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Purpose: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a poor prognosis, with an overall survival rate of about 5% at discharge. Shockable rhythm cardiac arrests (ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT)) have a better prognosis. In case of shockable rhythm, treatment is based on defibrillation, and thereafter, in case of failure of 3 external electric shocks (EES), on direct intravenous administration of 300 mg amiodarone, or lidocaine when amiodarone is unavailable or inefficient. During surgical procedures under extracorporeal circulation, a high potassium cardioplegia solution is administered to interrupt cardiac activity and facilitate surgical procedure. By extension, direct intravenous administration of potassium chloride (KCl) has been shown to convert VF, resulting in return to a hemodynamically efficient organized heart rate within a few minutes. The aim of this study is to provide clinical evidence that direct intravenous injection of KCl, into a patient presenting with OHCA due to refractory VF although 3 EES, should interrupt this VF and then allow rapid restauration of an organized heart rhythm, and thus return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)., Methods: A multicenter, prospective, single group, phase 2 study will be conducted on 81 patients presenting with refractory VF. After failure of 3 EES, each patient will receive direct intravenous injection of 20 mmol KCl instead of amiodarone. The primary outcome will be survival rate at hospital admission. Major secondary outcomes will include ROSC and time to ROSC in the prehospital setting, number of VF recidivism after KCl injection, survival rate at hospital discharge with a good neurologic prognostic, and survival rate 3 months after hospital discharge with a good neurologic prognostic., Results: No patient is currently included in the study., Discussion: Conventional guideline strategy based on antiarrhythmic drug administration, i.e. amiodarone or lidocaine, for OHCA due to shockable rhythm, has not yet demonstrated an increase in survival at hospital admission or at hospital discharge. This may be related to the major cardiodepressant effect of those drugs., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04316611. Registered on March 2020. AP-HP180577 / N° EUDRACT: 2019-002544-24. Funded by the French Health Ministry. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04316611., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Jouffroy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Importance: Blood transfusion is a mainstay of therapy for trauma-induced coagulopathy, but the optimal modalities for plasma transfusion in the prehospital setting remain to be defined., Objective: To determine whether lyophilized plasma transfusion can reduce the incidence of trauma-induced coagulopathy compared with standard care consisting of normal saline infusion., Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was performed at multiple centers in France involving prehospital medical teams. Participants included 150 adults with trauma who were at risk for hemorrhagic shock and associated coagulopathy between April 1, 2016, and September 30, 2019, with a 28-day follow-up. Data were analyzed from November 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020., Intervention: Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either plasma or standard care with normal saline infusion (control)., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the international normalized ratio (INR) on arrival at the hospital. Secondary outcomes included the need for massive transfusion and 30-day survival. As a safety outcome, prespecified adverse events included thrombosis, transfusion-related acute lung injury, and transfusion-associated circulatory overload., Results: Among 150 randomized patients, 134 were included in the analysis (median age, 34 [IQR, 26-49] years; 110 men [82.1%]), with 68 in the plasma group and 66 in the control group. Median INR values were 1.21 (IQR, 1.12-1.49) in the plasma group and 1.20 (IQR, 1.10-1.39) in the control group (median difference, -0.01 [IQR, -0.09 to 0.08]; P = .88). The groups did not differ significantly in the need for massive transfusion (7 [10.3%] vs 4 [6.1%]; relative risk, 1.78 [95% CI, 0.42-8.68]; P = .37) or 30-day survival (hazard ratio for death, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.44-2.61]; P = .89). In the full intention-to-treat population (n = 150), the groups did not differ in the rates of any of the prespecified adverse events., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial including severely injured patients at risk for hemorrhagic shock and associated coagulopathy, prehospital transfusion of lyophilized plasma was not associated with significant differences in INR values vs standard care with normal saline infusion. Nevertheless, these findings show that lyophilized plasma transfusion is a feasible and safe procedure for this patient population., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02736812.

