Pre-hospital advanced airway management for adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: nationwide cohort study

Association between sub-phenotypes identified using latent class analysis and neurological outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan

BACKGROUND

In patients who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), it is important to assess the association of sub-phenotypes identified by latent class analysis (LCA) using pre-hospital prognostic factors and factors measurable immediately after hospital arrival with neurological outcomes at 30 days, which would aid in making treatment decisions.

METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed data obtained from the Japanese OHCA registry between June 2014 and December 2019. The registry included a complete set of data on adult patients with OHCA, which was used in the LCA. The association between the sub-phenotypes and 30-day survival with favorable neurological outcomes was investigated. Furthermore, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by multivariate logistic regression analysis using in-hospital data as covariates.

RESULTS

A total of, 22,261 adult patients who experienced OHCA were classified into three sub-phenotypes. The factor with the highest discriminative power upon patient's arrival was Glasgow Coma Scale followed by partial pressure of oxygen. Thirty-day survival with favorable neurological outcome as the primary outcome was evident in 66.0% participants in Group 1, 5.2% in Group 2, and 0.5% in Group 3. The 30-day survival rates were 80.6%, 11.8%, and 1.3% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the ORs (95% CI) for 30-day survival with favorable neurological outcomes were 137.1 (99.4-192.2) for Group 1 and 4.59 (3.46-6.23) for Group 2 in comparison to Group 3. For 30-day survival, the ORs (95%CI) were 161.7 (124.2-212.1) for Group 1 and 5.78 (4.78-7.04) for Group 2, compared to Group 3.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified three sub-phenotypes based on the prognostic factors available immediately after hospital arrival that could predict neurological outcomes and be useful in determining the treatment strategy of patients experiencing OHCA upon their arrival at the hospital.

Survival After Intra-Arrest Transport vs On-Scene Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Children

Importance

For pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), emergency medical services (EMS) may elect to transport to the hospital during active cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (ie, intra-arrest transport) or to continue on-scene CPR for the entirety of the resuscitative effort. The comparative effectiveness of these strategies is unclear.

Objective

To evaluate the association between intra-arrest transport compared with continued on-scene CPR and survival after pediatric OHCA, and to determine whether this association differs based on the timing of intra-arrest transport.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included pediatric patients aged younger than 18 years with EMS-treated OHCA between December 1, 2005 and June 30, 2015. Data were collected from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Epidemiologic Registry, a prospective 10-site OHCA registry in the US and Canada. Data analysis was performed from May 2022 to February 2024.

Exposures

Intra-arrest transport, defined as an initiation of transport prior to the return of spontaneous circulation, and the interval between EMS arrival and intra-arrest transport.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Patients who underwent intra-arrest transport at any given minute after EMS arrival were compared with patients who were at risk of undergoing intra-arrest transport within the same minute using time-dependent propensity scores calculated from patient demographics, arrest characteristics, and EMS interventions. We examined subgroups based on age (<1 year vs ≥1 year).

Results

Of 2854 eligible pediatric patients (median [IQR] age, 1 [0-9] years); 1691 males [59.3%]) who experienced OHCA between December 2005 and June 2015, 1892 children (66.3%) were treated with intra-arrest transport and 962 children (33.7%) received continued on-scene CPR. The median (IQR) time between EMS arrival and intra-arrest transport was 15 (9-22) minutes. In the propensity score-matched cohort (3680 matched cases), there was no significant difference in survival to hospital discharge between the intra-arrest transport group and the continued on-scene CPR group (87 of 1840 patients [4.7%] vs 95 of 1840 patients [5.2%]; risk ratio [RR], 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]). Survival to hospital discharge was not modified by the timing of intra-arrest transport (P value for the interaction between intra-arrest transport and time to matching = .10). Among patients aged younger than 1 year, intra-arrest transport was associated with lower survival to hospital discharge (RR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.33-0.83) but there was no association for children aged 1 year or older (RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.77-1.93).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of a North American OHCA registry, intra-arrest transport compared with continued on-scene CPR was not associated with survival to hospital discharge among children with OHCA. However, intra-arrest transport was associated with a lower likelihood of survival to hospital discharge among children aged younger than 1 year.

Early versus late advanced airway management for adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A time-dependent propensity score-matched analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to investigate whether early advanced airway management during the entire resuscitation period is associated with favorable neurological outcomes and survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with OHCA aged ≥18 years enrolled in OHCA registry in Japan who received advanced airway management during cardiac arrest between June 2014 and December 2020. To address resuscitation time bias, we performed risk set matching analyses in which patients who did and did not receive advanced airway management were matched at the same time point (min) using the time-dependent propensity score; further, we compared early (≤10 min) and late (>10 min) advanced airway management. The primary and secondary outcome measures were favorable neurological outcomes using Cerebral Performance Category scores and survival at 1 month after cardiac arrest.

RESULTS

Of the 41,101 eligible patients, 21,446 patients received early advanced airway management. Thus, risk set matching was performed with a total of 42,866 patients. In the main analysis, early advanced airway management was significantly associated with favorable neurological outcomes (risk ratio [RR] 0.997, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.995-0.999) and survival (RR 0.990, 95% CI 0.986-0.994) at 1 month after cardiac arrest. In the sensitivity analysis with early advanced airway management defined as ≤5 min and ≤20 min, the results were comparable.

CONCLUSIONS

Although early advanced airway management was statistically significant for improved neurological outcomes and survival at 1 month after cardiac arrest, the RR was very close to 1, indicating that the timing of advanced airway management has minimal impact on clinical outcomes, and decisions should be made based on the individual needs of the patient.

Differences in Pathophysiology and Treatment Efficacy Based on Heterogeneous Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is heterogeneous in terms of etiology and severity. Owing to this heterogeneity, differences in outcome and treatment efficacy have been reported from case to case; however, few reviews have focused on the heterogeneity of OHCA. We conducted a literature review to identify differences in the prognosis and treatment efficacy in terms of CA-related waveforms (shockable or non-shockable), age (adult or pediatric), and post-CA syndrome severity and to determine the preferred treatment for patients with OHCA to improve outcomes.

Early Versus Late Advanced Airway Management for Pediatric Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between early versus late advanced airway management and improved outcomes in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry in Japan. We included pediatric patients (<18 years) with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who had received advanced airway management (tracheal intubation, supraglottic airway, and esophageal obturator). The main exposure was early (≤20 minutes) versus late (>20 minutes) advanced airway management. The primary and secondary outcome measurements were survival and favorable neurologic outcomes at 1 month, respectively. To address resuscitation time bias, we performed risk-set matching analyses using time-dependent propensity scores.

RESULTS

Out of the 864 pediatric patients with both out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and advanced airway management over 67 months (2014 to 2019), we included 667 patients with adequate data (77%). Of these 667 patients, advanced airway management was early for 354 (53%) and late for 313 (47%) patients. In the risk-set matching analysis, the risk of both survival (risk ratio 0.98 for early versus late [95% confidence interval 0.95 to 1.02]) and favorable 1-month neurologic outcomes (risk ratio 0.99 [95% confidence interval 0.97 to 1.00]) was similar between early and late advanced airway management groups. In sensitivity analyses, with time to early advanced airway management defined as ≤10 minutes and ≤30 minutes, both outcomes were again similar.

CONCLUSION

In pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the timing of advanced airway management may not affect patient outcomes, but randomized controlled trials are needed to address this question further.

