Early jugular bulb oxygenation monitoring in comatose patients after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the role of early jugular bulb oxygenation monitoring in comatose patients after cardiac arrest.

DESIGN

Prospective sequential study.

SETTING

Medical intensive care unit in a university hospital.

PATIENTS

Thirteen patients comatose after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

INTERVENTIONS

A standard hemodynamic protocol.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Jugular bulb oxygen saturation levels and oxygen extraction ratios could not discriminate between patients with good (6) and poor (7) cerebral outcome. This was also true for the jugular bulb-arterial lactate difference. Survivors had significantly higher overall oxygen transport values than non-survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

Jugular bulb oxygenation monitoring during the first few hours after cardiac arrest cannot reliably discriminate between comatose patients with a good and poor cerebral outcome. Further studies with an extended monitoring period are thus required.