Background: In 2016, three European scientific societies called for standardization to the "2222" as a European unique phone number in case of in-hospital emergencies. This study describes the management of in-hospital emergency calls in all French military training hospitals and aims to detail their original transition, for the first time in France, to the "2222"., Methods: An electronic standardized questionnaire was emailed to heads of rapid response teams in the eight French military training hospitals., Results: All participants answered the questionnaire (100%). The eight French military training hospitals had a specific procedure for management of in-hospital emergencies. Six hospitals already used a unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies, but none of them were using the 2222 in March 2019. Two hospitals still used several phone numbers for in-hospital emergencies, mainly due to historical and local arrangements. Rapid response teams included at least a physician and a nurse. There was a discussion to switch to "2222" as the unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies in two hospitals. In both, the discussions involved hospital executive officers, medical teams, rapid response teams and technical teams leading to a step-by-step transition. Finally, in October 2019, these two hospitals launched the "2222" procedure for in-hospital emergencies., Conclusion: This study found a large disparity in the eight French military training hospitals, concerning in-hospital emergency protocols. Two French military training hospitals launched the "2222" procedure for the first time in France. Further efforts are still needed to continue to promote the use of the 2222 as a European unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains associated with very high mortality. Accelerating the initiation of efficient cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is widely perceived as key to improving outcomes. The main goal was to determine whether identification and activation of nearby first responders through a smartphone application named Staying Alive (SA) can improve survival following OHCA in a large urban area (Paris)., Methods: We conducted a nonrandomized cohort study of all adults with OHCA managed by the Greater Paris Fire Brigade during 2018, irrespective of mobile application usage. We compared survival data in cases where SA did or did not lead to the activation of nearby first responders. During dispatch, calls for OHCA were managed with or without SA. The intervention group included all cases where nearby first responders were successfully identified by SA and actively contributed to CPR. The control group included all other cases. We compared survival at hospital discharge between the intervention and control groups. We analyzed patient data, CPR metrics, and first responders' characteristics., Results: Approximately 4,107 OHCA cases were recorded in 2018. Among those, 320 patients were in the control group, whereas 46 patients, in the intervention group, received first responder-initiated CPR. After adjustment for confounders, survival at hospital discharge was significantly improved for patients in the intervention group (35% vs. 16%, adjusted odds ratio = 5.9, 95% confidence interval = 2.1 to 16.5, p < 0.001). All CPR metrics were improved in the intervention group., Conclusions: We report that mobile smartphone technology was associated with OHCA survival through accelerated initiation of efficient CPR by first responders in a large urban area., (© 2020 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

Background: There exists a need for prognostic tools for the early identification of COVID-19 patients requiring prehospital intubation. Here we investigated the association between a prehospital Hypoxemia Index (HI) and the need for intubation among COVID-19 patients in the prehospital setting., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed COVID-19 patients initially cared for by a Paris Fire Brigade advanced life support (ALS) team in the prehospital setting between 8th March and 18th April of 2020. We assessed the association between HI and prehospital intubation using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and logistic regression model analysis after propensity score matching. Results are expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: We analyzed 300 consecutive COVID-19 patients (166 males (55%); mean age, 64 ± 18 years). Among these patients, 45 (15%) were deceased on the scene, 34 (11%) had an active care restriction, and 18 (6%) were intubated in the prehospital setting. The mean HI value was 3.4 ± 1.9. HI was significantly associated with prehospital intubation (OR, 0.24; 95% CI: 0.12-0.41, p < 10 -3 ) with a corresponding area under curve (AUC) of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.98). HI significantly differed between patients with and without prehospital intubation (1.0 ± 1.0 vs. 3.6 ± 1.8, respectively; p < 10 -3 ). ROC curve analysis defined the optimal HI threshold as 1.3. Bivariate analysis revealed that HI <1.3 was significantly, positively associated with prehospital intubation (OR, 38.38; 95% CI: 11.57-146.54; p < 10 -3 ). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that prehospital intubation was significantly associated with HI (adjusted odds ratio (ORa), 0.20; 95% CI: 0.06-0.45; p < 10 -3 ) and HI <3 (ORa, 51.08; 95% CI: 7.83-645.06; p < 10 -3 ). After adjustment for confounders, the ORa between HI <1.3 and prehospital intubation was 3.6 (95% CI: 1.95-5.08; p < 10 -3 )., Conclusion: An HI of <1.3 was associated with a 3-fold increase in prehospital intubation among COVID-19 patients. HI may be a useful tool to facilitate decision-making regarding prehospital intubation of COVID-19 patients initially cared for by a Paris Fire Brigade ALS team. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Background: Post-trauma bleeding induces an acute deficiency in clotting factors, which promotes bleeding and hemorrhagic shock. However, early plasma administration may reduce the severity of trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). Unlike fresh frozen plasma, which requires specific hospital logistics, French lyophilized plasma (FLYP) is storable at room temperature and compatible with all blood types, supporting its use in prehospital emergency care. We aim to test the hypothesis that by attenuating TIC, FLYP administered by prehospital emergency physicians would benefit the severely injured civilian patient at risk for hemorrhagic shock., Methods/design: This multicenter randomized clinical trial will include adults severely injured and at risk for hemorrhagic shock, with a systolic blood pressure < 70 mmHg or a Shock Index > 1.1. Two parallel groups of 70 patients will receive either FLYP or normal saline in addition to usual treatment. The primary endpoint is the International Normalized Ratio (INR) at hospital admission. Secondary endpoints are transfusion requirement, length of stay in the intensive care unit, survival rate at day 30, usability and safety related to FLYP use, and other biological coagulation parameters., Conclusion: With this trial, we aim to confirm the efficacy of FLYP in TIC and its safety in civilian prehospital care. The study results will contribute to optimizing guidelines for treating hemorrhagic shock in civilian settings., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02736812. Registered on 13 April 2016. The trial protocol has been approved by the French ethics committee (CPP 3342) and the French Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (IDRCB 2015-A00866-43).

