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Aim: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is used to resuscitate patients with cardiac arrest; however, its effect in treating hypothermic cardiac arrest has not been well studied. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the characteristics and outcomes of patients with hypothermic cardiac arrest who underwent ECPR, using a multicenter out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) registry in Japan. Methods: Baseline characteristics of patients with hypothermic OHCA and body temperature below 32 °C were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality and neurological outcomes in these patients. Outcomes of hypothermic and cardiogenic OHCA cases were compared using propensity-score matching to investigate differences among subgroups. Results: We included 2,157 patients, with 102 and 1,646 in the hypothermic and cardiogenic groups, respectively. Higher age and longer low-flow time were independent risk factors for mortality, and higher age was an independent risk factor for unfavorable neurological outcomes in the hypothermic OHCA group.Eighty matched pairs were selected during propensity-score matching, and the mortality rate was lower in the hypothermic group than in the cardiogenic group (46.2% vs. 77.5%; p

Aim: To investigate the factors associated with favourable neurological outcomes in adult patients undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: This retrospective observational study used secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II multicentre registry data from 36 institutions in Japan. Between 2013 and 2018, 2157 patients with OHCA who underwent ECPR were enrolled in SAVE-J II. A total of 1823 patients met the study inclusion criteria. Adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with OHCA, who underwent ECPR before admission to the intensive care unit, were included in our secondary analysis. The primary outcome was a favourable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, defined as a Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2. We used a multivariate logistic regression model to examine the association between factors measured at the incident scene or upon hospital arrival and favourable neurological outcomes. Results: Multivariable analysis revealed that shockable rhythm at the scene [odds ratio (OR); 2.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16–3.95] and upon hospital arrival (OR 2.59; 95% CI 1.60–4.30), bystander CPR (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.03–1.88), body movement during resuscitation (OR 7.10; 95% CI 1.79–32.90), gasping (OR 4.33; 95% CI 2.57–7.28), pupillary reflex on arrival (OR 2.93; 95% CI 1.73–4.95), and male sex (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.24–0.75) significantly correlated with neurological outcomes. Conclusions: Shockable rhythm, bystander CPR, body movement during resuscitation, gasping, pupillary reflex, and sex were associated with favourable neurological outcomes in patients with OHCA treated with ECPR.

Aim: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a life-threatening emergency with high mortality. The “chain of survival” is critical to improving patient outcomes. To develop and enhance this chain of survival, measuring and monitoring the resuscitation processes and outcomes are essential for quality assurance. In Japan, several OHCA registries have successfully been implemented at both local and national levels. We aimed to review and summarise the conception, strengths, and challenges of OHCA registries in Japan. Method and results: The following representing registries in Japan were reviewed: the All-Japan Utstein registry, the Utstein Osaka Project/the Osaka-CRITICAL study, the SOS-KANTO study, the JAAM-OHCA study, and the SAVE-J II study. The All-Japan Utstein registry, operated by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan and one of the largest nationwide population-based registries in the world, collects data concerning all patients with OHCA in Japan, excluding in-hospital data. Other research- and hospital-based registries collect detailed out-of-hospital and in-hospital data. The Osaka-CRITICAL study and the SOS-KANTO study are organized at regional levels, and hospitals in the Osaka prefecture and in the Kanto area participate in these registries. The JAAM-OHCA study is managed by the Japanese Association of Acute Medicine and includes 107 hospitals throughout Japan. The Save-J II study focuses on patients with OHCA treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Conclusion: Each OHCA registry has its own philosophy, strengths, perspectives, and challenges; however, all have been successful in contributing to the improvement of emergency medical service (EMS) systems through the quality improvement process. These registries are expected to be further utilized to enhance EMS systems and improve outcomes for patients with OHCA, while also contributing to the field of resuscitation science.

