Cardiac Arrest Center at the DHZC

In Germany, around 75,000 out-of-hospital resuscitations are currently carried out by the emergency medical services every year, with a so-called ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) being achieved pre-hospital in around 40% of cases. The further prognosis of the affected patients always depends crucially on two factors that can be influenced in the treatment chain:

1. the duration of the ischaemia interval from the time of circulatory arrest to the start of effective resuscitation
2. the specialisation and quality of care of the hospital to which the resuscitated patient is admitted for further treatment

The DHZC has two certified Cardiac Arrest Centres, which are easily accessible in North, Central and Southwest Berlin:

• Department of Cardiology at the Benjamin Franklin Campus
• Department of Cardiology at Campus Charité Mitte

The Cardiac Arrest Centre at Charité's Benjamin Franklin Campus was designed for the optimal treatment of patients with cardiac arrest according to the criteria of the German Resuscitation Council (GRC). Here, patients undergoing ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation or patients who have survived cardiac arrest receive optimal interdisciplinary care with standardised therapeutic measures.

Structural features of the Cardiac Arrest Centre include:

• Availability of a suitable emergency department for resuscitation patients, availability of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory with the possibility of immediate primary PCI around the clock, possibility of direct transfer of resuscitation patients to the catheterisation laboratory, permanent availability of an intensive care unit with evidence of specialised intensive medical care and the existence of a local quality circle for resuscitation care.
• Ensuring adequate process quality with evidence of standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Quality assurance with evidence of standardised recording of the course of treatment and outcome up to discharge.

In addition, the structural conditions have been created to treat highly selected patients with reversible causes of cardiac arrest under ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR). Various methods of temporary heart-lung replacement (extracorporeal life support system (ECLS)) such as VA-ECMO and/or cardiovascular stabilisation using left ventricular support systems such as Impella and Impella RP are available for this purpose. Therapeutic temperature management (mild hypothermia) is used to protect brain function in these patients. This is followed by continuous evaluation of the neurological situation in close cooperation with the neurology colleagues.

Of course, all specific intensive care treatment options are available:

• Non-invasive and invasive ventilation therapy,
• Differentiated volume and catecholamine therapy under haemodynamic monitoring,
• Passage cardiac pacemaker therapy,
• Continuous renal replacement procedure,
• Temporary lung replacement procedure,
• Non-invasive and invasive cooling procedures and
• other forms of therapy

The rescue helicopter base (RTH Christoph 31) is connected to the Cardiac Arrest Centre. This means that unstable patients can be flown in from far away for specialised therapy. In addition to managing the Christoph 31 RTH base, the cardiology team also staffs the NEF 4105 emergency doctor base. Thanks to this care structure, the Cardiac Arrest Center at the Benjamin Franklin Campus offers the opportunity to treat patients with complex conditions and to provide training and further education in preclinical emergency and intensive care medicine.

In addition to clinical activities, the Cardiac Arrest Centre of the DHZC at Campus Benjamin Franklin focuses on further research and further development of therapies for cardiovascular support systems in cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.

The "Students Teach Students Academy" (STS Academy for short) is a multi-week training programme run by the Cardiac Arrest Centre for medical students and nursing students. The aim of the programme is to make junior doctors and nurses more aware and confident in the early recognition and rapid treatment of cardiovascular emergencies. After successfully completing the programme, the trained participants will act as "Cardiac Arrest Ambassadors" and pass on the skills they have acquired to other fellow students in their respective professional groups. The programme includes algorithms for the rapid differential diagnostic work-up and stabilisation of unstable patients, the recognition of infarction or "high-risk" ECGs and strategies for extracorporeal resuscitation with VA-ECMO or ECMELLA.

Contact person: Dr Tharusan Thevathasan

Programme flyer

To register, simply send us a short email with your title, name, contact details and whether you are a medical or nursing student.

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