Sequence of Epinephrine and Advanced Airway Placement After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Importance

While epinephrine and advanced airway management (AAM) (supraglottic airway insertion and endotracheal intubation) are commonly used for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the optimal sequence of these interventions remains unclear.

Objective

To evaluate the association of the sequence of epinephrine administration and AAM with patient outcomes after OHCA.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study analyzed the nationwide, population-based OHCA registry in Japan and included adults (aged ≥18 years) with OHCA for whom emergency medical services personnel administered epinephrine and/or placed an advanced airway between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019. The data analysis was performed between October 1, 2022, and May 12, 2023.

Exposure

The sequence of intravenous epinephrine administration and AAM.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was 1-month survival. Secondary outcomes were 1-month survival with favorable functional status and prehospital return of spontaneous circulation. To control imbalances in measured patient demographics, cardiac arrest characteristics, and bystander and prehospital interventions, propensity scores and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed for shockable and nonshockable initial rhythm subcohorts.

Results

Of 259 237 eligible patients (median [IQR] age, 79 [69-86] years), 152 289 (58.7%) were male. A total of 21 592 patients (8.3%) had an initial shockable rhythm, and 237 645 (91.7%) had an initial nonshockable rhythm. Using IPTW, all covariates between the epinephrine-first and AAM-first groups were well balanced, with all standardized mean differences less than 0.100. After IPTW, the epinephrine-first group had a higher likelihood of 1-month survival for both shockable (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.30) and nonshockable (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19-1.37) rhythms compared with the AAM-first group. For the secondary outcomes, the epinephrine-first group experienced an increased likelihood of favorable functional status and prehospital return of spontaneous circulation for both shockable and nonshockable rhythms compared with the AAM-first group.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that for patients with OHCA, administration of epinephrine before placement of an advanced airway may be the optimal treatment sequence for improved patient outcomes.

Association Between Advanced Airway Management With Adrenaline Injection and Prognosis in Adult Patients With Asystole Asphyxia Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND

The neurological prognosis of asphyxia is poor and the effect of advanced airway management (AAM) in the prehospital setting remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between AAM with adrenaline injection and prognosis in adult patients with asystole asphyxia out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS

This study assessed all-Japan Utstein cohort registry data between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019. We used propensity score matching analyses before logistic regression analysis to evaluate the effect of AAM on favorable neurological outcome.

RESULTS

There were 879,057 OHCA cases, including 70,299 cases of asphyxia OHCAs. We extracted the data of 13,642 cases provided with adrenaline injection by emergency medical service. We divided 7,945 asphyxia OHCA cases in asystole into 5,592 and 2,353 with and without AAM, respectively. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 2,338 asphyxia OHCA cases with AAM were matched with 2,338 cases without AAM. Favorable neurological outcome was not significantly different between the AAM and no AAM groups (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-2.5). However, the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (adjusted OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-1.9) and 1-month survival (adjusted OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9) were improved in the AAM group.

CONCLUSION

AAM with adrenaline injection for patients with asphyxia OHCA in asystole was associated with improved ROSC and 1-month survival rate but showed no differences in neurologically favorable outcome. Further prospective studies may comprehensively evaluate the effect of AAM for patients with asphyxia.

In-hospital extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an analysis by time-dependent propensity score matching using a nationwide database in Japan

BACKGROUND

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been proposed as a rescue therapy for patients with refractory cardiac arrest. This study aimed to evaluate the association between ECPR and clinical outcomes among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) using risk-set matching with a time-dependent propensity score.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of the JAAM-OHCA registry data, a nationwide multicenter prospective study of patients with OHCA, from June 2014 and December 2019, that included adults (≥ 18 years) with OHCA. Initial cardiac rhythm was classified as shockable and non-shockable. Patients who received ECPR were sequentially matched with the control, within the same time (minutes) based on time-dependent propensity scores calculated from potential confounders. The odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for 30-day survival and 30-day favorable neurological outcomes were estimated for ECPR cases using a conditional logistic model.

RESULTS

Of 57,754 patients in the JAAM-OHCA registry, we selected 1826 patients with an initial shockable rhythm (treated with ECPR, n = 913 and control, n = 913) and a cohort of 740 patients with an initial non-shockable rhythm (treated with ECPR, n = 370 and control, n = 370). In these matched cohorts, the odds ratio for 30-day survival in the ECPR group was 1.76 [95%CI 1.38-2.25] for shockable rhythm and 5.37 [95%CI 2.53-11.43] for non-shockable rhythm, compared to controls. For favorable neurological outcomes, the odds ratio in the ECPR group was 1.11 [95%CI 0.82-1.49] for shockable rhythm and 4.25 [95%CI 1.43-12.63] for non-shockable rhythm, compared to controls.

CONCLUSION

ECPR was associated with increased 30-day survival in patients with OHCA with initial shockable and even non-shockable rhythms. Further research is warranted to investigate the reproducibility of the results and who is the best candidate for ECPR.

Establishment of a prediction model for prehospital return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital patients with cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death worldwide.

AIM

To explore factors influencing prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (P-ROSC) in patients with OHCA and develop a nomogram prediction model.

METHODS

Clinical data of patients with OHCA in Shenzhen, China, from January 2012 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression were applied to select the optimal factors predicting P-ROSC in patients with OHCA. A nomogram prediction model was established based on these influencing factors. Discrimination and calibration were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the model's clinical utility.

RESULTS

Among the included 2685 patients with OHCA, the P-ROSC incidence was 5.8%. LASSO and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), initial rhythm, CPR duration, ventilation mode, and pathogenesis were independent factors influencing P-ROSC in these patients. The area under the ROC was 0.963. The calibration plot demonstrated that the predicted P-ROSC model was concordant with the actual P-ROSC. The good clinical usability of the prediction model was confirmed using DCA.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram prediction model could effectively predict the probability of P-ROSC in patients with OHCA.

Pre-hospital airway management and neurological status of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective cohort study

Purpose

Little is known about whether pre-hospital advanced airway management (AAM) under the presence of a physician could improve outcome of patients with cardiac arrest, compared with pre-hospital AAM under the absence of a physician.

Methods

This retrospective multicentre-cohort study enrolled consecutive patients who were transported to participating hospitals after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan between 1 June 2014 and 31 December 2019. We included patients who underwent pre-hospital AAM and resuscitation after arrival at hospital, and who were ≥18 years of age, with medical aetiologies. The primary outcome was favourable neurological survival (Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2) one month after cardiac arrest. The primary outcome was called one-month favourable neurological survival. The first confirmed cardiac rhythm was defined using 3-lead electrocardiogram monitor or an automated external defibrillator and by determining whether the carotid artery was pulsating. Previous research found that the presence of a pre-hospital physician was associated with improved patients' outcomes, after the type of first confirmed cardiac rhythm was considered. Therefore, the first confirmed cardiac rhythm in current study was subdivided into non-shockable or shockable groups. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on propensity score-matched patients.

Results

We analysed 16,703 patients. Among the 2,346 patients in the non-shockable group, 1.2% (N = 29) achieved the primary outcome. The adjusted odds ratio of pre-hospital AAM with or without a physician for the primary outcome in the results of the non-shockable group was 4.64 (95% confidence interval: 1.81-14.4). Among the 826 patients in the shockable group, 16.9% (N = 140) achieved the primary outcome and the adjusted odds ratio of pre-hospital AAM with or without a physician for the primary outcome in the results of the shockable group was 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.67-1.63).

Conclusions

This retrospective multicentre-cohort study found that pre-hospital AAM under the presence of a physician was significantly associated with increased neurological outcome in specific patients with cardiac arrest, compared with pre-hospital AAM under the absence of a physician.

