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Despite advances in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), survival remains low after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA). Acute coronary ischemia is the predominating precipitant, and prompt delivery of patients to dedicated facilities may improve outcomes. Since 2011, all patients experiencing OOHCA in London, where a cardiac etiology is suspected, are systematically brought to heart attack centers (HACs). We determined the predictors for survival and favorable functional outcomes in this setting. We analyzed 174 consecutive patients experiencing OOHCA from 2011 to 2013 brought to Harefield Hospital—a designated HAC in London. We analyzed (1) all-cause mortality and (2) functional status using a modified Rankin scale (mRS 0 to 6, where mRS0-3+ = favorable functional status). The overall survival rates were 66.7% (30 days) and 62.1% (1 year); and 54.5% had mRS0-3+ at discharge. Patients with mRS0-3+ had reduced mortality compared to mRS0-3−: 30 days (1.2% vs 72.2%, p <0.001) and 1 year (5.3% vs 77.2%, p <0.001). Multivariate analyses identified lower patient comorbidity, absence of cardiogenic shock, bystander CPR, ventricular tachycardia/ventricullar fibrillation as initial rhythm, shorter duration of resuscitation, prehospital advanced airway, absence of adrenaline and inotrope use, and intra-aortic balloon pump use as predictors of mRS0-3+. Consistent predictors of increased mortality were the presence of cardiogenic shock, advanced airway use, increased duration of resuscitation, and absence of therapeutic hypothermia. A streamlined delivery of patients experiencing OOHCA to dedicated facilities is associated with improved functional status and survival. Our study supports the standardization of care for such patients with the widespread adoption of HACs.

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has called for a randomised trial of delivery to a cardiac arrest centre. We aimed to assess whether expedited delivery to a cardiac arrest centre compared with current standard of care following resuscitated cardiac arrest reduces deaths. ARREST is a prospective, parallel, multicentre, open-label, randomised superiority trial. Patients (aged ≥18 years) with return of spontaneous circulation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST elevation were randomly assigned (1:1) at the scene of their cardiac arrest by London Ambulance Service staff using a secure online randomisation system to expedited delivery to the cardiac catheter laboratory at one of seven cardiac arrest centres or standard of care with delivery to the geographically closest emergency department at one of 32 hospitals in London, UK. Masking of the ambulance staff who delivered the interventions and those reporting treatment outcomes in hospital was not possible. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 30 days, analysed in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population excluding those with unknown mortality status. Safety outcomes were analysed in the ITT population. The trial was prospectively registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Registry, 96585404. Between Jan 15, 2018, and Dec 1, 2022, 862 patients were enrolled, of whom 431 (50%) were randomly assigned to a cardiac arrest centre and 431 (50%) to standard care. 20 participants withdrew from the cardiac arrest centre group and 19 from the standard care group, due to lack of consent or unknown mortality status, leaving 411 participants in the cardiac arrest centre group and 412 in the standard care group for the primary analysis. Of 822 participants for whom data were available, 560 (68%) were male and 262 (32%) were female. The primary endpoint of 30-day mortality occurred in 258 (63%) of 411 participants in the cardiac arrest centre group and in 258 (63%) of 412 in the standard care group (unadjusted risk ratio for survival 1·00, 95% CI 0·90–1·11; p=0·96). Eight (2%) of 414 patients in the cardiac arrest centre group and three (1%) of 413 in the standard care group had serious adverse events, none of which were deemed related to the trial intervention. In adult patients without ST elevation, transfer to a cardiac arrest centre following resuscitated cardiac arrest in the community did not reduce deaths. British Heart Foundation.

