Date: September 18, 2024
Reference: Dillon et al. Naloxone and Patient Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in California. JAMA Network Open. August 20, 2024
Guest Skeptic: Dr. Chris Root is an emergency medicine and emergency medicine service (EMS) physician at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Before attending medical school, he was a New York City Paramedic. Chris completed his emergency medicine residency and EMS fellowship at UNM. He currently practices emergency medicine in New Mexico in the ED, in the field with EMS and with the UNM Lifeguard Air Emergency Services.
Case: You are working as a paramedic, and you respond to a cardiac arrest. On arrival, you find a 35-year-old male, pulseless and apneic with cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in progress by a bystander. There is drug paraphernalia scattered around the room. You and your partner initiate high-quality CPR, place a supraglottic airway, establish intra-osseous (IO) access and administer epinephrine. Your partner asks if you want to administer naloxone as well.
Background: We’ve discussed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) at least once or twice on the SGEM (see long list at end of blog). Today’s study looks at the role of naloxone in OHCA.
Naloxone is a well-established medication used primarily for reversing opioid overdoses. As a competitive opioid antagonist, naloxone binds to opioid receptors in the central nervous system, effectively displacing opioids and reversing their effects, particularly respiratory depression. This makes naloxone an essential tool for emergency responders dealing with opioid-related incidents. Typically administered via intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), or intranasal (IN) routes, naloxone acts rapidly, often restoring normal breathing within minutes. Its safety profile is well-tolerated, with the primary adverse effects related to the abrupt reversal of opioid effects, such as acute withdrawal symptoms.
Traditionally, naloxone has been used in cases of suspected opioid overdose where patients exhibit signs of severe respiratory depression or loss of consciousness (LOC). However, its role in broader emergency care contexts, such as OHCA, is evolving. Opioid-associated OHCA has become increasingly common due to the ongoing opioid crisis, with opioids contributing to a significant proportion of cardiac arrests [1-4]. In these scenarios, the pathophysiology involves opioid-induced respiratory depression leading to hypoxia, hypotension, and eventually cardiac arrest. Given this progression, naloxone's ability to counteract opioid effects offers a potential intervention point, even in cardiac arrest scenarios.
Current guidelines from organizations like the American Heart Association (AHA) suggest considering naloxone in suspected opioid-associated OHCA cases [5]. However, the efficacy of naloxone in improving outcomes in such cardiac arrests remains a topic of ongoing research and debate. While naloxone is not traditionally viewed as a standard treatment in cardiac arrest care, its potential to address underlying opioid toxicity provides a rationale for its use in selected patients. This has led to variability in EMS protocols, with some agencies including naloxone in their cardiac arrest protocols while others do not specifically recommend it, highlighting a gap in definitive guidance [6].
As the landscape of OHCA continues to evolve, understanding the role of naloxone in these critical situations is vital for EMS providers. This discussion sets the stage for exploring naloxone's place in the management of cardiac arrest, particularly as new evidence emerges regarding its impact on outcomes such as return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge.
Clinical Question: Is naloxone administration in undifferentiated OHCA associated with survival to hospital discharge?
Reference: Dillon et al. Naloxone and Patient Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Cali...
