Active clinical trials for "Heart Arrest"

This prospective single-centre randomized control trial aims at evaluating the safety and efficacy of hemoadsorption with CytoSorb® in 40 patients with Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome admitted to the ICU.

This study aims to optimize the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by focusing on neurological outcomes through Bispectral Index (BIS) monitoring. It will evaluate the feasibility of BIS monitoring in the prehospital phase, assess the need for sedation based on BIS values, and examine the timing of interventions in ICU (intensive care unit) settings to identify irreversible Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury (HIBI).

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of hemofiltration in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is the loss of mechanical activity of the heart including the loss of detectable pulse, or spontaneous breathing. When heart function is restored, the cells of the body release molecules into the blood that cause inflammation, unstable blood pressure, organ dysfunction and death. Hemofiltration is a technique of washing the blood to remove fluid and molecules from it. Hemofiltration is a proven therapy for renal failure, but is considered investigational for treatment after resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Some experts believe that hemofiltration after heart function is restored can remove inflammation from the blood, maintain blood pressure and organ function. Others believe that intravenous fluid and medications are sufficient to maintain blood pressure and organ function. Since the inflammation that occurs after restoration of heart function lasts, the investigators continue hemofiltration for up to 48 hours. Whether hemofiltration or intravenous fluids and medications is better is not known. The investigators are checking if they can wash the blood of patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest before the investigators can begin a large randomized trial to test whether hemofiltration improves their outcome. The investigators are testing this by randomly allocating patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest to receive low volume hemofiltration, high volume hemofiltration, or intravenous fluids and medications alone. The null hypotheses are that less than 80% of eligible patients will be enrolled, and that less than 80% of enrolled patients will undergo low-volume or high-volume hemofiltration (HF) for at least 80% of 48 hours.

According to international guidelines, mild therapeutic hypothermia is recommended for resuscitated patients after cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. Whether external or internal cooling is superior in terms of prognosis or security remains unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate in a randomized trial the clinical and economical interests of the endovascular cooling versus the conventional external cooling for the management of hypothermia after cardiac arrest.

Background: One of the 2010 Impact Goals of the Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) Committee of the American Heart Association is to double survival from cardiac arrest. Currently, approximately 60% of adults and 50% of paediatric patients that regain spontaneous circulation following cardiac arrest die before leaving the hospital. A key piece of the "chain of survival" is this fifth link; the care of patients post-arrest. Although there are several modalities recommended for post arrest care, therapeutic hypothermia is the only in-hospital therapy that has been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials to improve patient outcome after cardiac arrest. Despite the strong evidence for its efficacy and the apparent simplicity of this intervention, recent surveys show that hypothermia is delivered inconsistently, incompletely, and with undue delay in hospitals receiving resuscitated patients; only 26% of physicians and 26% of hospitals regularly institute a hypothermia protocol. Primary Objective: To design and apply a knowledge translation program for the 2005 AHA guideline on hypothermia post cardiac arrest and enable effective implementation of hypothermia in 100% of eligible OHCA patients. The integration of two robust data collection systems, which include both pre-hospital and in-hospital indicators, will give complete process of care and clinical outcome information for all cardiac arrest patients. Primary Endpoint: the proportion of eligible out of hospital cardiac arrest patients cooled to 32-34°C within 6 hours of ED arrival. Study Design: This project will be implemented through an established research collaborative of 43 hospitals in southern Ontario currently participating in the Toronto site of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium. A stepped wedge study design will be employed, whereby the intervention will be rolled-out sequentially to the participating hospitals over a number of time periods as sites reach pre-defined benchmarks. The multifaceted KT strategy will include 1) local multidisciplinary champions in ED, ICU, and Cardiology 2) A simple protocol for application of hypothermia, tailored to local needs and policy; 3) Identification of perceived and actual barriers to knowledge use; 4) Development of an implementation tool kit and 5) Providing timely feedback on benchmarks for hypothermia and outcomes

Mild therapeutic hypothermia in the temperature range of 32º - 34ºC. improves survival in patients recovered from a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest. The same therapy is suggested with less evidence for asystole as first rhythm after cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study is to determine whether different temperature targets (32º vs 34º) may have different efficacy in the treatment of post-cardiac arrest patients. If successful, this pilot study will eventually form the basis for a larger, multicentric randomized clinical trial.

