The EMS Lighthouse Project

Back in episode 80 we discussed a feasibility study out of Salt Lake City that showed IM epi resulted in 3-minute faster administration in cardiac arrest. It was underpowered to show survival, however. Fortunately, the great folks in Salt Lake City is back with a larger bite at the statistical apple. Dr Jarvis discusses the background around what we know about epinephrine in cardiac arrest (briefly, for once), walks us through this new study, and puts it in context of modern clinical practice. 

Citations.

1. Palatinus HN, Johnson MA, Wang HE, Hoareau GL, Youngquist ST: Early intramuscular adrenaline administration is associated with improved survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2024;August;201:110266.

2. Perkins GD, Ji C, Deakin CD, Quinn T, Nolan JP, Scomparin C, Regan S, Long J, Slowther A, Pocock H, et al.: A Randomized Trial of Epinephrine in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. N Engl J Med. 2018;August 23;379(8):711–21.

3. Okubo M, Komukai S, Callaway CW, Izawa J: Association of Timing of Epinephrine Administration With Outcomes in Adults With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;August 10;4(8):e2120176.

4. Hubble MW, Tyson C: Impact of Early Vasopressor Administration on Neurological Outcomes after Prolonged Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;June;32(3):297–304.

5.  Pugh AE, Stoecklein HH, Tonna JE, Hoareau GL, Johnson MA, Youngquist ST: Intramuscular adrenaline for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with faster drug delivery: A feasibility study. Resuscitation Plus. 2021;September;7:100142.

Do you give naloxone to patients who are in cardiac arrest? Should you? Can it possibly provide any benefit at all once you are already providing effective ventilations? Well, Dr. Jarvis certainly thought not. He might have even thought it out loud. Like, loudly out loud.  

Based on two recent papers looking directly at this question, perhaps he needs to eat some crow and shine the bright light of science on his own damn practice. 

Citations:

1. Strong NH, Daya MR, Neth MR, Noble M, Sahni R, Jui J, Lupton JR: The association of early naloxone use with outcomes in non-shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2024;August;201:110263.

2. Dillon DG, Montoy JCC, Nishijima DK, Niederberger S, Menegazzi JJ, Lacocque J, Rodriguez RM, Wang RC: Naloxone and Patient Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in California. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;August 1;7(8):e2429154.

3. Niederberger SM, Crowe RP, Salcido DD, Menegazzi JJ: Sodium bicarbonate administration is associated with improved survival in asystolic and PEA Out-of-Hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2022.11.007 (Epub ahead of print).

4. Wampler DA: Naloxone in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest—More Than 

Remember when we learned interruptions in compressions take a long time to recover blood pressure from? And how, to avoid these, we should do continuous compressions to avoid them. And ventilations aren’t all that important. Right? Right? Well, about that. Maybe the stories of the importance of continuous compressions were greatly exaggerated. Join Dr. Jarvis as he discusses the literature that led us to this point and some evidence that has led him to reconsider how his system approaches cardiac arrest. He’ll eventually get around to discussion a recent paper by Dr. Rose Yin that analyzes arterial pressures during cardiac arrest that was a catalyst for him to make changes in his arrest protocols. 

Citations:

1. Yin RT, Berve PO, Skaalhegg T, et al. Recovery of arterial blood pressure after chest compression pauses in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2024;201:110311. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2024.110311

2. Azcarate I, Urigüen JA, Leturiondo M, et al. The Role of Chest Compressions on Ventilation during Advanced Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. JCM. 2023;12(21):6918. doi:10.3390/jcm12216918

3. Berg RA, Sanders AB, Kern KB, et al. Adverse Hemodynamic Effects of Interrupting Chest Compressions for Rescue Breathing During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest. Circulation. 2001;104(20):2465-2470. doi:10.1161/hc4501.098926

4.Kern KB, Hilwig RonaldW, Berg RA, Ewy GA. Efficacy of chest compression-only BLS CPR in the presence of an occluded airway. Resuscitation. 1998;39(3):179-188. doi:10.1016/S0300-9572(98)00141-5

5. Bobrow BJ, Clark LL, Ewy GA, et al. Minimally Interrupted Cardiac Resuscitation by Emergency Medical Services for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. JAMA. 2008;299(10):1158-1165.

