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.