Clinical trials

After resuscitation from Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) patients experience Post Cardiac Arrest Syndrome due to ischemia and reperfusion injury. It consists of systemic inflammation, cerebral and myocardial dysfunction, and the condition that led to the arrest. Most OHCA patients will receive critical care intubated in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Despite this \~50% die; mainly due to brain injury. Several targets can be considered for improving outcomes. To dampen systemic inflammation and optimize cerebral perfusion seem important. Deep sedation has been required for targeted temperature management (TTM) but may also be brain protective. After end of sedation, many patients have some cerebral dysfunction that may facilitate delirium. The aim of this trial is therefore to improve treatment of comatose OHCA patients by evaluating 4 interventions in a factorial design addressing each of these targets in a randomized clinical trial: 1. Systemic inflammation: Anti-inflammatory treatment with high dose steroids (dexamethasone) or placebo. 2. Cerebral perfusion: Backrest elevation during sedation at 5 or 35 degrees. 3. Duration of sedation: Early wakeup call and potential extubation at ≤6 hours after admission or later as current standard practice at 28-36 hours. 4. Delirium: Prophylactic treatment with anti-psychotic medication (olanzapine) or placebo. The trial is designed as a phase III trial, randomizing 1000 patients at Danish cardiac arrest centers. The primary endpoint is 90 days all-cause mortality for the interventions targeting systemic inflammation and cerebral perfusion, while it is days alive outside of hospital within 30 days for the interventions concerning duration of sedation and delirium. The trial has potential to improve outcomes for comatose OHCA patients - a group with a grave prognosis with currently only limited evidence-based treatments.

OHCA is a critical medical emergency with significant mortality and morbidity primarily due to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI). Despite advances in resuscitation techniques, the neurological outcomes for survivors remain poor. Current post-resuscitation practices lack specific neuroprotective strategies. Ketamine, an N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has shown potential neuroprotective properties in preclinical and clinical studies due to its ability to inhibit excitotoxicity and reduce neuronal apoptosis. This trial hypothesizes that ketamine, when used for sedation in OHCA patients, may offer superior neuroprotective benefits compared to the commonly used sedative propofol. By comparing the effects of ketamine and propofol on neuronal damage markers and long-term neurological outcomes, this study aims to identify a potentially effective intervention to improve the prognosis of OHCA patients.