6. Idris AH, Aramendi Ecenarro E, Leroux B, et al. Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation and Survival From Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter Study. Circulation. 2023;148(23):1847-1856. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.065561

7. Nichol G, Leroux B, Wang H, et al. Trial of Continuous or Interrupted Chest Compressions during CPR. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(23):2203-2214. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1509139

8. Schmicker RH, Nichol G, Kudenchuk P, et al. CPR compression strategy 30:2 is difficult to adhere to, but has better survival than continuous chest compressions when done correctly. Resuscitation. 2021;165:31-37. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.05.027

9. Zhan L, Yang LJ, Huang Y, He Q, Liu GJ. Continuous chest compression versus interrupted chest compression for cardiopulmonary resuscitation of non-asphyxial out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Cochrane Anaesthesia C and ECG, ed. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Published online 2017. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd010134.pub2

10. Aufderheide TP, Sigurdsson G, Pirrallo RG, et al. Hyperventilation-induced hypotension during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Circulation. 2004;109(16):1960-1965. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000126594.79136.61

What’s the best way to pre-oxygenate our patients prior to intubation? The evidence for this question has been mixed for some time. Dr Jarvis discusses the PREOXI Trial, which directly compares preoxygenation with non-invasive ventilation compared to a face mask to see which provides the best protection against peri-intubation hypoxia. This is an important trial that sheds light on a key component of our bundle of care to make intubation safer.

Citations:

1. Gibbs KW, Semler MW, Driver BE, Seitz KP, Stempek SB, Taylor C, Resnick-Ault D, White HD, Gandotra S, Doerschug KC, et al.: Noninvasive Ventilation for Preoxygenation during Emergency Intubation. N Engl J Med. (2024)
2. Jarvis JL, Gonzales J, Johns D, Sager L: Implementation of a Clinical Bundle to Reduce Out-of-Hospital Peri-intubation Hypoxia. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2018;72:272–9.
3. Groombridge C, et al: A prospective, randomised trial of pre-oxygenation strategies available in the pre-hospital environment. Anaesthesia. 2017;72:580–4.
4. Groombridge C, et al: Assessment of Common Preoxygenation Strategies Outside of the Operating Room Environment. Acad Emerg Med. 2016;March;23(3):342–6.
5. Baillard C, et al: Noninvasive ventilation improves preoxygenation before intubation of hypoxic patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006;July 15;174(2):171–7.
6. Ramkumar V, et al: Preoxygenation with 20-degree head-up tilt provides longer duration of non-hypoxic apnea than conventional preoxygenation in non-obese healthy adults. J Anesth. 2011;25:189–94.
7. Pourmand A, et al: Pre-oxygenation: Implications in emergency airway management. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017.06.006
8. Solis A, Baillard C: Effectiveness of preoxygenation using the head-up position and noninvasive ventilation to reduce hypoxaemia during intubation. Ann Fr Anesth Reanim. 2008;June;27(6):490–4.
9. April MD, Arana A, Reynolds JC, Carlson JN, Davis WT, Schauer SG, Oliver JJ, Summers SM, Long B, Walls RM, et al.: Peri-intubation cardiac arrest in the Emergency Department: A National Emergency Airway Registry (NEAR) study. Resuscitation. 2021;May;162:403–11.
10. Trent SA, Driver BE, Prekker ME, Barnes CR, Brewer JM, Doerschug KC, Gaillard JP, Gibbs KW, Ghamande S, Hughes CG, et al.: Defining Successful Intubation on the First Attempt
11. Using Both Laryngoscope and Endotracheal Tube Insertions: A Secondary Analysis of Clinical Trial Data. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2023;82(4):S0196064423002135.
12. Pavlov I, Medrano S, Weingart S: Apneic oxygenation reduces the incidence of hypoxemia during emergency intubation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. AJEM. 2017;35(8):1184–9.

There is evidence that clinician experience with intubation is associated with improved success rates and evidence that missed intubation attempts are associated with worse survival, at least in cardiac arrest. The recent Airway EBG paper recommends EMS agencies with low intubation proficiency should use SGAs instead of intubation in cardiac arrest. This all begs the question of whether agencies who intubate more often have higher success rates than those who do not. That’s precisely the question a new paper from Annals of Emergency Medicine attempts to answer. Join Dr. Jarvis to discuss the paper and his thoughts on integrating its findings into practice.

