Clinical Research Directory

Effects of a Web-based Support Programme for Cardiac Arrest Survivors

The overall goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a web-based support programme can improve wellbeing in cardiac arrest survivors by helping them manage emotional, cognitive, and physical challenges. The study also explores how the programme is used and experienced in practice. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can access to a web-based support programme improve overall wellbeing in cardiac arrest survivors? * Can it also enhance quality of life, cognitive function, life satisfaction, and sleep, while reducing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and fatigue? Researchers will compare cardiac arrest survivors who receive a web-based support programme in addition to standard care with those who receive standard care alone, to see if the programme improves wellbeing and other health outcomes. After the study, the control group will also gain access to the programme. Participants will: * Be asked to complete online questionnaires at three time points: at the start of the study, after 3 months, and after 6 months. * Be encouraged to use a web-based support programme for 3 months, with unlimited access, at their own pace and according to their individual needs (intervention group only).

Augmented Reality-Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Support for Pediatric Resuscitation

This study evaluates whether an augmented reality cardiopulmonary resuscitation feedback system (AR-CPR) can support health care providers in delivering high-quality chest compressions during pediatric cardiac arrest. AR-CPR provides real-time visual feedback on chest compression rate, depth, and recoil through a head-mounted augmented reality display. In this randomized, multicenter, international, simulation-based non-inferiority study, health care providers perform chest compressions during an 18-minute simulated pediatric cardiac arrest. Participants are assigned to receive either real-time feedback from AR-CPR or coaching from a trained human CPR coach. The primary objective is to determine whether the percentage of chest compressions meeting guideline targets for both rate and depth with AR-CPR is non-inferior to that achieved with human CPR coaching.

Effect of AED-optimized Telephone-assisted CPR Instructions on No-flow Time and Chest Compression Fraction

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with survival highly dependent on the immediate initiation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Early recognition, prompt chest compressions, and rapid defibrillation are critical components of the chain of survival. Telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR) provided by emergency dispatchers has been shown to significantly increase bystander intervention rates and improve outcomes. While the availability and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) further enhance survival, the optimal integration of AED use into dispatcher-guided, single-rescuer scenarios remains insufficiently studied. This prospective, randomized, controlled simulation study aims to evaluate the effect of modified telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) instructions optimized for automated external defibrillator (AED) use on no-flow time and chest compression fraction (CCF) during single-rescuer resuscitation. Participants are randomized to receive either standard T-CPR instructions or enhanced instructions focusing on minimizing interruptions in chest compressions and reducing time to first compression during AED use.

Critical Hyperacute Assessment Research On Neurobiomarker Kinetics in Acute Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other conditions that reduce blood flow to the brain - such as cardiac arrest (CA) - are life-threatening medical emergencies. When brain cells are damaged, they release specific proteins into the bloodstream. These proteins, called neurobiomarkers, can be measured in blood samples and may help doctors assess the severity of brain injury, guide treatment, and predict patient outcomes. A major gap in current knowledge is how these neurobiomarkers behave during the very first minutes and hours after injury - the so-called "hyperacute" phase - especially when patients are still being treated by paramedics or have just arrived at the emergency department (ED). It is not yet clear whether biomarker levels rise immediately at the moment of injury or gradually over time, and how quickly they can be reliably detected. The CHARON study investigates the time-dependent kinetics of key neurobiomarkers - including S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), neurofilament light chain (NFL), and Tau proteins- during the hyperacute phase of acute brain injury. In addition to these proteins, microRNAs, polar metabolites, and lipid metabolites are also examined as potential biomarkers. The study enrolls three groups of participants: * Patients with severe traumatic brain injury and/or polytrauma treated in the prehospital setting and admitted to the ED with T1 (highest priority) triage classification. * Patients with CA treated (resuscitated) in the prehospital setting. * Patients with severe traumatic brain injury enrolled at hospital (ED) admission. Serial blood samples are collected at multiple time points, beginning during prehospital care and continuing through the first 24 hours of hospital admission. No experimental treatments are given - all participants receive standard medical care. By analyzing biomarker concentration and kinetics across all three groups and correlating findings with neurological outcome at 30 days, the investigators aim to identify the most clinically effective neurobiomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of acute brain injury. The study is a prospective multi-center investigation conducted at emergency departments, intensive care units, and ambulance services across Hungary.

