Reported practice of temperature adjustment (α-stat v pH-stat) for arterial blood gases measurement among investigators from two major cardiac arrest trials

Abstract

Background: Two major cardiac arrest trials are evaluating different strategies that may potentially mitigate neurological injury after cardiac arrest and are allowing co-enrolment. However, one trial will target hypothermia and the other will target mild hypercapnia, in which the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) measurement may be influenced by the choice of temperature adjustment during arterial blood gases (ABGs) measurement. The trials have agreed to standardise assessment by the α-stat method. Objectives: To describe the Targeted Therapeutic Mild Hypercapnia after Resuscitated Cardiac Arrest (TAME) and Targeted Hypothermia versus Targeted Normothermia after Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest (TTM2) s..