Citations:

1. Jarvis JL, Panchal AR, Lyng JW, Bosson N, Donofrio-Odmann JJ, Braude DA, Browne LR, Arinder M, Bolleter S, Gross T, et al.: Evidence-Based Guideline for Prehospital Airway Management. Prehospital Emergency Care. 2024;28(4):545–57.

2. Murphy DL, Bulger NE, Harrington BM, Skerchak JA, Counts CR, Latimer AJ, Yang BY, Maynard C, Rea TD, Sayre MR: Fewer Tracheal Intubation Attempts are Associated with Improved Neurologically Intact Survival Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Resuscitation. 2021;July 13;167(Oct 2021):289–96.

3. Crewdson K, Lockey DJ, Røislien J, Lossius HM, Rehn M: The success of pre-hospital tracheal intubation by different pre-hospital providers: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Crit Care. 2017;December;21(1):31.

4. Thomas J, Crowe R, Schulz K, Wang HE, De Oliveira Otto MC, Karfunkle B, Boerwinkle E, Huebinger R: Association Between Emergency Medical Service Agency Intubation Rate and Intubation Success. Ann Emerg Med. Published online: January 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.11.005 (Epub ahead of print).

5. Carlson JN, De Lorenzo R: Does Practice Make Perfect, or Is There More to Consider? Ann Emerg Med. Published online: January 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2024.04.019 (Epub ahead of print).

Description: 

Let’s say you were looking for a safe and effective BLS option for analgesia. Something other than oral acetaminophen or ibuprofen. You want the Green Whistle (methoxyflurane), but you can’t get the Green Whistle (thanks, FDA!). How about sub-dissociative ketamine by nebulizer? Sounds great, but you’re worried about your colleagues getting stoned, right? Admit it, you are. Fortunately, there are breath-actuated nebulizers. Maybe those things will work?

Dr. Jarvis reviews a recent paper comparing the effectiveness of nebulized ketamine with IV ketamine and gives a quick review of some other papers that paved the way for this one.

Citations:

1. Nguyen T, Mai M, Choudhary A, Gitelman S, Drapkin J, Likourezos A, Kabariti S, Hossain R, Kun K, Gohel A, et al.: Comparison of Nebulized Ketamine to Intravenous Subdissociative Dose Ketamine for Treating Acute Painful Conditions in the Emergency Department: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy Controlled Trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine. (2024) May 2.

2. Motov S, Mai M, Pushkar I, Likourezos A, Drapkin J, Yasavolian M, Brady J, Homel P, Fromm C: A prospective randomized, double-dummy trial comparing IV push low dose ketamine to short infusion of low dose ketamine for treatment of pain in the ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2017;August;35(8):1095–100.

3. Motov S, Rockoff B, Cohen V, Pushkar I, Likourezos A, McKay C, Soleyman-Zomalan E, Homel P, Terentiev V, Fromm C: Intravenous Subdissociative-Dose Ketamine Versus Morphine for Analgesia in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2015;September;66(3):222-229.e1.

4. Motov S, Yasavolian M, Likourezos A, Pushkar I, Hossain R, Drapkin J, Cohen V, Filk N, Smith A, Huang F, et al.: Comparison of Intravenous Ketorolac at Three Single-Dose Regimens for Treating Acute Pain in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2017;August;70(2):177–84.

5.Dove D, Fassassi C, Davis A, Drapkin J, Butt M, Hossain R, Kabariti S, Likourezos A, Gohel A, Favale P, et al.: Comparison of Nebulized Ketamine at Three Different Dosing Regimens for Treating Painful Conditions in the Emergency Department: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2021;December;78(6):779–87.

6.Patrick C, Smith M, Rafique Z, Rogers Keene K, De La Rosa X: Nebulized Ketamine for Analgesia in the Prehospital Setting: A Case Series. Prehospital Emergency Care. 2023;February 17;27(2):269–74.

