Ventricular fibrillation waveform characteristics of the surface ECG: Impact of the left ventricular diameter and mass.

Background: Despite a promising association between VF waveform characteristics and prognosis after resuscitation, studies with VF-guided treatment have so far not improved outcomes. While driven by the idea that the VF waveform reflects arrest duration, increasing evidence suggests that pre-existent disease-related changes of the myocardium affect ECG-characteristics of VF as well. In this context, we studied the impact of the left ventricular (LV) diameter and mass.

Termination of resuscitation in the prehospital setting: A comparison of decisions in clinical practice vs. recommendations of a termination rule.

Background: Of the proposed algorithms that provide guidance for in-field termination of resuscitation (TOR) decisions, the guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) refer to the basic and advanced life support (ALS)-TOR rules. To assess the potential consequences of implementation of the ALS-TOR rule, we performed a case-by-case evaluation of our in-field termination decisions and assessed the corresponding recommendations of the ALS-TOR rule.

Methods: Cohort of non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)-patients who were resuscitated by the ALS-practising emergency medical service (EMS) in the Nijmegen area (2008-2011).

Characteristics of ventricular fibrillation in relation to cardiac aetiology and shock success: A waveform analysis study in ICD-patients.

Background: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) waveform characteristics are associated with cardiac arrest duration and defibrillation success. Recent animal studies found that VF characteristics and shock success also depend on the presence of myocardial infarction (MI). In patients, VF induction after implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation offers a unique setting to study early VF characteristics: we studied the relation with cardiac disease--either presence or absence of a previous MI--and with shock success.

The C50T polymorphism of the cyclooxygenase-1 gene and the risk of thrombotic events during low-dose therapy with acetyl salicylic acid.

Aspirin prevents thrombotic events by inhibiting platelet cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), thus reducing thromboxane A2 formation and platelet aggregation. The C50T polymorphism of COX-1 is associated with an impaired inhibition of both thromboxane production and in-vitro platelet aggregation by aspirin. We studied whether this polymorphism is also associated with the risk of clinical thrombotic events in patients using aspirin.

Reperfusion therapy in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: current insights.

Although early care in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has been improved over the past decades, survival remains poor and neurological performance after survival is often impaired. Consequently, new therapies are needed to improve outcome. As thrombotic processes such as acute myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism are frequent causes of cardiac arrest, therapies like fibrinolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention are of interest.

[Resuscitations in the hospital: reporting using the Utstein-style form and a study of 183 patients in the St. Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, between 1997-2000].

Objective: To evaluate the completion of the Utstein-style forms after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the St Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen (UMCN), the Netherlands, and to assess the outcomes of the CPR attempts.

Design: Retrospective, descriptive.

Method: All Utstein-style forms used in the UMCN during the period 1 January 1997-31 December 2000 were examined.