Background: Military anesthesia meets unique logistical, technical, tactical, and human constraints, but to date limited data have been published on anesthesia management during military operations., Objective: This study aimed to describe and analyze French anesthetic activity in a deployed military setting., Methods: Between October 2015 and February 2018, all patients managed by Sainte-Anne Military Hospital anesthesiologists deployed in mission were included. Anesthesia management was described and compared with the same surgical procedures in France performed by the same anesthesia team (hernia repair, lower and upper limb surgeries). Demographics, type of surgical procedure, and surgical activity were also described. The primary endpoint was to describe anesthesia management during the deployment of forward surgical teams (FST). The secondary endpoint was to compare anesthesia modalities during FST deployment with those usually used in a military teaching hospital., Results: During the study period, 1547 instances of anesthesia were performed by 11 anesthesiologists during 20 missions, totaling 1237 days of deployment in nine different theaters. The majority consisted of regional anesthesia, alone (43.5%) or associated with general anesthesia (21%). Compared with France, there was a statistically significant increase in the use of regional anesthesia in hernia repair, lower and upper limb surgeries during deployment. The majority of patients were civilians as part of medical support to populations., Conclusion: In the context of an austere environment, the use of regional anesthesia techniques predominated when possible. These results show that the training of military anesthetists must be complete, including anesthesia, intensive care, pediatrics, and regional anesthesia., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: This study investigated invasive mechanical ventilation modalities used in severe blunt chest trauma patients with pulmonary contusion. Occurrence, risk factors, and outcomes of early onset acute respiratory distress syndrome were also evaluated., Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter observational study including 115 adult patients hospitalized in six level 1 trauma intensive care units between April and September of 2014. Independent predictors of early onset acute respiratory distress syndrome were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis based on clinical characteristics and initial management., Results: Protective ventilation principles were highly implemented, even prophylactically before acute respiratory distress syndrome occurrence. Early onset acute respiratory distress syndrome appeared to be associated with lung contusion of >20% of total lung volume and early onset pneumonia., Conclusions: Predictors of early onset acute respiratory distress syndrome could help with identifying high-risk populations, potentially improving case management through specific protocol development for these patients.

Introduction: Although aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is often complicated by myocardial injury, whether this neurogenic cardiomyopathy is associated with the modification of cardiac metabolism is unknown. This study sought to explore, by positron emission tomography/computed tomography, the presence of altered cardiac glucose metabolism after SAH., Methods: During a 16-month period, 30 SAH acute phase patients underwent myocardial (18)F- fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDGPET), (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin and (123)I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-mIBG) scintigraphy, respectively, assessing glucose metabolism, cardiac perfusion, and sympathetic innervation. Patients with initial abnormalities were followed monthly for two months for (18)F-FDG, and six months later for (123)I-mIBG., Results: In this SAH population, acute cardiac metabolic disturbance was observed in 83% of patients (n = 25), and sympathetic innervation disturbance affected 90% (n = 27). Myocardial perfusion was normal for all patients. The topography and extent of metabolic defects and innervation abnormalities largely overlapped. Follow-up showed rapid improvement of glucose metabolism in one or two months. Normalization of sympathetic innervation was slower; only 27% of patients (n = 8) exhibited normal (123)I-mIBG scintigraphy after six months. Presence of initial altered cardiac metabolism was not associated with more unfavorable cardiac or neurological outcomes., Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis of neurogenic myocardial stunning after SAH. In hemodynamically stable acute phase SAH patients, cardiomyopathy is characterized by diffuse and heterogeneous (18)F-FDG and (123)I-mIBG uptake defect., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01218191. Registered 6 October 2010.