Does Increasing the Compression Pause From 3 to 5 Seconds in Mechanical Compression Devices Increase Ventilation Success Rate and Return of Spontaneous Circulation?

To give chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), mechanical chest compression devices can be used. During synchronous 30:2 CPR, the standard setting on these devices leave an automated 3-second chest compression pause after 30 compressions to facilitate caregivers in providing two ventilations. With this standard setting, research has shown that in less than half of ventilation pauses during CPR, those two ventilations are given. Increasing the ventilation pause duration to 5 seconds instead of 3 seconds is also an option following current guideline recommendations, and aligns with measured ventilation pause duration in manual CPR. Increasing pause duration to 5 seconds could result in an increased ventilation success rate. This multicenter randomized controlled trial will randomize LUCAS® mechanical compression devices to a standard setting of 3- or 5-second compression pauses. The main outcome will be the percentage of ventilation pauses in which two ventilations are successfully given. Secondary outcomes include the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and the difference in (neurologically intact) survival. No study has been performed to evaluate this effect yet.

Cor360: Clinician-Facing Broad-Spectrum Cardiac Phenotyping and Risk Assessment Using COR® Wearable ECG to Inform Outcomes-Oriented Care Pathways

Cor360 is an observational study evaluating whether extended wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) data can support broad-spectrum cardiac phenotyping and risk assessment beyond conventional single-purpose ambulatory rhythm monitoring. The study evaluates a clinician-facing, AI-enabled decision-support system that analyzes data from the Cor XT and Cor MDx wearable ECG devices and organizes patient-specific findings into an integrated Cor360 report for review by qualified clinicians. Rather than focusing only on detection of arrhythmias, Cor360 evaluates multiple dimensions of cardiovascular physiology and disease simultaneously. The active Cor360 indication panel may include more than 150 reportable findings or sub-findings organized across six clinically oriented pathways: Structural, Functional, Conductance, Hemodynamic, Neurohormonal/Autonomic, and Atrial Fibrillation/Ventricular Arrhythmia/Sudden Cardiac Death. Depending on the ECG data available for an individual participant, Cor360 may characterize findings and risk markers related to left ventricular hypertrophy and atrial enlargement; heart-failure phenotype and ejection-fraction-related abnormalities; conduction delay and heart block; repolarization and ischemia-related abnormalities; atrial fibrillation and atrial substrate; ventricular ectopy, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia and electrical-instability markers; syncope mechanisms; and selected ECG-derived hemodynamic and structural/functional surrogates. The platform may also evaluate autonomic regulation and heart-rate variability, cardiopulmonary coupling, sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea screening indicators, electrolyte-related ECG abnormalities, and other clinically relevant physiologic patterns. Cor360 is designed to move from isolated ECG findings toward multidimensional cardiac phenotyping and multi-pathway risk assessment. Individual findings may be combined into clinically meaningful phenotypes and risk profiles, such as atrial-fibrillation-prone substrate, heart-failure-related autonomic or repolarization profiles, ventricular electrical-instability patterns, ischemia-related risk signals, or sleep-disordered-breathing-related cardiovascular burden. Where repeated ECG studies are available, Cor360 may also assess changes in cardiac phenotype, physiologic state, and risk trajectory over time. Reports are individualized rather than identical across participants. Only indications supported by the participant's available data, signal quality, monitoring duration, and applicable analysis criteria are presented. Longer-duration recordings may support deeper assessment of autonomic function, sleep-related physiology, intermittent abnormalities, and longitudinal risk patterns. Cor360 also evaluates whether an extended wearable ECG record can support cross-domain clinical synthesis rather than requiring each physiologic signal to be interpreted in isolation. When appropriate, reports may link detected phenotypes and risk markers to guideline-informed care-pathway considerations while identifying uncertainty, data-quality limitations, and findings that are not reportable because monitoring-duration or signal criteria are not met. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether clinicians judge Cor360 reports to provide clinically actionable cardiac phenotyping or risk-assessment information. The study will also evaluate whether reviewing a Cor360 report changes, refines, or confirms a clinician's assessment or intended care pathway, and how Cor360 findings agree with available clinical reference information, standard-of-care testing, or independent expert review. The study includes adults 18 years of age or older with completed or planned Cor XT or Cor MDx wearable ECG monitoring. It includes retrospective and prospective single-study assessments, longitudinal repeated-study assessments, combined retrospective/prospective analyses, and selected limited-duration streaming or patient-activated event assessments. The protocol spans real-world acquisition settings, including home, clinic, ambulatory care, emergency department/triage, ambulance or transport, hospital-based, and hybrid clinic-to-home workflows. Where suitable reference information is available, Cor360 findings may be compared with 12-lead ECG interpretation, Holter or ambulatory ECG findings, echocardiography, other imaging, laboratory results, sleep testing, clinical diagnosis, or blinded expert-panel review. Cor360 is being evaluated as a clinician-facing decision aid and not as an autonomous diagnostic system. Its outputs are intended to augment clinical interpretation and support consideration of relevant care pathways, including rhythm management, heart-failure evaluation, ischemia assessment, conduction or pacing evaluation, and sleep-apnea work-up. The clinician remains responsible for diagnosis, treatment, testing, referral, and patient management.

