Ceftriaxone to PRevent pneumOnia and inflammatTion aftEr Cardiac arresT (PROTECT)

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs resulting in alveolar inflammation and fluid or purulent material accumulation. It is the most common infection after cardiac arrest occurring in up to 65% of patients treated with targeted temperature management. Pneumonia may result from aspiration during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or by introduction of oropharyngeal flora into the lungs during airway management. Preventing infection after OHCA may: 1) reduce exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics and subsequent collateral damage, 2) prevent hemodynamic derangements due to local and systemic inflammation, and 3) prevent an association between infection and morbidity and mortality. These benefits must be balanced with the risk for altering bacterial resistomes in the absence clinical infection. Accordingly, further study is warranted to understand the risk-to-benefit ratio of prophylactic antibiotics.