Background: We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the database of an observational multicenter cohort in Japan. Adult patients with OHCA of cardiac etiology who received ECPR between 2013 and 2018 were categorized as follows: underweight, BMI

Background: Neuromuscular blocking agents are used to control shivering in cardiac arrest patients treated with target temperature management. However, their effect on outcomes in patients treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation is unclear. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II study, a retrospective multicenter study of 2175 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in Japan. We classified patients into those who received neuromuscular blocking agents and those who did not and compared in-hospital mortality and incidence rates of favorable neurological outcome and in-hospital pneumonia between the groups using multivariable regression models and stabilized inverse probability weighting with propensity scores. Results: Six hundred sixty patients from the SAVE-J II registry were analyzed. Neuromuscular blocking agents were used in 451 patients (68.3%). After adjusting for potential confounders, neuromuscular blocking agents use was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (aHR 0.88; 95% CI, 0.67–1.14), favorable neurological outcome (aOR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.60–1.11), or pneumonia (aOR 1.52; 95% CI, 0.85–2.71). The results for in-hospital mortality (aHR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.64–1.25), favorable neurological outcome (aOR 0.94; 95% CI, 0.59–1.48) and pneumonia (aOR 1.59; 95% CI, 0.74–3.41) were similar after weighting was performed. Conclusions: Although data on the rationale for using neuromuscular blocking agents were unavailable, their use was not significantly associated with outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and targeted temperature management. Neuromuscular blocking agents should be used based on individual clinical indications.

Aim: This study aimed to describe the frequency, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of pneumonia in OHCA patients treated with ECPR in a multicenter setting. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II study, which was a multicenter, retrospective cohort of OHCA patients treated with ECPR. Age, sex, comorbidities, presence of witnessed CA, presence of bystander CPR, initial rhythm, cause of CA, low-flow time, initiation of targeted temperature management, details of sputum culture, pneumonia, and prophylactic antibiotic use were recorded. Pneumonia was diagnosed when the patients met all the clinical, radiologic, and microbiologic criteria acquired after hospitalization. Results: In total, 1,986 patients were included in the analysis, and 947 (48%) died during the first 2 days of admission. A prophylactic antibiotic was used in 712 (35.9%) patients. Overall, the hazard of death was high on days 1 and 2 of admission, exceeding 20% on both days; 251 (12.6%) patients developed pneumonia during hospitalization, and the hazard of pneumonia development remained high (>2%) in the first 7 days of admission.Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella species were commonly identified in the sputum culture. Among patients who survived the first 7 days, the odds ratio (OR) of those with pneumonia and unfavorable neurological outcomes defined by cerebral performance category 3–5 was approximately 1. In those who survived the first 10 days, the OR was greater than 1 with a wide confidence interval. Conclusions: This is the first study describing details of pneumonia in OHCA patients treated with ECPR using a large dataset.

Aim: We examined the association between the location of cardiac arrest and outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who underwent extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods: This was a secondary analysis of SAVE-J II, a multicentre retrospective registry with 36 participating institutions across Japan, which enrolled adult patients with OHCA who underwent ECPR. The outcomes of interest were favourable neurologic outcome at discharge. We compared the outcome between OHCA cases that occurred at residential and public locations, using a multilevel logistic regression model allowing for the random effect of each hospital. Results: Among 1,744 enrolled OHCAs, 809 and 935 occurred at residential (house: 603; apartment: 206) and public (street: 260; workplace: 210; others: 465) locations, respectively. The proportion of favourable neurologic outcomes was lower in OHCAs at residential locations than those at public locations (88/781 (11.3%) vs.131/891 (14.7%); adjusted odds ratio, 0.72 [95% confidence interval, 0.53–0.99]). However, subgroup analyses for patients with EMS aged

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between transient return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation and outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, who were resuscitated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II study, which was a retrospective multicentre registry study involving 36 participating institutions in Japan. We classified patients into two groups according to the presence or absence of transient ROSC before ECMO initiation. Transient ROSC was defined as any palpable pulse of ≥1 min before ECMO initiation. The primary outcome was favourable neurological outcomes (cerebral performance categories 1–2). Results: Of 2,157 patients registered in the SAVE-J II study, 1,501 met the study inclusion criteria; 328 (22%) experienced transient ROSC before ECMO initiation. Patients with transient ROSC had better outcomes than those without ROSC (favourable neurological outcome, 26% vs 12%, P