title: Airway pressure and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A prospective observational study.
abstract: To assess the usefulness of airway pressure as predictor of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), as well as to investigate the optimized ventilation compression strategy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  
  
  
  In this prospective observational study, 300 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims were intubated and resuscitated with the use of a ventilator. Mean airway pressure (mPaw) was measured at pre-defined phases of CPR.
  
  
  
  A significant difference in mPaw was observed between survivors and non-survivors after the onset of the third minute of CPR. An mPaw value of 42.5mbar during CPR had specificity and sensitivity of 0.788 and 0.804, respectively, for ROSC (AUC=0.668, p=0.047). During CPR, we found statistically significant differences in mPaw at phases zero (F=4.526, p=0.002), two (F=4.506, p=0.002), four (F=8.187, p<0.0001), five (F=2.871, p=0.024), and six (F=5.364, p<0.0001).
  
  
  
  Mean airway pressure was higher in survivors. A value of 42.5mbar was associated with ROSC.
authors.affiliation: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, M.Sc. "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation", Athens, Greece; Hellenic Society of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Athens, Greece; Tzaneio General Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Piraeus, Greece. Electronic address: thanoschalkias@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chalkias
authors.affiliation: Tzaneio General Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Fotios
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pavlopoulos
authors.affiliation: Nikaia General Hospital, 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koutsovasilis
authors.affiliation: University of Cagliari, Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: d'Aloja
authors.affiliation: Hellenic Society of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Athens, Greece; European University Cyprus, School of Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xanthos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001775:Blood Circulation; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000072277:Maximal Respiratory Pressures; D008875:Middle Aged; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Airway pressure; Mechanical ventilation; Our-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Return of spontaneous circulation; Survival