In primary angioplasty (primary percutaneous coronary intervention [PPCI]) for acute myocardial infarction, institutional logistical delays can increase door-to-balloon times, resulting in increased mortality. We moved from a thrombolysis (TL) service to 24/7 PPCI for direct access and interhospital transfer in April 2004. Using autonomous ambulance diagnosis with open access to the myocardial infarction center catheter laboratory, we compared reperfusion times and clinical outcomes for the final 2 years of TL with the first 3 years of PPCI. Comparison was made between TL (2002-2004, n = 185) and PPCI (2004-2007, n = 704); all times are medians in minutes (interquartile range): for TL, symptom to needle 153 (85-225), call to needle 58 (49-73), first professional contact (FPC) to needle 47 (39-63), door to needle 18 (12-30) (mortality: 7.6% at 30 days, 9.2% at 1 year); for interhospital transfer PPCI (n = 227), symptom to balloon 226 (175-350), call to balloon 135 (117-188), FPC to balloon 121 (102-166), first door-to-balloon 100 (80-142) (mortality: 7.0% at 30 days, 12.3% at 1 year); for direct-access PPCI (n = 477), symptom to balloon 142 (101-238), call to balloon 79 (70-93), FPC to balloon 69 (59-82), door to balloon 20 (16-29) (mortality: 4.6% at 30 days, 8.6% at 1 year). There was no difference between direct-access PPCI and TL times for symptom to needle/balloon. Direct-access PPCI was significantly quicker for the group than in-hospital thrombolysis for door to needle/balloon times due to the lack of any long wait patients ( P < .001). Interhospital transfer remains slow even with rapid institutional door-to-balloon times. With autonomous ambulance diagnosis and open access direct to the catheter laboratory, a median door-to-balloon time of <30 minutes day and night was achieved, and >95% of patients were reperfused within 1 hour.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a global public health issue. There is wide variation in both regional and inter-hospital survival rates from OHCA and overall survival remains poor at 7%. Regionalization of care into cardiac arrest centers (CAC) improves outcomes following cardiac arrest from ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) through concentration of services and greater provider experience. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommends delivery of all post-arrest patients to a CAC, but that randomized controlled trials are necessary in patients without ST elevation (STE). Following completion of a pilot randomized trial to assess safety and feasibility of conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial in patients following OHCA of presumed cardiac cause without STE, we present the rationale and design of A Randomized tRial of Expedited transfer to a cardiac arrest center for non-ST elevation OHCA (ARREST). In total 860 patients will be enrolled and randomized (1:1) to expedited transfer to CAC (24/7 access to interventional cardiology facilities, cooling and goal-directed therapies) or to the current standard of care, which comprises delivery to the nearest emergency department. Primary outcome is 30-day all-cause mortality and secondary outcomes are 30-day and 3-month neurological status and 3, 6 and 12-month mortality. Patients will be followed up for one year after enrolment. Post-arrest care is time-critical, requires a multi-disciplinary approach and may be more optimally delivered in centers with greater provider experience. This trial would help to demonstrate if regionalization of post-arrest care to CACs reduces mortality in patients without STE, which could dramatically reshape emergency care provision.

BackgroundWide variation exists in inter-hospital survival from OHCA. Regionalisation of care into cardiac arrest centres (CAC) may improve this. We report a pilot randomised trial of expedited transfer to a CAC following OHCA without ST-elevation. The objective was to assess the feasibility of performing a large-scale RCT.MethodsAdult witnessed VF OHCA of presumed cardiac cause were randomised 1:1 to either: (1) intervention: expedited transfer to a CAC for goal-directed therapy including access to immediate reperfusion, or (2) control: current standard of care involving delivery to the geographically closest hospital. The feasibility of randomisation, protocol adherence and data collection of the primary (30 day all-cause mortality) and secondary (cerebral performance category (CPC)) and in-hospital major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) clinical outcome measures were assessed.ResultsBetween Nov 2014 and April 2016, 118 cases were screened, of which 63 patients (53%) met eligibility criteria and 40 of the 63 patients (63%) were randomised. There were no protocol deviations in the treatment arm. Data collection of primary and secondary outcomes was achieved in 83%. There was no difference in baseline characteristics between the groups: 30 day mortality (Int 9/18, 50% vs Control 6/15, 40%; p=0.73), CPC 1/2 (Int: 9/18, 50% vs Control 7/14, 50%; p>0.99) or MACCE (Int: 9/18, 50% vs Control 6/15, 40%; p=0.73).ConclusionsThese findings support the feasibility of conducting a large-scale RCT to address a remaining uncertainty in post-arrest care.

