Background The prevalence of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been increasing rapidly worldwide. However, guidelines or clinical studies do not provide sufficient data on ECPR practice. The aim of this study was to provide real-world data on ECPR for patients with OHCA, including details of complications. Methods We did a retrospective database analysis of observational multicenter cohort study in Japan. Adult patients with OHCA of presumed cardiac etiology who received ECPR between 2013 and 2018 were included. The primary outcome was favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, defined as a cerebral performance category of 1 or 2. Results A total of 1644 patients with OHCA were included in this study. The patient age was 18–93 years (median: 60 years). Shockable rhythm in the initial cardiac rhythm at the scene was 69.4%. The median estimated low flow time was 55 min (interquartile range: 45–66 min). Favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge was observed in 14.1% of patients, and the rate of survival to hospital discharge was 27.2%. The proportions of favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge in terms of shockable rhythm, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole were 16.7%, 9.2%, and 3.9%, respectively. Complications were observed during ECPR in 32.7% of patients, and the most common complication was bleeding, with the rates of cannulation site bleeding and other types of hemorrhage at 16.4% and 8.5%, respectively. Conclusions In this large cohort, data on the ECPR of 1644 patients with OHCA show that the proportion of favorable neurological outcomes at hospital discharge was 14.1%, survival rate at hospital discharge was 27.2%, and complications were observed during ECPR in 32.7%.

We previously conducted transcriptome analysis of a paired specimen of normal and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and found that mRNA expression of cystatin A (CSTA), a member of the cystatin superfamily, was perturbed in tumors compared with that in the background mucosa. However, little is known about the significance of CSTA expression in ESCC.The mRNA expression of CSTA was evaluated by qRT-PCR using 28 paired frozen samples of tumor and nontumor mucosae. The protein expression of CSTA was evaluated by the immunostaining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of ESCC samples from 59 patients who underwent surgery, and its relationship with clinical features was analyzed.The mRNA expression of CSTA was significantly decreased in ESCC compared with that in matched normal mucosa (P < .0001). The protein expression of CSTA was limited in stratum granulosum and stratum spinosum but not in stratum basal in normal esophageal mucosa. It was reduced in all ESCC tissue samples compared with normal tissues; however, CSTA expression levels in tumors showed considerable variation. Of the 59 samples, 20 did not express CSTA, whereas 39 clearly expressed it. The expression of CSTA in tumors was significantly associated with pT classification (deeper tumor invasions) (P = .0118) and advanced TNM stages (P = .0497). In CSTA-positive tumor samples, CSTA-expressing cancer cells often expressed Ki67, a proliferation marker, which was in sharp contrast to normal mucosa, where Ki67-expressing cells were limited to the basal layer and did not express CSTA. Furthermore, CSTA expression was observed in all 22 lymph node metastases analyzed.Relatively high levels of CSTA expression in tumors were correlated with tumor progression and advanced cancer stage, including lymph node metastasis.

Background Retropharyngeal hematoma can be a life-threatening injury due to progressive upper airway obstruction. It is common following spinal cord injury or spinal fracture, and the clinical course and outcome of such patients are determined by their primary injuries. However, the natural clinical course of retropharyngeal hematoma itself remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to examine the clinical characteristics of traumatic retropharyngeal hematoma without spinal cord injury or spinal fracture (TREWISS). Methods We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients who were diagnosed in the emergency department with soft tissue swelling of the retropharyngeal space by neck CT, between April 2010 and April 2020. The inclusion criterion was thickness of the retropharyngeal space > 7 mm at C1–C4 or > 22 mm at C5–C7 on a CT image. The exclusion criteria were (1) age < 18 years, (2) cardiopulmonary arrest, (3) other causes of soft tissue swelling besides hematoma, (4) patients with cervical spinal cord injury or spine fractures. Baseline characteristics were compared between intubated and non-intubated patients. Results Twenty-two patients were included in the analysis. Among them, 16 patients needed intubation. Median patient age was 69 years, and 27% of the patients were on antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications. The width of the hematoma on sagittal CT images was significantly wider in the intubated group [median (interquartile range), 2.5 cm (2.0–3.4) vs. 1.2 cm (0.9–1.7), p = 0.002). More than half the intubated patients needed tracheotomy. Tracheotomy was performed around day 3, and endotracheal tube was placed about 3 weeks. Only 60% of patients were successfully discharged to their homes, and one patient (6.3%) died during hospitalization. Conclusion Early intubation and subsequent intensive care are important for patients with TREWISS. The patients typically require several weeks of hospitalization, although their outcomes are usually poor. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00068-022-02203-7.

poreal life support (ECLS), there is no standard policy regarding prophylactic antibiotics for patients on ECLS, including ECPR, because of the lack of studies on infectious complications during ECPR. 12 Therefore, we hypothesized that initiation of ECPR is a risk factor for infectious complications. To address this hypothesis, this observational study examined the association between initiation of ECPR and the incidence of infectious complications, such as pneumonia, sepsis, and bacteremia, in patients with OHCA who received TTM, and also assessed infection management during ECPR. Methods Patients This retrospective study used data from hospital medical records of patients with OHCA treated with TTM who E xtracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) followed by targeted temperature management (TTM) has demonstrated significantly better outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). 1-4 Despite this surprising outcome, however, critical complications, such as infection, hemorrhage, and ischemia, sometimes occur during ECPR management in the intensive care unit (ICU). 5-7 Although a few observational studies did not note a significant association between infection complications and mortality in patients with OHCA or those managed with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), 8,9 and several observational studies examining infection have been conducted in patients with ECPR, 2,5,10,11 the details of infectious complications during ECPR have not been fully examined. According to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) general guidelines for all extracor

Aim This study aimed to clarify whether the lying‐flat position from prehospital to emergency department settings more effectively improves neurological outcomes of patients suspected with acute stroke over the sitting‐up position. Methods We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi for published randomized controlled trials until September 2019. The study population included patients suspected with acute stroke from prehospital to emergency department settings. We compared outcomes between the lying‐flat position and sitting‐up position groups. The critical outcome was the modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days, and important composite outcomes were 90‐day mortality, pneumonia recurrence, and recurrent ischemic stroke. The certainty of evidence of the outcome level was compared using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Results In total, 881 studies were identified from the databases, and two randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. The pooled risk ratio of 90‐day modified Rankin Scale score was not statistically significant (risk ratio 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56–1.32) between the lying‐flat position and sitting‐up position groups. When comparing the 90‐day mortality, pneumonia occurrence, and recurrent ischemic stroke, no significant differences were observed between the two groups. Risk ratio was 1.00 (95% CI 0.87–1.14), 0.90 (95% CI 0.74–1.11), and 0.81 (95% CI 0.14–4.64) for 90‐day mortality, pneumonia occurrence, and recurrent ischemic stroke, respectively. Conclusion This study suggests that the lying‐flat position is not more effective than the sitting‐up position in terms of 90‐day modified Rankin Scale score in patients suspected with acute stroke.