Category: Critical Care
Keywords: OHCA, shock, epinephine, norepinephrine, cardiac arrest (PubMed Search)
Posted: 3/23/2022 by William Teeter, MD
(Updated: 5/17/2022)
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The use of catecholamines following OHCA has been a mainstay option for management for decades. Epinephrine is the most commonly used drug for cardiovascular support, but norepinephrine and dobutamine are also used. There is relatively poor data in their use in the out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This observational multicenter trial in France enrolled 766 patients with persistent requirement for catecholamine infusion post ROSC for 6 hours despite adequate fluid resuscitation. 285 (37%) received epinephrine and 481 (63%) norepinephrine.
Findings
Limitations:
Summary:
Norepinephrine may be a better choice for persistent post-arrest shock. However, this study is not designed to sufficiently address confounders to recommend abandoning epinephrine altogether, but it does give one pause.
Epinephrine versus norepinephrine in cardiac arrest patients with post-resuscitation shock. Intensive Care Med. 2022 Mar;48(3):300-310. doi: 10.1007/s00134-021-06608-7.
Category: Critical Care
Posted: 1/27/2022 by William Teeter, MD
Click here to contact William Teeter, MD
A prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel assignment, single-center clinical trial performed by an anesthesiology-based Airway Team under emergent circumstances at UT Southwestern.
801 critically ill patients requiring emergency intubation were randomly assigned 1:1 at the time of intubation using standard RSI doses of etomidate and ketamine.
Primary endpoint: 7-day survival, was statistically and clinically significantly lower in the etomidate group compared with ketamine 77.3% (90/396) vs 85.1% (59/395); NNH = 13.
Secondary endpoints: 28-day survival rate was not statistically or clinically different for etomidate vs ketamine groups was no longer statistically different: 64.1% (142/396) vs 66.8% (131/395). Duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU LOS, use and duration of vasopressor, daily SOFA for 96 hours, adrenal insufficiency not significant.
Other considerations:
1. Similar to a 2009 study, ketamine group had lower blood pressure after RSI, but was not statistically significant. 2
2. Etomidate inhibits 11-beta hydroxylase in the adrenals. Associated with positive ACTH test and high SOFA scores, but not increased mortality.2
3. Ketamine raises ICP… just kidding.
Etomidate versus ketamine for emergency endotracheal intubation: a randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med. 2021 Dec 14. doi: 10.1007/s00134-021-06577-x. Online ahead of print.
Jabre P, Combes X, Lapostolle F, et al.; KETASED Collaborative Study Group. Etomidate versus ketamine for rapid sequence intubation in acutely ill patients: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2009 Jul 25;374(9686):293-300. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60949-1. Epub 2009 Jul 1. PMID: 19573904.
Bruder EA, Ball IM, Ridi S, Pickett W, Hohl C (2015) Single induction dose of etomidate versus other induction agents for endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1(1):CD010225. https://doi.org/10.1002/1ecweccccccccccc4651858.CD010225.pub2
Wang, X., Ding, X., Tong, Y. et al. Ketamine does not increase intracranial pressure compared with opioids: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Anesth 28, 821–827 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-014-1845-3