Background Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) programmes vary in admission criteria from open referral to acceptance of electrocardiogram (ECG) protocol positive patients only. Rigid criteria may result in some patients with acutely occluded coronary arteries not receiving timely reperfusion therapy. Objective To compare the prevalence of acute coronary occlusion and, in these cases, single time point biomarker estimates of myocardial infarct size between patients presenting with protocol positive ECG changes and those presenting with less diagnostic changes in the primary angioplasty cohort of an open access PPCI programme. Methods We retrospectively performed a single centre cross sectional analysis of consecutive patients receiving PPCI between January and August 2008. Cases were categorised according to presenting ECG—group A: protocol positive (ST segment elevation/left bundle branch block/posterior ST elevation myocardial infarction), group B: ST segment depression or T-wave inversion, or group C: minor ECG changes. Clinical characteristics, coronary flow grades and 12 h postprocedure troponin-I levels were reviewed. Results During the study period there were 513 activations of the PPCI service, of which 390 underwent immediate angiography and 308 underwent PPCI. Of those undergoing PPCI, 221 (72%) were in group A, 41 (13%) in group B and 46 (15%) in group C. Prevalence of coronary occlusion was 75% in group A compared with 73% in group B and 63% in group C. Median 12 h postintervention troponin-I (25th–75th percentile) for those with coronary occlusion was significantly higher in group A patients; 28.9 μg/l (13.2–58.5) versus 18.1 μg/l (6.7–32.4) for group B (p=0.03); and 15.5 μg/l (3.8–22.0) for group C (p<0.001), suggesting greater infarct size in group A. Conclusions A number of patients referred to an open access PPCI programme have protocol negative ECGs but myocardial infarction and acute coronary artery occlusion amenable to angioplasty.

Objectives Timely delivery of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the treatment of choice for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Optimum delivery of PPCI requires an integrated network of hospitals, following a multidisciplinary, consultant-led, protocol-driven approach. We investigated whether such a strategy was effective in providing equally effective in-hospital and long-term outcomes for STEMI patients treated by PPCI within normal working hours compared with those treated out-of-hours (OOHs). Design Observational study. Setting Large PPCI centre in London. Participants 3347 STEMI patients were treated with PPCI between 2004 and 2012. The follow-up median was 3.3 years (IQR: 1.2–4.6 years). Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary endpoint was long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE) with all-cause mortality a secondary endpoint. Results Of the 3347 STEMI patients, 1299 patients (38.8%) underwent PPCI during a weekday between 08:00 and 18:00 (routine-hours group) and 2048 (61.2%) underwent PPCI on a weekday between 18:00 and 08:00 or a weekend (OOHs group). There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups with comparable door-to-balloon times (in-hours (IHs) 67.8 min vs OOHs 69.6 min, p=0.709), call-to-balloon times (IHs 116.63 vs OOHs 127.15 min, p=0.60) and procedural success. In hospital mortality rates were comparable between the two groups (IHs 3.6% vs OOHs 3.2%) with timing of presentation not predictive of outcome (HR 1.25 (95% CI 0.74 to 2.11). Over the follow-up period there were no significant differences in rates of mortality (IHs 7.4% vs OFHs 7.2%, p=0.442) or MACE (IHs 15.4% vs OFHs 14.1%, p=0.192) between the two groups. After adjustment for confounding variables using multivariate analysis, timing of presentation was not an independent predictor of mortality (HR 1.04 95% CI 0.78 to 1.39). Conclusions This large registry study demonstrates that the delivery of PPCI with a multidisciplinary, consultant-led, protocol-driven approach provides safe and effective treatment for patients regardless of the time of presentation.