What value does EtCO2 have when predicting survival from cardiac arrest? We all know a sharp spike in EtCO2 is associated with ROSC, but what about persistently elevated levels? What does this mean for decision-making regarding the termination of resuscitation?

Join Drs. Jeff Jarvis, Remle Crowe, and Heidi Abraham for the first episode of “Between Two Nerds,” a subgenre of the EMS Lighthouse Project podcast suggested in episode 82 by Dr. CJ Winckler, as they run through a new paper that may shed some light on this question.

Citation:

1. Smida T, Menegazzi JJ, Crowe RP, Salcido DD, Bardes J, Myers B: The Association of Prehospital End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide with Survival Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Prehospital Emergency Care. 2024;April 2;28(3):478–84.

2. Levine RL, Wayne MA, Miller C: End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide and Outcome of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:301–6.

3. Page, J. The Magic of 3 AM. PennWell Books. Tulsa, OK. 2017

The debate about which drug to use for sedation before RSI will... not… die. Advocates for both ketamine and etomidate approach the argument with near-religious zeal. There have been studies. We’ve even covered some here. We need a systematic review and meta-analysis, preferably using an analysis that recognizes this likely isn’t a black-and-white question. That’s where our friend Bayes comes in. Dr. Jarvis is joined by Drs Remle Crowe and CJ Winkler to discuss this paper and what in the hell Bayesian analysis actually is. We get some nice book recommendations in the process. Plus, we check in with ChatGPT for answers.

Oh, BTW... don't take zoological advice from Dr. Winkler. Contrary to his thoughts, Giraffe's do NOT, in fact, have larger hearts than elephants. 

Citations:
1. Koroki T, Kotani Y, Yaguchi T, Shibata T, Fujii M, Fresilli S, Tonai M, Karumai T, Lee TC, Landoni G, Hayashi Y. Ketamine versus etomidate as an induction agent for tracheal intubation in critically ill adults: a Bayesian meta-analysis. Crit Care. 2024 Feb 17;28(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s13054-024-04831-4. PMID: 38368326; PMCID: PMC10874027.
2. Russotto V, Myatra SN, Laffey JG, et al. Intubation Practices and Adverse Peri-intubation Events in Critically Ill Patients From 29 Countries. JAMA. 2021;325(12):1164-1172.

Bonus book recommendations
3. Heller J. Catch-22. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster; 1961.
4. McGrayne SB. The Theory That Would Not Die. How Bayes’ Rule Cracked The Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines & Emerged Triumphant From Two Centuries of Controversy. Yale University Press; 2011.
5. Salsburg D. The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science In The Twentieth Century. Henry Holt & Company; 2001.

Atrial Fibrillation with rapid ventricular response is a common cause of EMS activations and ED visits. It is associated with chest discomfort, palpitations, and hypotension. Treatment is aimed at either rhythm or rate control, with rate control being the most common first-line approach. EMS has the potential to treat this condition with medications such as diltiazem, metoprolol, or amiodarone. For those patients with hemodynamic instability, EMS can provide synchronized cardioversion. However, the question for this podcast is whether it matters if EMS treats A Fib or not. Dr. Jarvis recorded this episode in front of a live audience at the State of Jefferson conference in beautiful Ashland, Oregon, with Mike Verkest and special guest Dr Maia Dorsett. 

Citation:

Fornage LB, O’Neil C, Dowker SR, Wanta ER, Lewis RS, Brown LH: Prehospital Intervention Improves Outcomes for Patients Presenting in Atrial Fibrillation with Rapid Ventricular Response. Prehospital Emergency Care. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2023.2283885 (Epub ahead of print).

Dr. Jarvis is joined by OG co-host Mike Verkest and Dr. Brent Myers from NAEMSP 2024. We discuss an intriguing concept in cardiac arrest… giving the initial dose of epinephrine IM instead of starting an IV or IO. They discuss a 2021 paper that compared this approach to standard dosing in a feasibility study done in Salt Lake City. Those authors released some additional data from this study… this time about survival. We talk about the potential ramifications.

Citations:

Pugh AE, Stoecklein HH, Tonna JE, Hoareau GL, Johnson MA, Youngquist ST: Intramuscular adrenaline for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with faster drug delivery: A feasibility study. Resuscitation Plus. 2021;September;7:100142.