Fewer than 10% of patients with cardiovascular arrest survive with a good neurological outcome. Our objective has beento increase this value – on the basis of our experience in our large clinical centre, with more than 100 patients per yearafter reanimation and with our well equipped experimental laboratory.

Within our clinic, we work with a catheter (REBOA) that diverts the blood flow produced by the cardiac massage into thebrain and heart. Our participation in the international studies TTM2 and TAME should help us to define the optimal follow-up treatment.

Our assessment of the prognosis is based on the new «functional» tests in EEG and MRI. We have set up a database forour patients. This will help us to analyse scientifically how any changes in the treatment concept may influence theoutcome. In our preclinical research, we are experimenting with «neuroprotective» substances administered afterreanimation. We have administered various anaesthetics, the noble gases argon and helium, as well as α-pifithrin, whichinhibits programmed cell death (apoptosis). The latter substance has given the most promising results.

We are currently working on a carrier of free oxygen that is produced by the lugworm, in the hope that this could improvethe supply of oxygen to the brain and heart in our rat model. We have also attempted therapy with neuronal stem cellsand have shown that these migrate to the site of the damage, where they may be integrated.

Our greatest advantage is our extensive experience. We exploit the platform for experimental studies performed in theUniversity Department of Intensive Care and have succeeded in developing and implementing experiments with small andlarge animals, as described for other applications.

Another focus of our work is on the care of patients with craniocerebral injuries. Our participation in the (completed)POLAR trial has shown that early hypothermia after craniocerebral injury is not advantageous. The international BonANZatrial will compare two treatment concepts and will include the measurement of cerebral oxygen.

• TAME Cardiac Arrest Study, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03114033
• TTM2 Trial, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02908308
• CPR-REBOA, Improvement of blood pressure, NIRS and outcome with REBOA in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• Implementation of an Utstein-Style database for cardiac arrest patients in Bern
• Eurostar, «high-density» EEG for Prognostication after cardiac arrest
• Functional MRI (fMRI) for prognostication in patients after cardiac arrest
• Effects of the new artificial oxygen carrier Hemarina M101 neuronal injury in transient ischemia in a rodent cardiac arrest model
• The SAnDMAN study Sedation, Analgesia and Delirium MANagement, ESICM
• BRAIN OXYGEN NEUROMONITORING IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND ASSESSMENT
• THE BONANZA TRIAL Clinical Trial Identifier: ACTRN12619001328167P

• Grafted neural progenitor cells persist in the injured site and differentiate neuronally in a rodent model of cardiac arrest-induced global brain ischemia. Meyer P, Grandgirard D, Lehner M, Haenggi M, Leib SL. Stem Cells Dev. 2020 May 1;29(9):574-585.
• Topography of MR lesions correlates with standardized EEG pattern in early comatose survivors after cardiac arrest. Barth R, Zubler F, Weck A, Haenggi M, Schindler K, Wiest R, Wagner F. Resuscitation. 2020 Apr;149:217-224.
• Electroencephalography-based power spectra allow coma outcome prediction within 24 hours of cardiac arrest. Kustermann T, Nguissi NAN, Pfeiffer C, Haenggi M, Kurmann R, Zubler F, Oddo M, Rossetti AO, De Lucia M. Resuscitation. 2019 Sep;142:162-167.
• Effect of early sustained prophylactic hypothermia on neurologic outcomes among patients with severe traumatic brain injury: The POLAR randomized clinical trial. Cooper DJ, Nichol AD, Bailey M, Bernard S, Cameron PA, Pili-Floury S, Forbes A, Gantner D, Higgins AM, Huet O, Kasza J, Murray L, Newby L, Presneill JJ, Rashford S, Rosenfeld JV, Stephenson M, Vallance S, Varma D, Webb SAR, Trapani T, McArthur C, POLAR Trial Investigators and the ANZICS Clinical Trials Group. JAMA. 2018 Dec 4;320(21):2211-2220.
• Prevalence and risk factors related to haloperidol use for delirium in adult intensive care patients: the multinational AID‑ICU inception cohort study. Collet MO, Caballero J, Sonneville R, Bozza FA, Nydahl P, Schandl A, Woien H, Citerio G, van den Boogaard M, Hästbacka J, Haenggi M, Colpaert K, Rose L, Barbateskovic M, Lange T, Jensen A, Krog MB, Egerod I, Nibro HL, Wetterslev J, Perner A, AID-ICU cohort study co-authors. Intensive Care Med. 2018 Jul;44(7):1081-1089.
• Neuroprotection with the P53-inhibitor Pifithrin-μ after cardiac arrest in a rodent model. Glas M, Frick T, Springe D, Zuercher P, Grandgirard D, Leib SL, Jakob SM, Takala J, Haenggi M. Shock. 2018 Feb;49(2):229-234.
• Effect of sedation level on the prevalence of delirium when assessed with CAM-ICU and ICDSC. Haenggi M, Blum S, Brechbuehl R, Brunello A, Jakob SM, Takala J. Intensive Care Med. 2013 Dec;39(12):2171-9.
• Effect of PEEP, blood volume, and inspiratory hold maneuvers on venous return. Berger D, Moller PW, Weber A, Bloch A, Bloechlinger S, Haenggi M, Sondergaard S, Jakob SM, Magder S, Takala J. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2016 Sep 1;311(3):H794-806.

• University Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology (F. Wagner, MD)
• Department of Neurology (F. Zubler, MD)

• Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, CHUV – UNIL, Lausanne (M. De Lucia, PhD PD, Head of EEG imaging)

• Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA (J. Daley, MD)

• Publications of Matthias Hänggi on PubMed
• Matthias Hänggi on ORCID