Impact of emergency medical service with advanced life support training for adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Republic of Korea: A retrospective multicenter study

Prehospital advanced life support (ALS) has been offered in many countries for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); however, its effectiveness remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the impact of emergency medical service (EMS) with ALS training as a nationwide pilot project for adults with OHCA in the Republic of Korea. This retrospective multicenter observational study was conducted between July 2019 and December 2020 using the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium registry. The patients were categorized into an intervention group that received EMS with ALS training and a control group that did not receive EMS with ALS training. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed using matched data to compare clinical outcomes between the two groups. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had a lower rate of supraglottic airway usage (60.5% vs. 75.6%) and a higher rate of undergoing endotracheal intubation (21.7% vs. 6.1%, P < 0.001). In addition, the intervention group was administered more intravenous epinephrine (59.8% vs. 14.2%, P < 0.001) and used mechanical chest compression devices more frequently in prehospital settings than the control group (59.0% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.001). Based on the results of multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis, survival to hospital discharge (odds ratio: 0.48, 95% confidence interval: 0.27-0.87) of the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control group; however, good neurological outcome was not significantly different between the two groups. In this study, survival to hospital discharge was worse in patients with OHCA who received EMS with ALS training than in those who did not.

Association between prehospital advanced life support by emergency medical services personnel and neurological outcomes among adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II study

Study Objective

Early deployment of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is critical in treating refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients who are potential candidates for ECPR. The effect of prehospital advanced life support (ALS), including epinephrine administration or advanced airway, compared with no ALS in this setting remains unclear. This study's objective was to determine the association between any prehospital ALS care and outcomes of patients who received ECPR with emergency medical services-treated OHCA.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of data from the Study of Advanced Cardiac Life Support for Ventricular Fibrillation with Extracorporeal Circulation in Japan (SAVE-J) II study. Patients were separated into 2 groups-those who received prehospital ALS (ALS group) and those did not receive prehospital ALS (no ALS group). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between prehospital ALS and favorable neurological outcomes (defined as Cerebral Performance Category scores 1-2) at hospital discharge.

Results

A total of 1289 patients were included, with 644 patients in the ALS group and 645 patients in the no ALS group. There were fewer favorable neurological outcomes at hospital discharge in the ALS group compared with the no ALS group (10.4 vs 19.8%, p <0.001). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that any prehospital ALS care (adjusted odds ratios 0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.34-0.66; p <0.001) was associated with unfavorable neurological outcomes at hospital discharge.

Conclusion

Prehospital ALS was associated with worse neurological outcomes at hospital discharge in patients treated with ECPR for OHCA. Further prospective studies are required to determine the clinical implications of these findings.

Evaluation of Use of Epinephrine and Time to First Dose and Outcomes in Pediatric Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Importance

While epinephrine has been widely used in prehospital resuscitation for pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the benefit and optimal timing of epinephrine administration have not been fully investigated.

Objectives

To evaluate the association between epinephrine administration and patient outcomes and to ascertain whether the timing of epinephrine administration was associated with patient outcomes after pediatric OHCA.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included pediatric patients (<18 years) with OHCA treated by emergency medical services (EMS) from April 2011 to June 2015. Eligible patients were identified from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Epidemiologic Registry, a prospective OHCA registry at 10 sites in the US and Canada. Data analysis was performed from May 2021 to January 2023.

Exposures

The main exposures were prehospital intravenous or intraosseous epinephrine administration and the interval between arrival of an advanced life support (ALS)-capable EMS clinician (ALS arrival) and the first administration of epinephrine.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Patients who received epinephrine at any given minute after ALS arrival were matched with patients who were at risk of receiving epinephrine within the same minute using time-dependent propensity scores calculated from patient demographics, arrest characteristics, and EMS interventions.

Results

Of 1032 eligible individuals (median [IQR] age, 1 [0-10] years), 625 (60.6%) were male. 765 patients (74.1%) received epinephrine and 267 (25.9%) did not. The median (IQR) time interval between ALS arrival and epinephrine administration was 9 (6.2-12.1) minutes. In the propensity score-matched cohort (1432 patients), survival to hospital discharge was higher in the epinephrine group compared with the at-risk group (epinephrine: 45 of 716 [6.3%] vs at-risk: 29 of 716 [4.1%]; risk ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.29-3.40). The timing of epinephrine administration was also not associated with survival to hospital discharge after ALS arrival (P for the interaction between epinephrine administration and time to matching = .34).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study of pediatric patients with OHCA in the US and Canada, epinephrine administration was associated with survival to hospital discharge, while timing of the administration was not associated with survival.

Intra-arrest partial carbon dioxide level and favorable neurological outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide multicenter observational study in Japan (the JAAM-OHCA registry)

AIMS

Little is known about whether guideline-recommended ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation results in optimal partial carbon dioxide (pCO2) levels or favorable outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the association between intra-arrest pCO2 level and the outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS AND RESULTS

We performed a secondary analysis of a multicenter observational study, including adult patients with OHCA who did not achieve a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) upon hospital arrival and whose blood gas analysis was performed before the ROSC between June 2014 and December 2017. The patients were categorized into four quartiles based on their intra-arrest carbon dioxide levels: Quartile 1 (<66.0 mmHg), Quartile 2 (66.1-87.2 mmHg), Quartile 3 (87.3-113.5 mmHg), and Quartile 4 (≥113.6 mmHg). The primary outcome was 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes defined as cerebral performance Category 1 or 2. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between pCO2 and favorable neurological outcomes. During the study period, 20 913 patients were eligible for the analysis. The proportion of favorable neurological outcomes was 1.8% (90/5133), 0.7% (35/5232), 0.4% (19/5263), and 0.2% (9/5285) in Quartiles 1-4, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the probability of favorable neurological outcome decreased with increased intra-arrest carbon dioxide levels (i.e. Q1 vs. Q4, adjusted odds ratio 0.25, 95% confidence interval 0.16-0.55, P for trend <0.001).

CONCLUSION

Lower intra-arrest pCO2 levels were associated with a favorable neurological outcome.

Effectiveness of active occupational therapy in patients with acute stroke: A propensity score-weighted retrospective study

Background and purpose

The effects of therapy and patient characteristics on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with acute stroke are unclear. We investigated the effects of intensive occupational therapy (OT) on patients with acute stroke.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study using the 2005-2016 Japan Rehabilitation Database, from which we identified patients with stroke (n = 10,270) who were admitted to acute care hospitals (n = 37). We defined active OT (AOT) and non-AOT as OT intervention times (total intervention time/length of hospital stay) longer or shorter than the daily physical therapy intervention time, respectively. The outcomes assessed were the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, duration of hospitalization, and rate of discharge. Propensity scores and inverse probability of treatment weighting analyses adjusted for patient characteristics were performed to investigate the effects of AOT on patient outcomes.

Results

We enrolled 3,501 patients (1,938 and 1,563 patients in the AOT and non-AOT groups, respectively) in the study. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, the AOT group had a shorter length of hospitalization (95% confidence interval: -3.7, -1.3, p < 0.001), and the FIM (95% confidence interval: 2.0, 5.7, p < 0.001) and NIHSS (95% confidence interval; 0.3, 1.1, p < 0.001) scores improved significantly. Subgroup analysis showed that lower NHISS scores for aphasia, gaze, and neglect and lower overall NIHSS and FIM scores on admission led to a greater increase in FIM scores in the AOT group.

