Background: Proper basic life support (BLS) is key in improving the survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. BLS skills deteriorate in three to 6 months after training. One method to improve skill retention may be using the “testing effect” to test skills at the end of a BLS course. The aim of our study was to investigate whether either testing or the timing of such testing after BLS training have any influence on skill retention. Methods: This was a post-test only, partial coverage, prospective quasi-experimental study designed to evaluate a BLS training course among 464 fifth year medical students at Semmelweis University in the first semester of 2013/2014. Groups were systematically but non-randomly assigned to either a control group that took no exam or one of two experimental groups that took an exam (N = 179, NoExam group; N = 165, EndExam group – exam at the end of the BLS training; N = 120, 3mExam group – exam 3 months after the BLS training). The ability to perform ten prescribed essential BLS steps was evaluated during a skill retention assessment 2 months after the course in the NoExam, 2 months after the course (and the exam) in the EndExam and 5 months after the course (2 months after the exam) in the 3mExam group to measure skill retention and the effect of our intervention. Scores were calculated for each BLS step, and also summed up as a total score. We used Kruskal-Wallis test to assess differences in skill retention. Results: Overall, NoExam and EndExam groups showed similar skill retention. The mean total score (and many of the sub-scores) of students was significantly higher in the 3mExam group compared to both the NoExam and the EndExam groups, and there was no difference in the total score (and many of the sub-scores) of the latter two groups. The 3mExam group had less variability in total scores (and many of the sub-scores) than the other two groups. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that testing these skills 3 months after BLS training may be more effective than either testing immediately at the end of the course or no testing at all.

Proper hemodynamic management is necessary among post-cardiac arrest patients to improve survival. We aimed to investigate the effects of PiCCO™-guided (pulse index contour cardiac output) hemodynamic management on mortality in post-resuscitation therapy. In this longitudinal analysis of 63 comatose patients after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation cooled to 32–34 °C, 33 patients received PiCCO™, and 30 were not monitored with PiCCO™. Primary and secondary outcomes were 30 day and 1 year mortality. Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to assess differences in mortality among the groups. Interaction effects to disentangle the relationship between patient’s condition, PiCCO™ application, and mortality were assessed by means of Chi-square tests and logistic regression models. A 30 day mortality was significantly higher among PiCCO™ patients, while 1 year mortality was marginally higher. More severe patient condition per se was not the cause of higher mortality rate in the PiCCO™ group. Patients in better health conditions (without ST-elevation myocardial infarction, without cardiogenic shock, without intra-aortic balloon pump device, or without stroke in prior history) had worse outcomes with PiCCO™-guided therapy. Catecholamine administration worsened both 30 day and 1 year mortality among all patients. Our analysis showed that there was a complex interaction relationship between PiCCO™-guided therapy, patients’ condition, and 30 day mortality for most conditions.