Effectiveness of a Communication Training Program in Improving the Handling of Calls for Suspected Cardiac Arrest at SAMU-Centre 15.

Each year, France's emergency response services-the SAMU (15) and the fire department (18)-handle 31 million and 19 million calls, respectively. The effectiveness of this system depends on the call centers' ability to obtain location information, prioritize responses, assess the severity of each call, and dispatch appropriate emergency resources. Cardiac arrest (CA) affects 40,000 people in France each year who call on this service. The survival rate decreases by 7 to 10% for every minute that elapses between cardiac arrest and the start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Early CPR performed by bystanders is associated with a survival rate 2-3 times higher than CPR initiated only after emergency responders arrive on the scene. CPR assisted by SAMU-Centre 15 dispatchers (T-CPR) is a way to provide CPR to patients before emergency responders arrive on the scene and is recommended as early as possible to improve survival. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, the timing of the initiation of the chain of survival is considered high quality if T-CPR is initiated within 90 seconds. Studies show that recognizing a cardiac arrest (CA) over the phone is often difficult for several reasons, including communication challenges, the caller's stress, and the presence of abnormal breathing. Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) receive very little training on communication strategies, particularly those needed to optimally manage stressed and sometimes difficult callers. Interventions to improve communication have proven effective among healthcare professionals. These methods included face-to-face training, blended learning programs, simulation-based teamwork exercises, and communication techniques adapted from aviation. Standardized scripting systems have been shown to improve the speed of decision-making and the dispatch of emergency response teams. These scripts depend on the quality of the information provided by the caller and the caller's ability to communicate effectively with the EMD. The objective of this study will be to evaluate the effect of a communication training program for Centre-15 emergency medical dispatchers on calls for cardiac arrest.

The Effect of SPecialty cAre on Recovery From Cardiac Arrest Trial (the SPARC Trial)

This randomized clinical trial will determine if adult participants who are in the emergency department after being resuscitated from a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital benefit from care delivered at specialized centers. The main question that it will answer is whether transferring participants to a hospital with a specialized cardiac arrest service improves recovery of function after 90 days. Participants will receive all usual medical care, but some participants will be offered transfer to a regional cardiac arrest center and others will be offered care at the closest appropriate hospital. Investigators will interview participants after 90 days to assess their recovery.

