ventilation in 25.9 % and vasoactive medications in 42.9 %. The median amount of fluid given in the first 6 h was 30 ml/kg. The overall mortality in this sample was 4.5 %. Only 1.2 % of the survivors showed a substantial decrease in Paediatric Overall Performance Category (POPC). 'Severe' outcome (death or a decrease ≥2 in POPC) was significantly related (p < 0.01) to: any desaturation below 90 %, the amount of fluid given in the first 6 h, the need for and length of mechanical ventilation or vasoactive support, the use of dobutamine and a higher lactate or lower base excess but not to any variables of predisposition, infection or host response (as in the PIRO (Predisposition, Infection, Response, Organ dysfunction) concept). CONCLUSION: The outcome in our sample was very good. Many children received treatment early in their disease course, so avoiding subsequent intensive care. While certain variables predispose children to become septic and shocked, in our sample, only measures of organ dysfunction and concomitant treatment proved to be significantly related with outcome. We argue why future studies should rather be large multinational prospective observational trials and not necessarily randomised controlled trials.

Electronic medical file exchange between on-duty care providers and the attending paediatrician: a Belgian paediatric pilot project.

The authors propose the introduction of a pilot project: "paediatric core file exchange in emergencies" (PCF-EXEM) which enables the exchange of medical data between the attending paediatrician (AP), holder of the medical record, and on-duty medical units (i.e. general practitioners, paediatricians, surgeons, emergency physicians,...). This project is based on two pillars: a protected server (PCF-server) containing paediatric core files (PCF), with important clinical data that should be available for the physician in order to quickly get a clear insight into the relevant clinical medical history of the child, and secondly, the possibility to provide feedback to the attending physician about the findings recorded during the on-call duty. The permanent availability of health data on the PCF-server and the possibility to provide feedback represent together the PCF-EXEM-project. This project meets the demand of the care providers to have relevant medical information permanently available in order to guarantee high quality care in emergency situations. The frail balance between the right to informative privacy and professional confidentiality on the one hand and the right to quality health care on the other hand has been taken into account. The technical and practical feasibility of this project is described. The objectives and vision of the PCF-EXEM project are conform to Belgian legislation concerning the processing of medical data and are in line with the still under consideration European projects which are focusing on interoperability and the development of a common access control to databanks containing health data for care providers. PCF-EXEM could therefore be a model for other EU countries as well.

Safety and feasibility of nasopharyngeal evaporative cooling in the emergency department setting in survivors of cardiac arrest.

AIM: Mild therapeutic hypothermia improves survival and neurologic recovery in primary comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. Cooling effectivity, safety and feasibility of nasopharyngeal cooling with the RhinoChill device (BeneChill Inc., San Diego, USA) were determined for induction of therapeutic hypothermia. METHODS: Eleven emergency departments and intensive care units participated in this multi-centre, single-arm descriptive study. Eighty-four patients after successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest were cooled with nasopharyngeal delivery of an evaporative coolant for 1h. Subsequently, temperature was controlled with systemic cooling at 33 degrees C. Cooling rates, adverse events and neurologic outcome at hospital discharge using cerebral performance categories (CPC; CPC 1=normal to CPC 5=dead) were documented. Temperatures are presented as median and the range from the first to the third quartile. RESULTS: Nasopharyngeal cooling for 1h reduced tympanic temperature by median 2.3 (1.6; 3.0) degrees C, core temperature by 1.1 (0.7; 1.5) degrees C. Nasal discoloration occurred during the procedure in 10 (12%) patients, resolved in 9, and was persistent in 1 (1%). Epistaxis was observed in 2 (2%) patients. Periorbital gas emphysema occurred in 1 (1%) patient and resolved spontaneously. Thirty-four of 84 patients (40%) patients survived, 26/34 with favorable neurological outcome (CPC of 1-2) at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Nasopharyngeal evaporative cooling used for 1h in primary cardiac arrest survivors is feasible and safe at flow rates of 40-50L/min in a hospital setting.

Monitoring the safety of antiepileptic medication in a child with Brugada syndrome.

We report the case of an 8 year old boy presenting with episodes of decreased consciousness. As the boy's father died of a sudden cardiac death (SCD) at the age of 31 years, among other causes a Brugada syndrome (BS) was suspected. The boy was further examined at the UZ Brussels Heart Rhythm Management Center. The intravenous administration of ajmaline confirmed a BS without ventricular arrhythmias. Syncope in children can be an imminent sign of BS. BS is a life threatening condition that can deteriorate into SCD. The boy presented with episodes of lowered consciousness, transpiration and paleness. Readmission for further investigation was required. Clinical observation and continuous registered EEG during sleep showed multiple epileptical incidents. Hence the child was diagnosed with new onset epilepsy. For initiation of antiepileptic therapy, the patient was admitted at the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Close clinical observation and cardiovascular monitoring with continuous 12-lead ECG registration were performed during orally administered sodium valproic acid. During this anticonvulsive treatment in a child with documented BS no significant alterations in ECG-findings were observed. In this particular patient sodium valproic acid treatment can be estimated as a safe anticonvulsive therapy.

