Impact of the hybrid emergency department on resuscitation strategies and outcomes in ventricular fibrillation.

BACKGROUND

The Hybrid emergency room (ER) is a novel resuscitation room that includes a whole-body computed tomography scanner and angiography system, which enables physicians to seamlessly conduct resuscitation, diagnosis and therapeutic interventions without patient transfer. This study aimed to assess the impact of the Hybrid ER on mortality in patients with ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary hospital in Japan. We consecutively included adult cardiac arrest patients who were transferred to the emergency departments from January 2007 to May 2020, and were confirmed to be in ventricular fibrillation within 10 min from patient arrival. The study population was divided into two groups: the conventional group (from January 2007 to July 2011) and the Hybrid ER group (from August 2011 to May 2020). The primary endpoint of this study was defined as all-cause in-hospital death. Secondary endpoints included the frequency of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and door-to-balloon time and door-to-ECPR time.

RESULTS

We included 115 patients in the conventional group and 185 patients in the Hybrid ER group. In-hospital mortality was significantly decreased in the Hybrid ER group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.64, 0.97; p = 0.026). Door-to-ECPR time was significantly shorter in the Hybrid ER group (p < 0.001, Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test), as was door-to-balloon time in this group (p = 0.004, Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test). In interrupted time-series analyses, it was visually recognized that the ratio of patients who received ECPR and PCI increased, and door-to-ECPR time and door-to-balloon time were shortened from 2011 to 2012 (before and after installation of the Hybrid ER).

CONCLUSION

Installation of the Hybrid ER was associated with a reduced time to ECPR and PCI and with a possible improvement in survival in patients with ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.