Assessment of Brain Damage Using Monitoring of Cerebral Oximetry Dynamics in Patients After Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Europe. The recommended treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and electrical defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED). The chain of survival, which connects all links of basic and additional resuscitation procedures and post-resuscitation care, is important for successful survival. Most patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die in intensive care units due to the withdrawal of active treatment, based on the prediction of a poor neurological outcome. Prognostic indicators are influenced by many factors, including the patient's neurological condition. This should be taken into account when predicting outcome and a multimodal approach based on clinical examination, electrophysiological examinations, imaging studies and biological markers should be used. Based on the professional literature, we asked ourselves the research question of whether it is possible to achieve changes in cerebral oxygen saturation values using simple tests and whether such changes in cerebral oxygen saturation coincide with other methods used to assess neurological outcome and brain damage in patients after primary out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The patient will have a device installed to detect cerebral oxygen saturation (NIRS) throughout the entire hospitalization period. The level of oxygen in the brain is influenced by various factors: mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, carbon dioxide level in the blood, hemoglobin level in the blood, depth of sedation, body temperature. We will attempt to achieve changes in cerebral oxygen saturation with two simple tests. The first test is based on increasing blood flow through the brain through a controlled gradual infusion of a drug that raises blood pressure. The patient will receive such an infusion immediately upon admission and stabilization in the Department of Intensive Internal Medicine and then in the period of 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after admission. The second test is based on passive elevation of the lower extremities, which results in a transient increased cardiac index produced by the heart and a consequent increase in blood flow through the brain. The second test will also be performed on the patient immediately upon admission and stabilization in the Department of Intensive Internal Medicine and then in the period of 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after admission. Based on the data obtained with the help of the aforementioned tests, we will not decide on the prognosis of the patient's neurological outcome or change or adjust the therapy in any way based on the data obtained. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that changes in cerebral oxygen saturation values in patients after primary out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, obtained with simple tests, coincide with other methods used to assess neurological outcome and brain damage.

TNF-α Antagonists Mitigate Systemic Inflammatory Response After Cardiac Arrest.

The investigators assessed the effect of TNF-α antagonism within 6 hours of return of spontaneous circulation on 30-day mortality in patients who remained comatose after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) following cardiac arrest . In addition, the investigators explored the role of this treatment in modulating the systemic inflammatory response and its potential impact on 90- and 180-day morbidity and mortality and neurological outcomes.

Evaluation and Optimization of Telephone Triage Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Models for the Detection of Demands for Time-dependent Pathology at the Emergency and Urgent Care Coordination Center (CCUE).

Improving Telephone Triage in Emergency Calls with AI The Coordinating Centre for Urgencies and Emergencies in Andalusia (CCUE) handles thousands of calls every day. Each call needs to be assessed based on the information given over the phone to determine how serious the case is. The reasons for calling range from minor health issues to life-threatening emergencies like cardiac arrest (CPA). This project focuses on improving telephone triage for four key emergency situations that often indicate severe or life-threatening conditions: Unconsciousness / Cardiac arrest Difficulty breathing Chest pain (non-traumatic, possible heart-related issues) Stroke symptoms Our goal is to make telephone triage more accurate and efficient by using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, including Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). These tools will help CCUE operators make better and faster decisions, ensuring that patients receive the right care as quickly as possible. How it will be done: The investigators will analyze anonymized historical call data from the emergency coordination system (CCR) and digital clinical records (HCDM). This includes: Structured data: Predefined fields, such as answers to standard triage questions. Unstructured data: Free-text notes and other information recorded during the call. A hybrid AI approach will be used, combining: Traditional AI methods (supervised learning and deep learning) to classify cases. Generative AI techniques (advanced language models) to extract useful insights from free-text data. Building the Best Prediction Model To find the most effective AI model, we will test different machine learning techniques, including: Decision Trees Random Forests Support Vector Machines (SVM) XGBoost Ensemble methods Neural Networks We will also analyze which questions and variables are the most important in predicting the severity of a case. Based on this, we will suggest improvements to the current triage questions to enhance accuracy. Measuring Success We will evaluate the AI model using key performance metrics, including: Accuracy (overall correctness) Sensitivity (ability to detect real emergencies) Specificity (ability to avoid false alarms) False Positive \& False Negative Rates (how often the system makes mistakes) Likelihood Ratios (how well the system distinguishes between urgent and non-urgent cases) F1-Score \& ROC Curve (overall performance indicators) Why This Matters This project will assess how effective the current telephone triage system is and develop a new AI-powered model to improve it. The goal is to help emergency operators quickly identify the most serious cases, reducing response times and improving patient outcomes. In the future, the investigators aim to integrate this improved AI model into the CCUE system to enhance emergency response across Andalusia.