Conclusions

AOT improved the limitations in performing activities of daily living (ADL) and physical function in patients with acute stroke and reduced the length of hospitalization. Additionally, subgroup analysis suggested that the increase in FIM score was greater in patients with severe limitations in performing ADLs and worse cognitive impairment, such as neglect, on admission.

Improved neurologically favorable survival after OHCA is associated with increased pre-hospital advanced airway management at the prefecture level in Japan

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has high incidence and mortality. The survival benefit of pre-hospital advanced airway management (AAM) for OHCA remains controversial. In Japan, pre-hospital AAM are performed for OHCA by emergency medical services (EMS), however the relationship between resuscitation outcomes and AAM at the prefecture level has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to describe the association between AAM and neurologically favorable survival (cerebral performance category (CPC) ≦2) at prefecture level. This was a retrospective, population-based study of adult OHCA patients (≧ 18) from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017 in Japan. We excluded patients with EMS witnessed arrests. We also only included patients that had care provided by an ELST with the ability to provided AAM and excluded cases that involved prehospital care delivered by a physician. We categorized OHCA into four quartiles (four group: G1-G4) based on frequency of pre-hospital AAM approach rate by prefecture, which is the smallest geographical classification unit, and evaluated the relationship between frequency of pre-hospital AAM approach rates and CPC ≦ 2 for each quartile. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess effectiveness of AAM on neurologically favorable survival. Among 493,577 OHCA cases, 403,707 matched our inclusion criteria. The number of CPC ≦ 2 survivors increased from G1 to G4 (p for trend < 0.001). In the adjusted multivariable regression, higher frequency of pre-hospital AAM approach was associated with CPC ≦ 2 (p < 0.001). High prefecture frequency of pre-hospital AAM approach was associated with neurologically favorable survival (CPC ≦ 2) in OHCA.

Disparities in Survival Outcomes of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients between Urban and Rural Areas and the Identification of Modifiable Factors in an Area of South Korea

This retrospective study aimed to compare the survival outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients between urban (Busan, Ulsan, Changwon) and rural (Gyeongnam) areas in South Korea and identify modifiable factors in the chain of survival. The primary and secondary outcomes were survival to discharge and modifiable factors in the chain of survival were identified using logistic regression analysis. In total, 1954 patients were analyzed. The survival to discharge rates in the whole region and in urban and rural areas were 6.9%, 8.7% (Busan 8.7%, Ulsan 10.3%, Changwon 7.2%), and 3.4%, respectively. In the urban group, modifiable factors associated with survival to discharge were no advanced airway management (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.065, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.138–3.747), no mechanical chest compression (aOR 3.932, 95% CI: 2.015–7.674), and an emergency medical service (EMS) transport time of more than 8 min (aOR 3.521, 95% CI: 2.075–5.975). In the rural group, modifiable factors included an EMS scene time of more than 15 min (aOR 0.076, 95% CI: 0.006–0.883) and an EMS transport time of more than 8 min (aOR 4.741, 95% CI: 1.035–21.706). To improve survival outcomes, dedicated resources and attention to EMS practices and transport time in urban areas and EMS scene and transport times in rural areas are needed.

Prehospital airway management for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A nationwide multicenter study from the KoCARC registry

AIM

This study investigated whether prehospital advanced airway management (AAM) is associated with improved survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) compared with conventional bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation.

METHODS

We investigated the neurologically favorable survival of adult patients with OHCA who underwent BVM or AAM using the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium (KoCARC), a multicenter OHCA registry of Korea. The differences in clinical characteristics were adjusted by matching or weighting the clinical propensity for use of AAM or by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). The primary outcome was 30-day survival with neurologically favorable status defined by cerebral performance category 1 or 2.

RESULTS

Of the 9,616 patients enrolled (median age = 71 years; 65% male), there were 6,243 AAM and 3,354 BVM patients. In unadjusted analysis, the 30-day neurologically favorable survival was lower in the AAM group compared with the BVM group (5.5% vs. 10.0%; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16 to 1.27; all p < 0.001). In propensity score matching-adjusted analysis, these differences were not found (9.6% vs. 10.0%; HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.93 to 1.03, p > 0.05). Inverse probability of treatment weighting- and LASSO-adjusted analyses replicated these results.

CONCLUSIONS

In this nationwide real-world data analysis of OHCA, the 30-day neurologically favorable survival did not differ between prehospital AAM and BVM after adjustment for clinical characteristics.

PRE-HOSPITAL AIRWAY MANAGEMENT AND SURVIVAL OUTCOMES AFTER PAEDIATRIC OUT-OF-HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARRESTS

BACKGROUND

Paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) results in high mortality and poor neurological outcomes. We conducted this study to describe and compare the effects of pre-hospital airway management on survival outcomes for paediatric OHCA in the Asia-pacific region.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of the Pan Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS) data from January 2009 to June 2018. PAROS is a prospective, observational, multi-centre cohort study from eleven countries. The primary outcomes were one-month survival and survival with favourable neurological status, defined as Cerebral Performance Category1 or 2. We performed multivariate analyses of the unmatched and propensity matched cohort.

RESULTS

We included 3131 patients less than 18 years in the study. 2679 (85.6%) children received bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilations, 81 (2.6%) endotracheal intubations (ETI) and 371 (11.8%) supraglottic airways (SGA). 792 patients underwent propensity score matching. In the matched cohort, advanced airway management (AAM: SGA and ETI) when compared with BVM group was associated with decreased one-month survival [AAM: 28/396 (7.1%) versus BVM: 55/396 (13.9%); adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.46 (95% CI, 0.29 - 0.75); p = 0.002] and survival with favourable neurological status [AAM: 8/396 (2.0%) versus BVM: 31/396 (7.8%); aOR, 0.22 (95% CI, 0.10 - 0.50); p < 0.001]. For SGA group, we observed less 1-month survival [SGA: 24/337 (7.1%) versus BVM: 52/337 (15.4%); aOR, 0.41 (95%CI, 0.25 - 0.69), p = 0.001] and survival with favourable neurological status.

CONCLUSION

In children with OHCA in the Asia-Pacific region, pre-hospital AAM was associated with decreased one-month survival and less favourable neurological status.

Impact of different medical direction policies on prehospital advanced airway management for out-of hospital cardiac arrest patients: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Although optimal prehospital airway management after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains undetermined, no studies have compared different advanced airway management (AAM) policies adopted by two hospitals in charge of online medical direction by emergency physicians. We examined the impact of two different AAM policies on OHCA patient survival.

Methods

This observational cohort study included adult OHCA patients treated in Okayama City from 2013 to 2016. Patients were divided into two groups: the O group - those treated on odd days when a hospital with a policy favoring laryngeal tube ventilation (LT) supervised, and the E group - those treated on even days when the other hospital with a policy favoring endotracheal intubation (ETI) supervised. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess airway device effects. The primary outcome measure was seven-day survival.

Results

Of 2,406 eligible patients, 50.1% were in the O group and 49.9% were in the E group. O group patients received less ETI (1.0% vs. 12.0%) and more LT (53.3% vs. 43.0%) compared with E group patients. In univariate analysis, no differences were observed in seven-day survival (9.4% vs 10.1%). Multiple regression analysis revealed neither LT nor ETI had a significant independent effect on seven-day survival, considering bag-valve mask ventilation as a reference (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.13, OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.72, respectively).

Conclusion

Despite different advanced airway medical direction policies in a single city, there were no substantial impact on outcomes for OHCA patients.