Background: This study compared three different fluid resuscitation strategies in terms of respiratory tolerance and hemodynamic efficacy in a pig model of blunt chest trauma with lung contusion and controlled hemorrhagic shock. We hypothesized that the choice of fluid resuscitation strategy (type and amount of fluids) may impact differently contused lungs in terms of extravascular lung water (EVLW) 20 h after trauma., Methods: Anesthetized female pigs (n = 5/group) received five bolt shots to the right thoracic cage and allowed to hemorrhage for 30 min, with 25 to 30 mL/kg of blood loss. Pigs were randomly assigned to resuscitation groups that maintained a minimum mean arterial blood pressure of 70 mmHg with one of three methods: normal saline (NS), unrestricted normal saline; NOREPI, low-volume normal saline with norepinephrine; or HS-HES, hypertonic saline with hydroxyethyl starch. Control pigs were anesthetized, but received no injury or treatment. After 20 h, animals were killed to measure EVLW by gravimetry., Results: Fluid loading was significantly different in each group. All three treatment groups had higher EVLW than controls. Moderate, bilateral pulmonary edema was observed in the NS and HS-HES groups. The three treatment groups showed similar reductions in oxygenation. Static pulmonary compliance was diminished in the NS and HS-HES groups, but compliance was similar in NOREPI and control groups. The NOREPI group had pathological lactate levels., Conclusions: This study demonstrated the impact of fluid resuscitation on contused lungs. Twenty hours after the trauma, all three resuscitation approaches showed modest clinical consequences, with moderate lung edema and reduced compliance in response to the infused volume.

Background: Long term oxygen therapy improves survival in hypoxemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Because pressure support ventilation with a home care ventilator is largely unsupervised, there is considerable risk of leakage occurring, which could affect delivered FiO2. We have therefore conducted a bench study in order to measure the effect of different levels of O2 supply and degrees of leakage on delivered FiO2. Ventilator tested: Legendair® (Airox™, Pau, France). Thirty-six measures were performed in each four ventilators with zero, 5 and 10 l.min-1 leakage and 1,2,4 and 8 l O2 flow., Findings: FiO2 decreased significantly with 5 l.min-1 leakage for all O2 flow rates, and with 10 l.min-1 at 4 and 8 l.min-1 O2., Conclusion: During application of NIV on home ventilators, leakage can dramatically decrease inspired FiO2 making it less effective. It is important to know the FiO2 dispensed when NIV is used for COPD at home. We would encourage industry to develop methods for FiO2 regulation Chronic use of NIV for COPD with controlled FiO2 or SpO2 requires further studys.

Introduction: Health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) has been proposed as a new category of respiratory infection to identify patients at risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. The American Thoracic Society's recommendation for HCAP treatment is to use broad-spectrum and multiple antibiotics. However, this strategy may be economically expensive and promote antimicrobial resistance when a multisensitive pathogen is not identified., Methods: We prospectively included all patients presenting with HCAP in the emergency department. Blood cultures and fiberoptic bronchoscope-guided distal protected small volume bronchoalveolar lavage (FODP mini-BAL) were performed in each patient. Empirical antibiotic therapy was adapted when microbiological findings were available. The primary objective was to assess whether FODP mini-BAL is more efficient than blood cultures in identifying pathogens with the ratio of identification between both techniques as principal criteria., Results: We included 54 patients with HCAP. Pathogens were identified in 46.3% of cases using mini-BAL and in 11.1% of cases using blood cultures (P <0.01). When the patient did not receive antibiotic therapy before the procedure, pathogens were identified in 72.6% of cases using mini-BAL and in 9.5% of cases using blood cultures (P <0.01). We noted multidrug-resistant pathogens in 16% of cases. All bronchoscopic procedures could be performed in patients without complications., Conclusions: FODP mini-BAL was more efficient than blood cultures for identifying pathogens in patients presenting with HCAP. When bacteriological identification was obtained, antibiotic therapy was adapted in 100% of cases.See related letter by Sircar et al.,http://ccforum.com/content/17/2/428.