RECOMMEND Platform Trial

The goal of this platform trial is to determine the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of various interventions in patients with acute cardiorespiratory failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) The main question the platform trial aims to address is to determine the effect of a range of interventions on survival, organ support and resource utilisation to day 28 for hospitalised patients receiving ECMO. Researchers will compare various interventions within multiple platform trial domains to see if the interventions have effects on survival, organ support and resource utilisation for the patient cohort. Participants will be enrolled in accordance with the platform trial's domain structure to answer the research questions.

The Role of Stress in Cardiac Arrest (Cortizol CPR)

The aim of this study is to assess long-term stress in patients after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. To do this, we will measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol in hair samples. Cortisol is produced in larger amounts during periods of ongoing stress and builds up in the hair as it grows. Because hair grows about 1 cm per month, a 3 cm hair sample can show your average stress level over the past three months. The results will be compared with anonymized information from your medical records and the care you received before and during your hospital stay.

Evaluation of Mixed Reality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training

\<Study Design\> This study is a cluster-randomized, stratified, non-inferiority trial designed to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and educational effectiveness of HEROS 4.0, a mixed-reality (MR)-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training system, compared with conventional instructor-led CPR training. \<Objective \& Hypothesis\> The primary objective is to determine whether MR-based HEROS 4.0 CPR training is non-inferior to standard video- and instructor-based CPR training in improving CPR performance quality. The central hypothesis is that participants trained using HEROS 4.0 will achieve comparable CPR quality to those trained using traditional methods, while benefiting from enhanced immersion, scalability, and accessibility. \<Participants\> A total of 120 adults aged 18-50 years who have not received CPR training within the previous 12 months will be recruited. Participants will be assigned to one of two clusters and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the HEROS 4.0 MR training group or the conventional CPR training group. \<Intervention \& Control\> Participants will undergo CPR training according to their assigned group: Intervention group (HEROS 4.0): Participants will receive a two-stage CPR training program consisting of pre-training and on-site MR-based training. As pre-training, participants will be instructed to watch a 40-minute instructional video (conventional CPR training group video) at home prior to their visit. After completing the pre-training, participants will undergo 20 minutes of MR-based CPR training using the HEROS 4.0 system in a dedicated CPR training booth. Control group (Conventional CPR training): Participants will receive 60 minutes of standard CPR education delivered through instructional videos and in-person instructor guidance, reflecting current community CPR training practice. \<Outcomes\> Immediately after training, all participants will undergo a standardized cardiac arrest simulation using a CPR quality-measurement manikin. This simulation will assess objective CPR performance metrics as well as subjective outcomes through questionnaires. To evaluate knowledge retention and skill durability, all assessments will be repeated 6 months after training using the same simulation scenario and outcome measures. The primary outcome is chest compression fraction measured during the standardized simulated cardiac arrest scenario. Secondary outcomes include quantitative measures of CPR quality and participant-reported outcomes based on survey.

Proteomic Analysis of Serum Samples After Cardiac Arrest: a TTM-trial Substudy

Cardiac arrest remains a large contributor to morbidity and mortality. Animal studies suggest an improvement in mortality and neurological function with hypothermia after cardiac arrest, a finding that could not be verified in large clinical trials such as Target Temperature Management after Out-of-hospital Cardiac arrest (TTM) trial. Multimodal neuroprognostication is an important tool for differentiating patients that will recover after cardiac arrest, and currently only one biomarker is in clinical use. The purpose of this study is to explore proteomics profiles in TTM trial patients in order to search for potential novel biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and to explore phenotypes of post-cardiac arrest syndrome.