A retrospective multi-centre cohort study: Pre-hospital survival factors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in Thailand

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore significant pre-hospital factors affecting the survivability of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) patients in countries with developing EMS systems.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort study was conducted examining data from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020 from Utstein Registry databases in Thailand, collected through Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS). Data were collected from three centres, including regional, suburban-capital, and urban-capital hospitals. The primary endpoint of this study was 30-day survival or discharged alive after an OHCA event. The multivariable risk regression was done by modified Poisson regression with robust error variance to explore the association between 30-day survival and pre-hospital factors with potential confounders adjustments.

FINDINGS

Of 1,240 OHCA cases transferred by Emergency Medical Services (EMS), 42 patients (3.4%) were discharged alive after 30 days, including 22 (8.6%), 8 (3.0%), and 12 (1.7%) from regional, suburban-capital, and urban-capital centres, respectively. The initial arrest rhythm was 89.7% unshockable, with no significant variations across the three centres. Overall, bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was 40.4%. However, bystander CPR with Automated External Defibrillator (AED) application was 0.8%. Bystander CPR significantly increased 30-day survival probability (aRR 1.88, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.51; p 0.049). Additionally, reducing the EMS response time by one minute significantly increased OHCA survivability (aRR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.20; p 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Response time and bystander CPR are the factors that improve the 30-day survival outcomes of OHCA patients. In contrast, scene time, transport time, and pre-hospital advanced airway management didn't improve 30-day OHCA survival.

Association of Pre-Hospital Helicopter Transport with Reduced Mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury in Japan: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are severely injured patients who require timely, efficient, and specialized care. The effectiveness of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) for patients with TBI remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the mortality of patients with TBI transported by HEMS and ground ambulance using propensity score-matching analysis, and to analyze the effects of HEMS in various subpopulations. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Japan Trauma Data Bank. The study period was from January 2004 to December 2018. The participants were divided into two groups: the helicopter group (patients transported by HEMS) and ground group (patients transported by ground ambulance). The principal outcome was death at hospital discharge. In total, 58,532 patients were eligible for analysis (ground group, n = 54,820 [93.7%]; helicopter group, n = 3712 [6.3%]). Helicopter transport decreased patient mortality at hospital discharge (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.92). In propensity score-matched patients, the proportion of deaths at hospital discharge was lower in the helicopter (18.76%) than in the ground (21.21%) group (crude OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77-0.96). The mortality rate in the helicopter group was significantly reduced in many subpopulations, especially in cases of severe TBI with a decreased level of consciousness or higher Injury Severity Score (ISS; Japan Coma Scale score 2 [adjusted OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.45-0.80] and ISS ≥50 [adjusted OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.48-0.99]). Although the study design was non-randomized, our findings in patients with TBI showed that HEMS conferred a mortality benefit over ground ambulance.

Development and validation of early prediction for neurological outcome at 90 days after return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

AIM

To develop and validate a model for the early prediction of long-term neurological outcome in patients with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS

We analysed multicentre OHCA registry data of adult patients with non-traumatic OHCA who experienced return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and had been admitted to the intensive care unit between 2013 and 2017. We allocated 1329 (2013-2015) and 1025 patients (2016-2017) to the derivation and validation sets, respectively. The primary outcome was the dichotomized cerebral performance category (CPC) at 90 days, defined as good (CPC 1-2) or poor (CPC 3-5). We developed 2 models: model 1 included variables without laboratory data, and model 2 included variables with laboratory data available immediately after ROSC. Logistic regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regularization was employed for model development. Measures of discrimination, accuracy, and calibration (C-statistics, Brier score, calibration plot, and net benefit) were assessed in the validation set.

RESULTS

The C-statistic (95% confidence intervals) of models 1 and 2 in the validation set was 0.947 (0.930-0.964) and 0.950 (0.934-0.966), respectively. The Brier score of models 1 and 2 in the validation set was 0.0622 and 0.0606, respectively. The calibration plot showed that both models were well-calibrated to the observed outcome. Decision curve analysis indicated that model 2 was similar to model 1.

CONCLUSION

The prediction tool containing detailed in-hospital information showed good performance for predicting neurological outcome at 90 days immediately after ROSC in patients with OHCA.

Association of Advanced Airway Insertion Timing and Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

STUDY OBJECTIVE

While often prioritized in the resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the optimal timing of advanced airway insertion is unknown. We evaluated the association between the timing of advanced airway (laryngeal tube and endotracheal intubation) insertion attempt and survival to hospital discharge in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of the Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial (PART), a clinical trial comparing the effects of laryngeal tube and endotracheal intubation on outcomes after adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We stratified the cohort by randomized airway strategy (laryngeal tube or endotracheal intubation). Within each subset, we defined a time-dependent propensity score using patients, arrest, and emergency medical services systems characteristics. Using the propensity score, we matched each patient receiving an initial attempt of laryngeal tube or endotracheal intubation with a patient at risk of receiving laryngeal tube or endotracheal intubation attempt within the same minute.

RESULTS

Of 2,146 eligible patients, 1,091 (50.8%) and 1,055 (49.2%) were assigned to initial laryngeal tube and endotracheal intubation strategies, respectively. In the propensity score-matched cohort, timing of laryngeal tube insertion attempt was not associated with survival to hospital discharge: 0 to lesser than 5 minutes (risk ratio [RR]=1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53 to 3.44); 5 to lesser than10 minutes (RR=1.07, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.73); 10 to lesser than 15 minutes (RR=1.17, 95% CI 0.60 to 2.31); or 15 to lesser than 20 minutes (RR=2.09, 95% CI 0.35 to 12.47) after advanced life support arrival. Timing of endotracheal intubation attempt was also not associated with survival: 0 to lesser than 5 minutes (RR=0.50, 95% CI 0.05 to 4.87); 5 to lesser than10 minutes (RR=1.20, 95% CI 0.51 to 2.81); 10 to lesser than15 minutes (RR=1.03, 95% CI 0.49 to 2.14); 15 to lesser than 20 minutes (RR=0.85, 95% CI 0.30 to 2.42); or more than/equal to 20 minutes (RR=0.71, 95% CI 0.07 to 7.14).

CONCLUSION

In the PART, timing of advanced airway insertion attempt was not associated with survival to hospital discharge.

The Comparison of Emergency Medical Service Responses to and Outcomes of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Area of Korea

BACKGROUND

Since the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, COVID-19 has affected the responses of emergency medical service (EMS) systems to cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA in an area of South Korea.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of adult OHCA patients attended by EMS providers comparing the EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to those during the pre-COVID-19 period. Propensity score matching was used to compare the survival rates, and logistic regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the survival of OHCA patients.

RESULTS

A total of 891 patients in the pre-COVID-19 group and 1,063 patients in the COVID-19 group were included in the final analysis. During the COVID-19 period, the EMS call time was shifted to a later time period (16:00-24:00, P < 0.001), and the presence of an initial shockable rhythm was increased (pre-COVID-19 vs. COVID-19, 7.97% vs. 11.95%, P = 0.004). The number of tracheal intubations decreased (5.27% vs. 1.22%, P < 0.001), and the use of mechanical chest compression devices (30.53% vs. 44.59%, P < 0.001) and EMS response time (median [quartile 1-quartile 3], 7 [5-10] vs. 8 [6-11], P < 0.001) increased. After propensity score matching, the survival at admission rate (22.52% vs. 18.24%, P = 0.025), survival to discharge rate (7.77% vs. 5.52%, P = 0.056), and favorable neurological outcome (5.97% vs. 3.49%, P < 0.001) decreased. In the propensity score matching analysis of the impact of COVID-19, odds ratios of 0.768 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.592-0.995) for survival at admission and 0.693 (95% CI, 0.446-1.077) for survival to discharge were found.