First sorbitol-fermenting Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: H- isolated in Belgium.

We report a case of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) following an infection with a sorbitol-fermenting Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H- in a toddler living in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. The patient presented with haemolytic anaemia, haematuria, proteinuria, renal insufficiency, and thrombocytopaenia leading to the diagnosis of HUS. Risk factors for VTEC infection, such as consuming undercooked food of bovine origin and direct contact with farm animals were absent. Also, neither travelling nor contact with travellers were reported. The patient recovered after perfusion with fresh frozen plasma and blood transfusion, and dialysis was not required. This is the first isolation of a sorbitol-fermenting VTEC O157:H- in Belgium. Future research is needed to reveal epidemiologic aspects, such as the main reservoir and transmission routes of this pathogenic E. coli serotype, which has caused outbreaks of HUS in Germany and Scotland.

A case of group A streptococcal meningitis following acute otitis media.

Group A streptococcal meningitis is less common than other forms of meningitis; however, the occurrence of this infection is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Early recognition and a prompt treatment are therefore essential. We review one case of an Asian women admitted with group A streptococcal meningitis as a complication of otitis media.

Diagnostic markers of sepsis in the emergency department.

Sepsis is defined as the systemic inflammatory response to infection. However, changes in body temperature, heart and respiratory rate and white cell count (the "SIRS" criteria) are not specific enough to identify infected patients in the emergency department. Among many biological parameters, measurement of lactate, central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2), C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) are of particular interest. Early (within 6h) and goal-directed (ScvO2 > 70%) resuscitation increases survival in severe sepsis and septic shock, particularly in patients with high lactate clearances. CRP and PCT are both useful markers of sepsis but PCT increases earlier, better differentiates infective from non-infective causes of inflammation, more closely correlates with sepsis severity in terms of shock and organ dysfunction and better predicts outcome when followed in time. However, PCT measurement is more costly, time-consuming, and not widespread available. New markers for rapid diagnosis of sepsis (e.g. TREM-1) are under investigation.

Postischemic mild hypothermia reduces neurotransmitter release and astroglial cell proliferation during reperfusion after asphyxial cardiac arrest in rats.

The present study investigated whether postischemic mild hypothermia attenuates the ischemia-induced striatal glutamate (GLU) and dopamine (DA) release, as well as astroglial cell proliferation in the brain. Anesthetized rats were exposed to 8 min of asphyxiation, including 5 min of cardiac arrest. The cardiac arrest was reversed to restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), by brief external heart massage and ventilation within a period of 2 min. After the insult and during reperfusion, the extracellular glutamate and dopamine overflow increased to, respectively, 3000% and 5000% compared with the baseline values in the normothermic group and resulted in brain damage, ischemic neurons and gliosis. However, when hypothermia was induced for a period of 60 min after the insult and restoration of spontaneous circulation, the glutamate and dopamine overflows were not significantly different from that in the sham group. Histological analysis of the brain showed that postischemic mild hypothermia reduced brain damage, ischemic neurons, as well as astroglial cell proliferation. Thus, postischemic mild hypothermia reduces the excitotoxic process, brain damage, as well as astroglial cell proliferation during reperfusion. Moreover, these results emphasize the trigger effect of dopamine on the excitotoxic pathway.

Mild hypothermia induced by a helmet device: a clinical feasibility study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility and the speed of a helmet device to achieve the target temperature of 34 degrees C in unconscious after out of hospital cardiac arrest (CA). METHODS: Patients with cardiac arrest due to asystole or pulseless electrical activity (PEA) who remained unconscious after restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were enrolled in the study and randomised into two groups: a normothermic group (NG) and a hypothermic group (HG). Bladder and tympanic temperature were monitored every 15 min. A helmet device was used to induce mild hypothermia in the HG. Later on, the effect of mild hypothermia on the haemodynamics, electrolytes, lactate, arterial pH, CaO2, CvO2 and O2 extraction ratio were analysed and compared to the values obtained from the NG. RESULTS: Thirty patients were eligible for the study, 16 were randomised into the HG and 14 were randomised into the NG. The median tympanic temperature at admission in both groups was 35.5 degrees C (range: 33.3-38.5 degrees C) and the median tympanic temperature after haemodynamic stabilisation was 35.7 degrees C (range: 33.6-38.2 degrees C). In the HG, the core and the central target temperature of 34 degrees C were achieved after a median time of 180 and 60 min, respectively after ROSC. At the start of the study, no significant differences between the NG and HG were seen. At the end of the study, lactate concentration and O2 extraction ratio were significantly lower in the HG; however the CvO2 was significantly lower in the NG. CONCLUSIONS: Mild hypothermia induced by a helmet device was feasible, easy to perform, inexpensive and effective, with no increase in complications.