These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: The predictive value of ventricular fibrillation electrocardiogram signal frequency and amplitude variables in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
    Author: Strohmenger HU, Eftestol T, Sunde K, Wenzel V, Mair M, Ulmer H, Lindner KH, Steen PA.
    Journal: Anesth Analg; 2001 Dec; 93(6):1428-33, table of contents. PubMed ID: 11726418.
    Abstract:
    UNLABELLED: We evaluated ventricular fibrillation frequency and amplitude variables to predict successful countershock, defined as pulse-generating electrical activity. We also elucidated whether bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) influences these electrocardiogram (ECG) variables. In 89 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, ECG recordings of 594 countershock attempts were collected and analyzed retrospectively. By using fast Fourier transformation analysis of the ventricular fibrillation ECG signal in the frequency range 0.333-15 Hz (median [range]), median frequency, dominant frequency, spectral edge frequency, and amplitude were as follows: 4.4 (2.4-7.5) Hz, 4.0 (0.7-7.0) Hz, 7.7 (3.7-13.7) Hz, and 0.94 (0.24-1.95) mV, respectively, before successful countershock (n = 59). These values were 3.8 (0.8-7.7) Hz (P = 0.0002), 3.0 (0.3-9.7) Hz (P < 0.0001), 7.3 (2.0-14.0) Hz (P < 0.05), and 0.53 (0.03-3.03) mV (P < 0.0001), respectively, before unsuccessful countershock (n = 535). In patients in whom bystander CPR was performed (n = 51), ventricular fibrillation frequency and amplitude before the first defibrillation attempt were higher than in patients without bystander CPR (n = 38) (median frequency, 4.4 [2.4-7.5] vs 3.7 [1.8-5.3] Hz, P < 0.0001; dominant frequency, 3.8 [0.9-7.7] vs 2.6 [0.8-5.9] Hz, P < 0.0001; spectral edge frequency, 8.4 [4.8-12.9] vs 7.2 [3.9-12.1] Hz, P < 0.05; amplitude, 0.79 [0.06-4.72] vs 0.67 [0.16-2.29] mV, P = 0.0647). Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrate that successful countershocks will be best discriminated from unsuccessful countershocks by ventricular fibrillation amplitude (3000-ms epoch). At 73% sensitivity, a specificity of 67% was obtained with this variable. IMPLICATIONS: In patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, successful countershocks will be best discriminated from unsuccessful countershocks by ventricular fibrillation amplitude (3000-ms epoch). At 73% sensitivity, a specificity of 67% was obtained with this variable.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]