CONCLUSION

During the COVID-19 period, there were significant changes in the EMS responses to OHCA. These changes are considered to be partly due to social distancing measures. As a result, the proportion of patients with an initial shockable rhythm in the COVID-19 period was greater than that in the pre-COVID-19 period, but the final survival rate and favorable neurological outcome were lower.

Timing of Prehospital Advanced Airway Management for Adult Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Japan

Background

The timing of advanced airway management (AAM) on patient outcomes after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest has not been fully investigated. We evaluated the association between the timing of prehospital AAM and 1‐month survival.

Methods and Results

We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective, nationwide, population‐based out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest registry in Japan. We included emergency medical services–treated adult (≥18 years) out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests from 2014 through 2017, stratified into initial shockable or nonshockable rhythms. Patients who received AAM at any minute after emergency medical services–initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation underwent risk‐set matching with patients who were at risk of receiving AAM within the same minute using time‐dependent propensity scores. Eleven thousand three hundred six patients with AAM in shockable and 163 796 with AAM in nonshockable cohorts, respectively, underwent risk‐set matching. For shockable rhythms, the risk ratios (95% CIs) of AAM on 1‐month survival were 1.01 (0.89–1.15) between 0 and 5 minutes, 1.06 (0.98–1.15) between 5 and 10 minutes, 0.99 (0.87–1.12) between 10 and 15 minutes, 0.74 (0.59–0.92) between 15 and 20 minutes, 0.61 (0.37–1.00) between 20 and 25 minutes, and 0.73 (0.26–2.07) between 25 and 30 minutes after emergency medical services–initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation. For nonshockable rhythms, the risk ratios of AAM were 1.12 (1.00–1.27) between 0 and 5 minutes, 1.34 (1.25–1.44) between 5 and 10 minutes, 1.39 (1.26–1.54) between 10 and 15 minutes, 1.20 (0.99–1.45) between 15 and 20 minutes, 1.18 (0.80–1.73) between 20 and 25 minutes, 0.63 (0.29–1.38) between 25 and 30 minutes, and 0.44 (0.11–1.69) after 30 minutes.

Conclusions

In this observational study, the timing of AAM was not statistically associated with improved 1‐month survival for shockable rhythms, but AAM within 15 minutes after emergency medical services–initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with improved 1‐month survival for nonshockable rhythms.

Neurological outcomes associated with prehospital advanced airway management in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to foreign body airway obstruction

OBJECTIVES

Several studies have examined the association between advanced airway management (AAM) and survival for arrest that is non-shockable, noncardiac in origin, or due to suffocation; however, the efficacy of prehospital AAM compared with no AAM following foreign body removal by emergency medical services (EMS) has not been examined. We aimed to compare neurological outcomes in patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) managed with and without AAM after foreign body removal.

METHODS

This retrospective observational cohort study used all emergency transportation data of Japan and the All-Japan Utstein Registry. We included patients with OHCA aged ≥18 years undergoing resuscitation and removal of airway foreign bodies by EMS from January 2015 to December 2017. The exposure of interest was prehospital AAM by EMS after foreign body removal, and the primary outcome was a favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge (i.e., a cerebral performance category of 1-2).

RESULTS

Overall, 329,098 adults had OHCAs and 23,060 had foreign bodies removed from their airways; 3681 adult patients met our eligibility criteria and were divided as: AAM (2045) and non-AAM (1636) groups. Propensity score matching resulted in 1210 matched pairs with balanced baseline characteristics between the groups. The rate of favorable neurological outcome was significantly lower in the AAM group than in the non-AAM group (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.19-0.62). However, survival was not significantly different between the two groups (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.84-1.37).

CONCLUSIONS

We have not demonstrated the benefit of AAM for patients with OHCA due to FBAO. Further study will be required to confirm the efficacy of AAM for those patients.

Association of Timing of Epinephrine Administration With Outcomes in Adults With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

IMPORTANCE

Administration of epinephrine has been found to be associated with an increased chance of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but the optimal timing of administration has not been fully investigated.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain whether there is an association between timing of epinephrine administration and patient outcomes after OHCA.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included adults 18 years or older with OHCA treated by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel from April 1, 2011, to June 30, 2015. Initial cardiac rhythm was stratified as either initially shockable (ventricular defibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia) or nonshockable (pulseless electrical activity or asystole). Eligible individuals were identified from among publicly available, deidentified patient-level data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Cardiac Epidemiologic Registry, a prospective registry of adults with EMS-treated, nontraumatic OHCA with 10 sites in North America. Data analysis was conducted from May 2019 to April 2021.

EXPOSURES

Interval between advanced life support (ALS)-trained EMS personnel arrival at the scene and the first prehospital intravenous or intraosseous administration of epinephrine.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. In each cohort of initial cardiac rhythms, patients who received epinephrine at any period (minutes) after EMS arrival at the scene were matched with patients who were at risk of receiving epinephrine within the same period using time-dependent propensity scores calculated from patient demographic characteristics, arrest characteristics, and EMS interventions.

RESULTS

Of 41 079 eligible individuals (median [interquartile range] age, 67 [55-79] years), 26 579 (64.7%) were men. A total of 10 088 individuals (24.6%) initially had shockable cardiac rhythms, and 30 991 (75.4%) had nonshockable rhythms. Those who received epinephrine included 8223 patients (81.5%) with shockable cardiac rhythms and 27 901 (90.0%) with nonshockable rhythms. In the shockable cardiac rhythm cohort, the risk ratio (RR) for receipt of epinephrine with survival to hospital discharge was highest between 0 and 5 minutes after EMS arrival (1.12; 95% CI, 0.99-1.26) across the categorized timing of the administration of epinephrine by 5-minute intervals after EMS arrival; however, that finding was not statistically significant. Treating the timing of epinephrine administration as a continuous variable, the RR for survival to hospital discharge decreased 5.5% (95% CI, 3.4%-7.5%; P < .001 for the interaction between epinephrine administration and time to matching) per minute after EMS arrival. In the nonshockable cardiac rhythm cohort, the RR for the association of receipt of epinephrine with survival to hospital discharge was the highest between 0 and 5 minutes (1.28; 95% CI, 0.95-1.72), although not statistically significant, and decreased 4.4% (95% CI, 0.8%-7.9%; P for interaction = .02) per minute after EMS arrival.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among adults with OHCA, survival to hospital discharge differed across the timing of epinephrine administration and decreased with delayed administration for both shockable and nonshockable rhythms.

Association between time to advanced airway management and neurologically favourable survival during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Advanced airway management (AAM) is commonly performed as part of advanced life support. However, there is controversy about the association between the timing of AAM and outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study aimed to determine whether time to AAM is associated with outcomes after OHCA.

METHODS

This was a nationwide population-based observational study using the Japanese government-led registry of OHCA. Adults who experienced OHCA and received AAM by EMS personnel in the prehospital setting from 2014 to 2017 were included. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between time to AAM (defined as time in minutes from emergency call to the first successful AAM) and outcomes after OHCA. Then, associations between early (≤ 20 min) vs. delayed (> 20 min) AAM and outcomes after OHCA were examined using propensity score-matched analyses. The primary outcome was one-month neurologically favourable survival.

