Evaluation of Acid-base Disorders and Ventilation Settings in Cardiogenic Shock and Post-cardiac Arrest Patients: Comparison With VentilO Algorithm

This study aims to better understand how mechanical ventilation settings affect patients admitted to the coronary care unit after cardiac arrest or with cardiogenic shock. These patients often require mechanical ventilation, but current guidelines provide limited evidence on the best approach. Improper ventilation settings can lead to acid-base imbalances, such as respiratory acidosis or alkalosis, which may worsen patient outcomes.

The retrospective analysis will include 100 adult patients (50 post-cardiac arrest and 50 with cardiogenic shock) who were mechanically ventilated upon admission. The study has two main objectives:

Determine how often acid-base disorders occur in these patients and describe their characteristics.

Compare the initial ventilator settings chosen by clinicians with those suggested by VentilO, a decision-support algorithm.

The investigators will evaluate the potential effect of the VentilO recommendations on the first arterial (or capillary) blood gases compared to the real settings.

This information will help refine the algorithm and guide future research on improving ventilation strategies for critically ill cardiac patients.

Participation does not involve any intervention, as the study uses existing medical records.