Evaluation of Genetic-molecular Causes of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: From Patients to Families

The aims are to define the exact prevalence of hereditary heart diseases in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients taking also into account gender, patient and OHCA characteristics, provincial settings and environmental pollution; to stratify the individualized arrhythmic risk of proband's family members to prevent further sudden cardiac deaths; to refine the classification of the variants of uncertain significance (VUS) on genes which can have the capability to drive to molecular alterations leading to arrhythmogenic hereditary heart diseases. A blood sample will be obtained during resuscitation from all the patients aged ≤50 years suffering an OHCA in Lombardy Region and then analysed for genetic variants possibly causative of cardiac diseases. Genetic data will be merged with patient, OHCA and post-resuscitation data thanks to the connection with LombardiaCARe, whilst pollution data will be retrieved from ARPA Lombardia for free. A genetic counselling and clinical-instrumental evaluation of the proband's first-degree family members will be performed if a pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant or a VUS will be disclosed during the genetic analysis.

Prehospital ETI in OHCA

This prospective observational study evaluated the association of prehospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) status with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 28-day survival, and favorable neurological outcome in adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) transported to the emergency department (ED) by emergency medical services (EMS). In addition, the study investigated the causes of failed ETI attempts and examined other clinical factors associated with 28-day survival, including bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), initial cardiac rhythm, blood gas parameters, and prehospital airway management strategy.

Trial of Acceptance and Mindfulness-based Exposure Therapy (AMBET) and Present Centered Therapy (PCT)

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new therapy called Acceptance- and Mindfulness-Based Exposure Therapy (AMBET) helps treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who survived a cardiac arrest. This study will compare AMBET to another psychotherapy treatment called Present Centered Therapy (PCT) to see which therapy is more effective in treating PTSD. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does AMBET reduce PTSD symptoms in survivors of cardiac arrest? How do the benefits of AMBET compare to PCT? Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either AMBET or PCT * Attend 12 hours of individual psychotherapy sessions over about 12 weeks * Complete short weekly surveys about their mood and behaviors online * Wear a Fitbit device to track sleep and activity during the study * Do brief homework assignments between sessions

The Ventilation During In-hospital Cardiac Arrest Study

The goal of this prospective observational study is to learn how ventilation quality parameters during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are associated with short-term survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest of adult patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: What ventilation volume during CPR is associated with the highest chance of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)? What ventilation rate during CPR is associated with the highest chance of ROSC? Researchers will compare different levels of ventilation rates and volumes that are blindly measured during CPR to see how the observed rates and volumes are associated with survival outcomes and complications.

New Tools and Predictive Markers in the Prognosis of Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy Following Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest (CA) remains a major cause of mortality and long-term neurological disability worldwide. Despite advances in resuscitation, many survivors suffer from post-cardiac syndrome encompassing PCAS brain injury (PCABI), due to primary (ischemic) and secondary (reperfusion) injury, myocardial dysfunction, systemic response, and persistent underlying causes. PCABI plays a critical role in this complex condition, which is characterized by ischemia, inflammation, and microvascular dysfunction.Current methods to predict neurological outcomes are limited, leading to challenges in clinical decision-making and the risk of premature withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies. This study aims to improve prognostication in CA patients by integrating advanced serum biomarker profiling with cerebral ultrasound (CU) techniques. The investigators hypothesize that combining these tools with clinical data will enhance the accuracy of neurological outcome predictions and deepen understanding of PCABI pathophysiology. The investigators will prospectively enroll 50 CA patients admitted to the intensive care unit at Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc. Serum proteomics will be performed using the Reveal panel from Olink®, which analyzes over 1,000 proteins involved in inflammation and thrombosis implicated in PCABI. Concurrently, cerebral ultrasound will assess optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFV) at multiple time points post-resuscitation (at admission, on day 1-2 and on day 3-5). These non-invasive bedside measurements may serve as early indicators of elevated intracranial pressure and cerebral hemodynamic abnormalities.The primary endpoint is poor neurological outcome at one month, defined by the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale. Statistical analyses will evaluate the prognostic value of biomarkers and ultrasound parameters individually and in combination with established clinical predictors.This multimodal approach promises to refine prognostic accuracy, improve clinical decision-making, and identify novel therapeutic targets. Ultimately, our findings may lead to improved patient outcomes and guide future multicenter studies for validation and clinical implementation.