Introduction: Intravascular cooling and warming catheters are among a range of proliferating technologies used for temperature control. Complications related to the use of these devices are few, and no definitive evidence has been presented thus far to indicate any differences in complication rates between these balloon catheters and other central vein catheters. We report two cases of cooling and warming catheter-related venous thrombosis. They are the both first ones report of this kind in the literature., Case Presentation: The first case was a 17-year-old man admitted with severe head trauma. On day 6, he presented with severe intracranial hypertension, requiring increased medical treatment: mannitol osmotherapy, barbiturate-induced coma, and mild therapeutic hypothermia. A double-lumen Alsius CoolLine catheter was placed in the inferior veina cava via the left femoral vein and active cooling was begun. On day 10, physical examination of the left inguinal area and echo-doppler revealed catheter-related thrombophlebitis with left iliocaval vein occlusion. The second case was a 42-year-old man admitted with a severe burn. On day 2, the patient was taken to the operating room for the first staged excision of his burn wounds. A triple lumen Alsius Icy catheter was placed in the inferior vena cava via the right femoral vein and active core warming of the patient was begun. From day 2 to day 7, active core warming of the patient was maintained. On day 7, he presented with a septic thrombophlebitis. Echo-doppler revealed a 4-cm-long thrombus at the femoral catheter site with complete blood flow obstruction and blood cultures and catheter tip were positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus., Conclusion: Although generally considered safe, cooling and warming catheters can be associated with mechanical complications such as catheter-related venous thrombosis. Intensivists who use these devices should be aware of this possible complication. Finally, as with any other invasive catheter, to reduce the risk of complications, the catheter should be removed promptly when no longer needed.

Background: Tracheal rupture is a rare but life-threatening complication that most commonly occurrs after blunt trauma to the chest, but which may also complicate tracheal intubation. We report a case of post-intubation tracheal rupture after cataract surgery under general anesthesia treated conservatively., Case Presentation: Four hours after extubation, a 67 year-old woman developed subcutaneous emphysema of the facial, bilateral laterocervical and upper anterior chest. Tracheobronchial fiberendoscopy showed a posterior tracheal transmural rupture 4 cm long located 2.5 cm above the carina that opened in inspiration. The location of the lesion and features of the patient favoured conservative treatment with antibiotic cover. The patient made a full and uncomplicated recovery and was discharged fourteen days after the original injury., Conclusion: Two therapeutic strategies are currently employed for post-intubation tracheal rupture: a non-surgical strategy for small injuries and a surgical strategy for larger injuries. This case report presented the non-surgical therapeutic strategy of a large tracheal injury.

Background: To reduce the risk of accidental needlestick injuries, first active then passive safety devices were developed on IV catheters. However, whether these catheters are easy to implement and really protect personnel from accidental needlestick is untested., Methods: In this prospective randomized survey, we compared a passive safety catheter with an active safety catheter and a nonsafety classic catheter. The main objective was to evaluate the difficulty of inserting the catheters in terms of the number of insertion failures, difficulties introducing the catheter and withdrawing the needle, and the normality of the blood reflux in the delivery system. The second objective was to determine the degree of exposure to patients' blood evaluated as the number of exposures of the staff and blood splashes of the environment, and the staff's sense of protection., Results: Seven hundred fifty-nine assessment cards were collected. The number of failures for the three catheter groups was similar and not statistically different. Introduction of the catheter was more difficult with the active safety catheter. Needle withdrawal was more difficult with the passive safety catheter. The blood reflux was abnormal more often with the safety catheters. The staff's exposure was more frequent with the active safety catheter. The number of blood splashes was more common with the safety catheters., Conclusions: Safety catheters are not superior with regard to failure rate in the catheter's placement. Users feel better protected, but find the use of safety catheters more difficult, and their handling generates more splashing of blood into the environment. The passive safety catheter is more efficient than the active safety catheter with regard to ease of introduction of the catheter into the vein and the staff's exposure to the patient's blood.