Table 2.
Cardiac arrest characteristics and echocardiographic findings.
| Variable | Thrombus present | Thrombus absent | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Details of cardiac arrest | |||
| Unknown rhythm, n (%) | 8/21 (38%) | 11/35 (31%) | 0.61 |
| PEA/Asystole, n (%) | 8/21 (38%) | 19/35 (54%) | 0.28 |
| VT/VF, n (%) | 5/21 (24%) | 5/35 (14%) | 0.37 |
| Suspected etiology of cardiac arrest | |||
| Unknown/undocumented NYD, n (%) | 16/21 (76%) | 16/35 (46%) | 0.03 |
| Overdose, n (%) | 1/21 (5%) | 2/35 (6%) | 0.88 |
| Ischemia/ myocardial infarction, n (%) | 2/21 (10%) | 3/35 (9%) | 0.90 |
| Aortic aneurysm/dissection, n (%) | 1/21 (5%) | 1/35 (3%) | 0.71 |
| Hemorrhage shock, n (%) | 0/21 (0%) | 4/35 (11%) | 0.29 |
| Pulmonary embolism, n (%) | 0/21 (0%) | 2/35 (6%) | 0.52 |
| Hyperkalemia, n (%) | 0/21 (0%) | 1/35 (3%) | 1.0 |
| Septic shock, n (%) | 0/21 (0%) | 1/35 (3%) | 1.0 |
| Other, n (%) | 0/21 (0%) | 1/35 (3%) | 1.0 |
| Hypoxemic respiratory failure, n (%) | 1/21 (5%) | 4/35 (11%) | 0.64 |
| Unknown total downtime, n (%) | 20/21 (95%) | 22/35 (63%) | 0.007 |
| Known total downtime, n (%) | 1/21 (5%) | 13/35 (37%) | |
| Duration of resuscitation, minutes, (median, IQR) | 30 (IQR: 30, 30) N = 1 |
50 (IQR: 43, 60) N = 13 |
N/A |
| POCUS characteristics/findings: | |||
| Exam type (TTE/TEE) | TTE: 5/21 (24%) TEE: 16/21 (76%) |
TTE: 8/35 (23%) TEE: 27/35 (77%) |
0.93 |
| Duration of POCUS (minutes, median: IQR) | 6 (IQR: 2, 13) N = 17 |
7 (IQR: 3, 12) N = 19 |
0.69 |
| Cardiac standstill present, n (%) | 19/21 (91%) | 16/35 (46%) | 0.0008 |
| Spontaneous echo contrasts present during arrest, n (%) | 19/21 (91%) | 14/35 (40%) | 0.0002 |
| Intra-cardiac thrombus present at POCUS initiation (first image), n (%) | 12/21 (57%) | N/A | N/A |
| Intra-cardiac thrombus formation during POCUS (subsequent images), n (%) | 9/21 (43%) | N/A | |
| Time to documentation of new intra-cardiac thrombus during cardiac arrest (minutes, median: IQR) | 6 (IQR: 2,8) N = 8 |
N/A | N/A |
| Location of intra-cardiac thrombus: | |||
| LA, n (%) | 15/21 (71%) | N/A | N/A |
| LV, n (%) | 17/21 (81%) | N/A | N/A |
| RA, n (%) | 18/21 (86%) | N/A | N/A |
| RV, n (%) | 17/21 (81%) | N/A | N/A |
CI = confidence interval, ED = emergency department, ICU = intensive care unit, IQR = interquartile range, LA = left atrium, LV = left ventricle, N/A = not applicable/not available, NYD = not yet diagnosed, PEA = pulseless electrical activity, POCUS = point-of-care ultrasonography; RA = right atrium, ROSC = return of spontaneous circulation, RV = right ventricle, SD = standard deviation, TEE = transesophageal echocardiography, TOR = termination of resuscitation, TTE = transthoracic echocardiography, VF = ventricular fibrillation, VT = ventricular tachycardia.