NeurOptics’ Neurological Pupil index™ and Automated Pupillometry Included in New American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care 

Automated pupillometry and the Neurological Pupil index emerging as important for use in patients following cardiac arrest

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif.--()--NeurOptics’ Neurological Pupil index (NPi) and automated pupillometry are now included in the updated 2020 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) as an objective measurement supporting brain injury prognosis in patients following cardiac arrest.

The AHA guidelines outline the latest global resuscitation science and treatment recommendations derived from the 2020 International Consensus on CPR and ECC and are considered the gold standard of clinical recommendations in the practice of resuscitation science. The guidelines were last updated in 2015 and reflect alignment with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation and associated member councils.

Automated infrared pupillometry is an objective assessment of the pupillary light reflex that is measured using NeurOptics’ NPi®-200 Pupillometer. The NPi-200 Pupillometer provides an objective measurement of pupil size and reactivity and calculates the Neurological Pupil index (NPi). NPi values range from 0 to 4.9, with scores under 3 considered abnormal. The NeurOptics NPi-200 Pupillometer eliminates the variability and subjectivity inherent in manual pupillary evaluation, providing more accurate, reliable, and objective pupil size and reactivity measurement for this vital component of neurological examinations in patients with the potential for brain injury across a broad spectrum of conditions, including patients who have suffered cardiac arrest.

According to the new AHA guidelines, most deaths attributable to post-cardiac arrest brain injury are due to active withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment based on a predicted poor neurological outcome.1 Automated assessment of pupillary reactivity, measured by the NPi, provides a standard, reproducible measurement of pupil size and reactivity to help support the prognosis of poor neurological outcome in patients who remain comatose 72 hours after cardiac arrest.1-3

“The expansion of the AHA guidelines to include automated pupillometry with the Neurological Pupil index (NPi) to monitor patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest reflects the growing adoption and validation of automated pupillometry for use in patients with brain injury,” said William Worthen, President and CEO of NeurOptics. “The NPi scale removes subjectivity from the neurological evaluation, providing clinicians with more accurate, objective and reliable pupil data that can be trended over time, and allows earlier detection of changes for timelier patient treatment. We are pleased to see automated pupillometry included in these new guidelines.”

The 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care were published in the journal Circulation, and can be found here.

About NeurOptics

Headquartered in Laguna Hills, Calif., NeurOptics is the leader in the science of pupillometry. Driven by a passion to help clinicians improve patient outcomes, NeurOptics develops and markets innovative technology for use in critical care medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and research. The NeurOptics NPi-200 Pupillometer has been included in more than 50 clinical studies, adopted in over 440 trauma and stroke centers in the United States, and is represented in more than 26 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.NeurOptics.com. Follow NeurOptics on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @NeurOpticsInc.

References

  1. Panchal A.R., Bartos J.A., Cabañas J.G., et al. Part 3: Adult Basic and Advanced Life Support: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation, 142(16_suppl_2). doi:10.1161/cir.0000000000000916
  2. Oddo M, Sandroni C, Citerio G, Miroz JP, Horn J, Rundgren M, Cariou A, Payen JF, Storm C, Stammet P, Taccone FS. Quantitative versus standard pupillary light reflex for early prognostication in comatose cardiac arrest patients: an international prospective multicenter double-blinded study. Intensive Care Med. 2018; 44:2102–2111. doi: 10.1007/s00134-018-5448-6
  3. Riker RR, Sawyer ME, Fischman VG, May T, Lord C, Eldridge A, Seder DB. Neurological Pupil Index and Pupillary Light Reflex by Pupillometry Predict Outcome Early After Cardiac Arrest. Neurocrit Care. 2020; 32:152–161. doi: 10.1007/s12028-019-00717-4

 

Contacts

Media Contacts
Kathleen Pierson, Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, NeurOptics
949/250-9792, kpierson@NeurOptics.com

Andrea Sampson, Sullivan & Sampson PR
562/304-0301, asampson@sullivanpr.com

Release Summary

New 2020 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC include NeurOptics’ NPi and automated pupillometry to support brain injury prognosis after cardiac arrest.

Contacts

Media Contacts
Kathleen Pierson, Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, NeurOptics
949/250-9792, kpierson@NeurOptics.com

Andrea Sampson, Sullivan & Sampson PR
562/304-0301, asampson@sullivanpr.com