RESULTS

A total of 164,223 patients (median [IQR] age, 80 [69-86] years; 57.7% male) were included. The median time to AAM was 17 min (IQR, 14-22). Longer time to AAM was significantly associated with a decreased chance of one-month neurologically favourable survival (multivariable adjusted OR per minute delay, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.90-0.91]). In the propensity score-matched cohort, compared with early AAM, delayed AAM was associated with a decreased chance of one-month neurologically favourable survival (516 of 50,997 [1.0%] vs. 226 of 50,997 [0.4%]; RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.37-0.51; NNT, 176).

CONCLUSIONS

Delay in AAM was associated with a decreased chance of one-month neurologically favourable survival among patients with OHCA.

Blood gas phenotyping and tracheal intubation timing in adult in-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective cohort study

To investigate whether the optimal time to tracheal intubation (TTI) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation would differ by different blood gas phenotypes. Adult patients experiencing in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) from 2006 to 2015 were retrospectively screened. Early intra-arrest blood gas analysis, performed within 10 min of resuscitation, was used to define different phenotypes. In total, 567 patients were included. Non-severe acidosis (pH≧7.15) was associated with favourable neurological outcome (odds ratio [OR]: 4.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.63–12.95; p value = 0.004) and survival (OR: 3.25, 95% CI 1.72–6.15; p value < 0.001) in the multivariable logistic regression analyses. In the interaction analysis, normal blood gas phenotype (pH: 7.35–7.45, PCO₂: 35–45 mm Hg, HCO₃⁻ level: 22–26 mmol/L) × TTI ≦ 6.3 min (OR: 20.40, 95% CI 2.53–164.75; p value = 0.005) and non-severe acidosis × TTI ≦ 6.3 min (OR: 3.35, 95% CI 1.00–11.23; p value = 0.05) were associated with neurological recovery while metabolic acidosis × TTI ≦ 5.7 min (OR: 3.63, 95% CI 1.36–9.67; p value = 0.01) and hypercapnic acidosis × TTI ≦ 10.4 min (OR: 2.27, 95% CI 1.20–4.28; p value = 0.01) were associated with survival. Intra-arrest blood gas analysis may help guide TTI during for patients with IHCA.

Early endotracheal intubation improves neurological outcome following witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan: a population-based observational study

Aim

It is unclear whether endotracheal intubation in the prehospital setting improves outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between endotracheal intubation time (time from patient contact to endotracheal intubation) and favorable neurological outcomes on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods

We extracted patients who underwent endotracheal intubation on the scene from a nationwide out-of-hospital cardiac arrest database registered between 2014 and 2017 in Japan. We included 14,969 witnessed and intubated adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. Patients were divided into Shockable (n = 1,102) and Non-shockable (n = 13,867) cohorts. We first drew the logistic curve due to predicting the association between endotracheal intubation time and favorable neurological outcome defined as Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 1 or 2. Secondary, multivariable logistic regressions were used to estimate the association between the endotracheal intubation time (1-min unit increase), CPC 1 or 2.

Results

The logistic curve for CPC 1 or 2 showed similar shapes and indicated a decreasing outcome over time. From the results of multivariable logistic regression, in the Shockable cohort, endotracheal intubation time delay was correlated with decreasing favorable outcomes: CPC 1 or 2 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.87). Results were the same for the Non-shockable cohort: CPC 1 or 2 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-0.99).

Conclusion

Early endotracheal intubation was correlated with favorable neurological outcome. Training for intubation skills and improving protocols are needed for carrying out early endotracheal intubation.

Epinephrine administration for adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with refractory shockable rhythm: time-dependent propensity score-sequential matching analysis from a nationwide population-based registry

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the effect of prehospital epinephrine administration in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with refractory shockable rhythm, for whom initial defibrillation was unsuccessful.

METHODS

This study using Japanese nationwide population-based registry included all adult OHCA patients aged ≥18 years with refractory shockable rhythm between January 2014 and December 2017. Patients with or without epinephrine during cardiac arrest were sequentially matched using a risk set matching based on the time-dependent propensity scores within the same minute. The primary outcome was 1-month survival. The secondary outcomes included 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category scale: 1 or 2) and prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

RESULTS

Of the 499,944 patients registered in the database during the study period, 22,877 were included. Among them, 8,467 (37.0%) received epinephrine. After time-dependent propensity score-sequential matching, 16,798 patients were included in the matched cohort. In the matched cohort, positive associations were observed between epinephrine and 1-month survival (epinephrine: 17.3% [1,454/8,399] vs. no epinephrine: 14.6% [1,224/8,399]; RR 1.22 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.13-1.32]) and prehospital ROSC (epinephrine: 22.2% [1,868/8,399] vs. no epinephrine: 10.7% [900/8399]; RR, 2.07 [95% CI, 1.91-2.25]). No significant positive association was observed between epinephrine and favourable neurological outcome (epinephrine: 7.8% [654/8,399] vs. no epinephrine: 7.1% [611/8,399]; RR, 1.13 [95% CI, 0.998-1.27]).

CONCLUSIONS

Using the nationwide population-based registry with time-dependent propensity score-sequential matching analysis, prehospital epinephrine administration in adult OHCA patients with refractory shockable rhythm was positively associated with 1-month survival and prehospital ROSC.

Performance of the laryngeal tube for airway management during cardiopulmonary resuscitation

INTRODUCTION

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Europe and the whole world. Effective chest compressions and advanced airway management have been shown to improve survival rates. Supraglottic airway devices such as the laryngeal tube (LT) are a well-known strategy for patients with cardiac arrest during both basic (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS). This systematic literature review aimed to summarize current data for using the LT when performing BLS and ALS.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Recent data on the use of the LT during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was gathered by using the Medline database and a specific search strategy. Terms were used in various order and combinations without time restrictions. A total of N.=1005 studies were identified and screened by two experienced anesthesiologists/emergency physicians independently. Altogether, data of N.=19 relevant papers were identified and included in the analysis.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Using the LT showed fast and easy placement with high success rates (76% to 94%) and was associated with higher short-term survival as compared to other strategies for initial airway management (2.2% vs. 1.4%). Quality of CPR such as chest compression fraction (CCF) before and after LT-insertion is improved (75% vs. 59%). For long-term survival, the LT showed lower survival rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Especially as initial device of airway management (for inexperienced staff), the use of a LT is easy and results in a fast insertion. The advantages of the LT as compared to bag mask ventilation and endotracheal intubation are inhomogeneous in recent literature.

Optimal Airway Management in Cardiac Arrest

Airway management during cardiac arrest has undergone several advancements. Endotracheal intubation (ETI) often is considered the gold standard for airway management in cardiac arrest; however, other options exist. Recent prospective randomized trials have compared outcomes in bag-valve mask ventilation and supraglottic airways to ETI in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. ETI, if performed early in resuscitation, is associated with worse patient outcomes and has been de-emphasized so as not to interfere with other aspects of the resuscitation. Hyperventilation has multiple theoretic harms during cardiac arrest, and methods, such as compression-adjusted ventilation, may be utilized to help reduce the incidence of hyperventilation.

Pre-Hospital Administration of Epinephrine in Pediatric Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND

There is little evidence about pre-hospital advanced life support including epinephrine administration for pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs).

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the effect of pre-hospital epinephrine administration by emergency-medical-service (EMS) personnel for pediatric OHCA.