The debate over the administration of sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest has been going on for several decades, swinging like a pendulum from "first-line drug" to "not indicated" to the recent guidelines advocating "a small bolus under special conditions (metabolic acidosis, intoxication, long-term resuscitation)". A targeted, blood-gas controlled application under optimised ventilation conditions has not yet been evaluated prehospitally. Our preliminary studies have shown that an arterial puncture/line as well as measurement of blood gases is feasible in preclinical conditions. This multicentre trial including 5 centres and 10 physician-staffed emergency systems is designed to compare, in a prospective randomised controlled study, the effect of a calculated dosage of sodium bicarbonate based on the patient´s base deficit and weight, on ROSC (= return of spontaneous circulation) and on the secondary survival of cardiac arrest patients. The null hypothesis is that there is no or negative impact on survival.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of aminophylline in patients with out-of-hospital bradyasystolic cardiac arrest.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important issue for the emergency physicians and co-workers. How to improve the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate and prognosis of these patients challenges the emergency team. When encounters stress, the hypothalamus of human releases corticotropin releasing hormone, which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland to release ACTH. Then ACTH acts on the adrenal gland to release glucocorticoid to against stress. Foley PJ et al found the dogs with bilateral adrenalectomy had lower ROSC rate during resuscitation than those without surgery[1]. Karl H. Linder et al showed OHCA patients had high serum vasopressin and ACTH level but low serum cortisol level. Besides, the serum cortisol level had a negative correlation with collapse duration (no CPR duration)[2]. Studies also revealed the successfully resuscitated patients had higher serum ACTH and cortisol level than non-resuscitated ones[2,3]. In addition, the serum cortisol level was found to be correlated with short term survival rate and hemodynamic status in resuscitated OHCA patients[3]. Animal study also showed mice receiving higher dosage of hydrocortisone had higher ROSC rate and lower epinephrine requirement than those receiving lower dosage of hydrocortisone or normal saline. <Reference> Foley PJ, Tacker WA, Wortsman J, Frank S, Cryer PE.;" Plasma catecholamine and serum cortisol responses to experimental cardiac arrest in dogs."Am J Physiol 1987;253:E283-9 Lindner KH, Strohmenger HU, Ensinger H, Hetzel WD, Ahnefeld FW, Georgieff M.;" Stress hormone response during and after cardiopulmonary resuscitation."Anesthesiology 1992;77:662-8 Schultz CH, Rivers EP, Feldkamp CS, Goad EG, Smithline HA, Martin GB, Fath JJ, Wortsman J, Nowak RM.;"A characterization of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function during and after human cardiac arrest."Crit Care Med 1993;21:1339-47 Smithline H, Rivers E, Appleton T, Nowak R.;"Corticosteroid supplementation during cardiac arrest in rats."Resuscitation 1993;25:257-64

Almost all patients with refractory cardiac arrest, who are primarily stabilized under ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation by transcutaneous implantation of a venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (va-ECMO for eCPR) develop post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS). PCAS is characterised by cytokine storm resulting in vasodilation and membrane leakage, which is poorly controlled and often fatal. Case reports and data from the investigators' single-center registry indicate that cytokine adsorption with the CytoSorb removal column can be safely added to va-ECMO, but its efficacy and safety have not been examined systematically. This pilot study will assign all comers undergoing eCPR to va-ECMO with or without cytokine adsorber in a 1:1 fashion. This will ensure comparability and allow analysing clinical endpoints, but is limited by sample size (according to their experience the investigators expect approximately 20 cases per year). The investigators will however be able to generate important data about safety, secondary endpoints such as Interleukin-6-removal or vasopressor use and low-power data about efficacy concerning the primary endpoint 30-day survival.