
The aims of this study were to establish epidemiology, clinical management and outcomes in cases of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest complicated by hyperthermia attended by the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust between January 2018 and December 2019. Where evidence is available in relation to this sub-set of cardiac arrest patients it is generally limited to small case series and we therefore we sought to improve knowledge and target therapeutic interventions.Retrospective analysis of 253 cases was undertaken following abstraction from an established cardiac arrest database. Age ranged from 18-99 years with a median of 72 years (IQR 28) and 53.4% (n = 135) of patients were female. Overall thirty-day mortality was 94.5% (n = 239), with 48.2% (n = 122) of patients recognised life extinct in the out-of-hospital phase following termination of resuscitation. No significant differences in clinical characteristics stratified according to temperature group were identified. The presumed aetiology was infective in 62.8% (n = 159) of patients, and due to drug ingestion or heat illness in 7.5% (n = 19) and 2% (n = 5) respectively. In the remaining cases (27.7%, n = 70) it was not possible to determine the likely cause of the arrest.Previous research relating to cardiac arrest complicated by hyperthermia is limited to case reports and small case series, suggesting that the current study represents the most comprehensive analysis of this sub-group of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients currently available. Most cases were associated with evidence of infection compared with drug related aetiologies and heat illness. Where indicated, cooling was applied infrequently using inconsistent methods.
MCC, Emergency medical services, 610, Specialties of internal medicine, NIS, Cardiac arrest, 3rd-NDAS, RC581-951, Emergency, 617, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Paper, Hyperthermia, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Prehospital
MCC, Emergency medical services, 610, Specialties of internal medicine, NIS, Cardiac arrest, 3rd-NDAS, RC581-951, Emergency, 617, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Paper, Hyperthermia, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Prehospital
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 1 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