Deformable brain templates are an important tool in many neuroimaging analyses. Conditional templates (e.g., age‐specific templates) have advantages over single population templates by enabling improved registration accuracy and capturing common processes in brain development and degeneration. Conventional methods require large, evenly spread cohorts to develop conditional templates, limiting their ability to create templates that could reflect richer combinations of clinical and demographic variables. More recent deep‐learning methods, which can infer relationships in very high‐dimensional spaces, open up the possibility of producing conditional templates that are jointly optimised for these richer sets of conditioning parameters. We have built on recent deep‐learning template generation approaches using a diffeomorphic (topology‐preserving) framework to create a purely geometric method of conditional template construction that learns diffeomorphisms between: (i) a global or group template and conditional templates, and (ii) conditional templates and individual brain scans. We evaluated our method, as well as other recent deep‐learning approaches, on a data set of cognitively normal (CN) participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), using age as the conditioning parameter of interest. We assessed the effectiveness of these networks at capturing age‐dependent anatomical differences. Our results demonstrate that while the assessed deep‐learning methods have a number of strengths, they require further refinement to capture morphological changes in ageing brains with an acceptable degree of accuracy. The volumetric output of our method, and other recent deep‐learning approaches, across four brain structures (grey matter, white matter, the lateral ventricles and the hippocampus), was measured and showed that although each of the methods captured some changes well, each method was unable to accurately track changes in all of the volumes. However, as our method is purely geometric, it was able to produce T1‐weighted conditional templates with high spatial fidelity and with consistent topology as age varies, making these conditional templates advantageous for spatial registrations. The use of diffeomorphisms in these deep‐learning methods represents an important strength of these approaches, as they can produce conditional templates that can be explicitly linked, geometrically, across age as well as to fixed, unconditional templates or brain atlases. The use of deep learning in conditional template generation provides a framework for creating templates for more complex sets of conditioning parameters, such as pathologies and demographic variables, in order to facilitate a broader application of conditional brain templates in neuroimaging studies. This can aid researchers and clinicians in their understanding of how brain structure changes over time and under various interventions, with the ultimate goal of improving the calibration of treatments and interventions in personalised medicine. The code to implement our conditional brain template network is available at: github.com/lwhitbread/deep‐diff. We have built on recent deep‐learning template generation approaches using a diffeomorphic framework to create a purely geometric conditional brain template construction method. We assessed the effectiveness of our method and recent approaches at capturing age‐dependent anatomical differences, demonstrating that further refinement is required to accurately capture conditional morphological variability.

Studies evaluating titration of antihypertensive medication using self-monitoring give contradictory findings and the precise place of telemonitoring over self-monitoring alone is unclear. The TASMINH4 trial aimed to assess the efficacy of self-monitored blood pressure, with or without telemonitoring, for antihypertensive titration in primary care, compared with usual care. This study was a parallel randomised controlled trial done in 142 general practices in the UK, and included hypertensive patients older than 35 years, with blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg, who were willing to self-monitor their blood pressure. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to self-monitoring blood pressure (self-montoring group), to self-monitoring blood pressure with telemonitoring (telemonitoring group), or to usual care (clinic blood pressure; usual care group). Randomisation was by a secure web-based system. Neither participants nor investigators were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was clinic measured systolic blood pressure at 12 months from randomisation. Primary analysis was of available cases. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN 83571366. 1182 participants were randomly assigned to the self-monitoring group (n=395), the telemonitoring group (n=393), or the usual care group (n=394), of whom 1003 (85%) were included in the primary analysis. After 12 months, systolic blood pressure was lower in both intervention groups compared with usual care (self-monitoring, 137·0 [SD 16·7] mm Hg and telemonitoring, 136·0 [16·1] mm Hg vs usual care, 140·4 [16·5]; adjusted mean differences vs usual care: self-monitoring alone, −3·5 mm Hg [95% CI −5·8 to −1·2]; telemonitoring, −4·7 mm Hg [–7·0 to −2·4]). No difference between the self-monitoring and telemonitoring groups was recorded (adjusted mean difference −1·2 mm Hg [95% CI −3·5 to 1·2]). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses including multiple imputation. Adverse events were similar between all three groups. Self-monitoring, with or without telemonitoring, when used by general practitioners to titrate antihypertensive medication in individuals with poorly controlled blood pressure, leads to significantly lower blood pressure than titration guided by clinic readings. With most general practitioners and many patients using self-monitoring, it could become the cornerstone of hypertension management in primary care. National Institute for Health Research via Programme Grant for Applied Health Research (RP-PG-1209-10051), Professorship to RJM (NIHR-RP-R2-12-015), Oxford Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care, and Omron Healthcare UK.