Az extracorporalis cardiopulmonalis resuscitatio alkalmazásának gyakorisága egyre nő mind a kórházon belüli, mind a kórházon kívüli keringésmegállás ellátásában. A legújabb újraélesztési irányelvek is egyre inkább beépítik javaslataik közé az extracorporalis keringéstámogató eszközök használatát elhúzódó újraélesztés esetén, bizonyos szelektált betegcsoportokban. Mindezek ellenére kevés bizonyíték áll rendelkezésünkre a beavatkozás hatékonyságáról, és még számos nyitott kérdés maradt megválaszolatlanul azt illetően, hogy milyen körülmények között, mely betegcsoportokban van a leginkább létjogosultsága ennek a modalitásnak. Fontos kérdés a terápia időzítése és helyszíne, illetve lényeges az extracorporalis technikákat alkalmazó személyzet megfelelő kiképzése. Összefoglalónkban röviden áttekintjük, hogy a jelenlegi szakirodalom és ajánlások szerint milyen esetekben merülhet fel az extracorporalis újraélesztés megkezdése, milyen típusú mechanikus keringéstámogatás az elsőként választandó az újraélesztés alatt, milyen tényezőket gondoljunk át alkalmazása során, illetve milyen szövődményekre számítsunk. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(13): 510–514.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brought several challenges in medical education. The aim of our study was to investigate whether virtual distance trainings (VDT) organized during the COVID-19 pandemic at our university were effective in replacing in-person bed-side education in intensive therapy and anaesthesiology among fifth-year medical students, both from students’ and instructors’ perspectives. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study consisting of three parts: a 20-item students’ questionnaire filled out by students participating in VDT, a 22-item instructors’ questionnaire filled out by instructors taking part in virtual distance education and a 20-item knowledge test completed by students participating in VDT, as well as by students visiting bed-side trainings (BT) during the same semester, before COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaires focused on effectiveness, content, self-preparedness, technical background and interactivity of VDT. Instructors’ and students’ responses given to the common questions, as well as the knowledge test results were compared. Mann-Whitney U test was used for group comparisons and binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the influence of previous health-care experience on students’ feeling of self-preparedness. Results: One hundred thirthen students (response rate {RR}: 68%) and 29 instructors (RR: 97%) filled out the questionnaires. The majority of students found our VDT useful and effective; however, a considerable number of participants felt disadvantaged by taking VDT instead of BT sessions and would recommend keeping virtual distance education methods combined with BT. Instructors found VDT overall effective and deemed the transfer of their knowledge satisfactory; however, they described worse interactivity and contact with students during virtual sessions compared to in-person teaching. Instructors showed a clearer consensus that VDT should not replace BT in the future, while students’ answers were more divided in this regard. Previous health-care experience did not influence students’ feeling of self-preparedness. One hundred and twenty-seven students (56 after VDT {RR: 34%}; 71 after BT {RR: 67%}) completed the end-of-semester knowledge test. Students attending VDT performed better than students visiting BT (median score VDT:83.5 vs BT:77.3; p = 0.015). Conclusions: Virtual distance learning incorporating virtual practice sessions was effective in maintaining continuous education of intensive therapy and anaesthesiology among fifth-year medical students during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Basic life support (BLS) skills are crucial not only for healthcare workers but for all lay people as well. Timely recognition of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and the initiation of BLS by bystanders before the arrival of healthcare personnel may improve survival. There are several methods of spreading BLS skills and improve BLS skill retention among lay people. One of these methods can be the education of adolescent school children. The introduction of mandatory BLS education in schools was very effective in some European countries to increase the rate of bystander BLS. The current study aims to investigate the efficacy of a BLS training and BLS curriculum among high school children in Hungary. Moreover, the investigators would like to optimise factors influencing skill retention in this first responder group and aim to compare two types of teaching methods: feedback given by the instructor or software-based feedback on the efficacy of chest compressions during the course. This study will be an interventional, assessor blinded, individually randomised parallel group trial recruiting 360 students. BLS skill retention will be assessed at the end of the course, two months after the training and six months after training. The current study will increase our knowledge on the methods educating BLS among high school children. The results will help us to create an effective BLS curriculum at schools. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06016153. Prospectively registered on 08/2023.

Post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) incorporates post-cardiac arrest brain injury, post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction, systemic ischemia/reperfusion syndrome and the precipitating pathology. Brain injury remains the leading cause of death in the post-cardiac arrest period. One of our main goals during post-resuscitation care is to guide a proper neuroprotective strategy. We are going to summarize the tools of neuroprotection in post-cardiac arrest therapy. The role of normoxia/normocapnia, normoglycemia, seizure control, sedation and pharmacologic strategies will be discussed in brief. The handling of temperature management and the management of hemodynamic variables to secure satisfactory cerebral perfusion will be worked out in details. Targeted temperature management is the main tool of neuroprotection in post-cardiac arrest therapy. We are going to conclude the principles of temperature control after successful resuscitation pointing out its beneficial effects. This method has also several complications that are going to be discussed highlighting its hemodynamic impacts. There is no evidence about target hemodynamic parameters during post-cardiac arrest syndrome to maintain cerebral perfusion neither about the most effective hemodynamic monitoring system. We are presenting preliminary data of our study where we investigate the effect of PiCCO™ (Pulse index Continous Cardiac Output) monitoring on the outcome in this patient group.