Long Term Follow-up of Cardiac Arrest Survivors Exposed to Ultra-rapid Cooling

Less than 10% of patients eliciting out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survive, although 30% can be resuscitated by Emergency services before admission in Intensive Care Units (ICU). The majority succumb to Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome (PCAS). PCAS is associated with high mortality (60-70%) and morbidity. One proposed method of preventing the neurological and cardiac consequences of PCAS is to lower the body temperature to 33°C as quickly as possible. This approach is known as therapeutic hypothermia or Targeted Temperature Management (TTM). The Vent2Cool system, developed by Orixha, is a novel approach that enables the rapid induction of therapeutic hypothermia by using hypothermic Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV) to reach a protective temperature of 33°C within minutes. The OverCool feasibility study, which started in April 2025, is designed to validate the clinical performance and safety of an ultra-rapid cooling approach combining ultra-rapid hypothermia induction using the Vent2Cool system, and maintenance and rewarming using the ArcticSun system. The AfterCool study aims to evaluate long-term outcomes during a five-year follow-up of cardiac arrest survivors who were treated with ultrarapid cooling in the OverCool study.

Evaluation of Acid-base Disorders and Ventilation Settings in Cardiogenic Shock and Post-cardiac Arrest Patients: Comparison With VentilO Algorithm

This study aims to better understand how mechanical ventilation settings affect patients admitted to the coronary care unit after cardiac arrest or with cardiogenic shock. These patients often require mechanical ventilation, but current guidelines provide limited evidence on the best approach. Improper ventilation settings can lead to acid-base imbalances, such as respiratory acidosis or alkalosis, which may worsen patient outcomes. The retrospective analysis will include 100 adult patients (50 post-cardiac arrest and 50 with cardiogenic shock) who were mechanically ventilated upon admission. The study has two main objectives: Determine how often acid-base disorders occur in these patients and describe their characteristics. Compare the initial ventilator settings chosen by clinicians with those suggested by VentilO, a decision-support algorithm. The investigators will evaluate the potential effect of the VentilO recommendations on the first arterial (or capillary) blood gases compared to the real settings. This information will help refine the algorithm and guide future research on improving ventilation strategies for critically ill cardiac patients. Participation does not involve any intervention, as the study uses existing medical records.

Molecular Insights Into Post-Cardiac Arrest Brain Injury Via CSF Multi-Omics

The goal of this study is to uncover the molecular mechanisms responsible for secondary brain injury in patients with post-cardiac arrest syndrome by analyzing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using multi-omics techniques. The main question this study aims to answer is: Which genome-, transcriptome-, proteome-, and metabolome-level changes in CSF are associated with secondary brain injury after cardiac arrest? To address this question, CSF samples collected from post-cardiac arrest patients will undergo multi-omics analyses. Identified molecular pathways will be used to screen existing drug databases and generate new therapeutic candidates through computational modeling and compound synthesis. These findings will provide the scientific foundation needed to design and implement future preclinical experiments using cardiac arrest animal models.

GARDE : GC7 (N1-guanyl-1,7 Diaminoheptane) cARDiac arrEst

Cardiac arrest (CA) with return of spontaneous circulation is associated with high mortality, exceeding 90% in out-of-hospital settings and approaching 50% in in-hospital settings. Despite management of the underlying cause of CA, patients often die from post-anoxic brain injury or from ischemia-reperfusion injury occurring after reperfusion and reoxygenation, which increases oxidative stress and leads to multi-organ failure. To date, no effective therapeutic strategy has been established in humans to limit these ischemia-reperfusion injuries. GC7 (N1-guanyl-1,7 diaminoheptane) has demonstrated a strong protective potential against ischemia reperfusion injury in rodent and porcine models, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and renal transplantation. These protective effects are attributed to the pleiotropic action of GC7 which renders cells and tissues energetically less dependent on oxygen, and reduces oxidative stress which play a major role in ischemia reperfusion injury. Degree of blood acidification and immune dysregulation may also represent parameters that GC7 could potentially influence. Although no adverse effects have been reported in these experimental models, GC7 has not yet been studied in human. Our study therefore aims to demonstrate the protective effect of GC7 on blood cells in patients after CA by evaluating oxidative stress levels, blood acidification and inflammatory profile.