METHODS

This nationwide population-based observational study in Japan enrolled pediatric patients age 8 to 17 years with OHCA between January 2007 and December 2016. Patients were sequentially matched with or without epinephrine during cardiac arrest using a risk-set matching based on time-dependent propensity score (probability of receiving epinephrine) calculated at each minute after initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by EMS personnel. The primary endpoint was 1-month survival. Secondary endpoints were 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome, defined as the cerebral performance category scale of 1 or 2, and pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

RESULTS

During the study period, a total of 1,214,658 OHCA patients were registered, and 3,961 pediatric OHCAs were eligible for analyses. Of these, 306 (7.7%) patients received epinephrine and 3,655 (92.3%) did not receive epinephrine. After time-dependent propensity score-sequential matching, 608 patients were included in the matched cohort. In the matched cohort, there were no significant differences between the epinephrine and no epinephrine groups in 1-month survival (epinephrine: 10.2% [31 of 304] vs. no epinephrine: 7.9% [24 of 304]; risk ratio [RR]: 1.13 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67 to 1.93]) and favorable neurological outcome (epinephrine: 3.6% [11 of 304] vs. no epinephrine: 2.6% [8 of 304]; RR: 1.56 [95% CI: 0.61 to 3.96]), whereas the epinephrine group had a higher likelihood of achieving pre-hospital ROSC (epinephrine: 11.2% [34 of 304] vs. no epinephrine: 3.3% [10 of 304]; RR: 3.17 [95% CI: 1.54 to 6.54]).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, pre-hospital epinephrine administration was associated with ROSC, whereas there were no significant differences in 1-month survival and favorable neurological outcome between those with and without epinephrine.

A Time-Dependent Propensity Score Matching Approach to Assess Epinephrine Use on Patients Survival Within Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Care

BACKGROUND

Epinephrine effectiveness and safety are still questioned. It is well known that the effect of epinephrine varies depending on patients' rhythm and time to injection.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the association between epinephrine use during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) care and patient 30-day (D30) survival.

METHODS

Between 2011 and 2017, 27,008 OHCA patients were included from the French OHCA registry. We adjusted populations using a time-dependent propensity score matching. Analyses were stratified according to patient's first rhythm. After matching, 2837 pairs of patients with a shockable rhythm were created and 20,950 with a nonshockable rhythm.

RESULTS

Whatever the patient's rhythm (shockable or nonshockable), epinephrine use was associated with less D30 survival (odds ratio [OR] 0.508; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.440-0.586] and OR 0.645; 95% CI 0.549-0.759, respectively). In shockable rhythms, on all outcomes, epinephrine use was deleterious. In nonshockable rhythms, no difference was observed regarding return of spontaneous circulation and survival at hospital admission. However, epinephrine use was associated with worse neurological prognosis (OR 0.646; 95% CI 0.549-0.759).

CONCLUSIONS

In shockable and nonshockable rhythms, epinephrine does not seem to have any benefit on D30 survival. These results underscore the need to perform further studies to define the optimal conditions for using epinephrine in patients with OHCA.

Improved outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated by emergency life-saving technicians compared with basic emergency medical technicians: A JCS-ReSS study report

BACKGROUND

Emergency life-saving technicians (ELSTs) are specially trained prehospital medical providers believed to provide better care than basic emergency medical technicians (BEMTs). ELSTs are certified to perform techniques such as administration of advanced airways or adrenaline and are considered to have more knowledge; nevertheless, ELSTs' effectiveness over BEMTs regarding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unclear. We investigated whether the presence of an ELST improves OHCA patient outcomes.

METHODS

In a retrospective study of adult OHCA patients treated in Japan from 2011 to 2015, we compared two OHCA patient groups: patients transported with at least one ELST and patients transported by only BEMTs. The primary outcome measure was one-month favorable neurological outcomes, defined as Cerebral Performance Category ≤ 2. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and their confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the effect of ELSTs.

RESULTS

Included were 552,337 OHCA patients, with 538,222 patients in the ELST group and 14,115 in the BEMT group. The ELST group had a significantly higher odds of favorable neurological outcomes (2.5% vs. 2.1%, adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17-1.66), one-month survival (4.9% vs. 4.1%, adjusted OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.22-1.54), and return of spontaneous circulation (8.1% vs. 5.1%, adjusted OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.72-2.11) compared with the BEMT group. However, ELSTs' limited procedure range (adrenaline administration or advanced airway management) did not promote favorable neurological outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the BEMT group, transport by the ELST group was associated with better neurological outcomes in OHCA.

Epinephrine in children receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for bradycardia with poor perfusion

AIM

To determine whether the use of epinephrine in pediatric patients receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for bradycardia and poor perfusion was associated with improved clinical outcomes.

METHODS

Using the Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation registry, we included pediatric patients (≤18 years) who received in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation for bradycardia with poor perfusion (non-pulseless event) between January 2000 and December 2018. Time-dependent propensity score matching was used to match patients receiving epinephrine within the first 10 min of resuscitation to patients at risk of receiving epinephrine within the same minute.

RESULTS

In the full cohort, 55% of patients were male and 39% were neonates. A higher number of patients receiving epinephrine required vasopressors and mechanical ventilation prior to the event compared to those not receiving epinephrine. A total of 3528 patients who received epinephrine were matched to 3528 patients at risk of receiving epinephrine based on the propensity score. Epinephrine was associated with decreased survival to hospital discharge (RR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.74-0.85]; p < 0.001), return of spontaneous circulation (RR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0,91-0.96]; p < 0.001), 24-h survival (RR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.81-0.90]; p < 0.001), and favorable neurological outcome (RR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.68-0.84]; p < 0.001). Epinephrine was also associated with an increased risk of progression to pulselessness (RR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06-1.28]; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In children receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for bradycardia with poor perfusion, epinephrine was associated with worse outcomes, although the study does not eliminate the potential for confounding.

Public-access defibrillation and neurological outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

More than 80% of public-access defibrillation attempts do not result in sustained return of spontaneous circulation in patients who have had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and a shockable heart rhythm before arrival of emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. Neurological and survival outcomes in such patients have not been evaluated. We aimed to assess the neurological status and survival outcomes in such patients.

METHODS

This is a retropective analysis of a cohort study from a prospective, nationwide, population-based registry of 1 299 784 patients who had an OHCA event between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2015 in Japan. The primary outcome was favourable neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category of 1 or 2) at 30 days after the OHCA and the secondary outcome was survival at 30 days following the OHCA. This study is registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000009918.

FINDINGS

We identified 28 019 patients with bystander-witnessed OHCA and shockable heart rhythm who had received CPR from a bystander. Of these, 2242 (8·0%) patients did not achieve return of spontaneous circulation with CPR plus public-access defibrillation, and 25 087 (89·5%) patients did not achieve return of spontaneous circulation with CPR alone before EMS arrival. The proportion of patients with a favourable neurological outcome was significantly higher in those who received public-access defibrillation than those who did not (845 [37·7%] vs 5676 [22·6%]; adjusted odds ratio [OR] after propensity score-matching, 1·45 [95% CI 1·24-1·69], p<0·0001). The proportion of patients who survived at 30 days after the OHCA was also significantly higher in those who received public-access defibrillation than those who did not (987 [44·0%] vs 7976 [31·8%]; adjusted OR after propensity score-matching, 1·31 [95% CI 1·13-1·52], p<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Our findings support the benefits of public-access defibrillation and greater accessibility and availability of automated external defibrillators in the community.

FUNDING

None.

Association Between Prehospital Supraglottic Airway Compared With Bag-Mask Ventilation and Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category 1 in Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND

This study examined the association between prehospital supraglottic airway (SGA) and/or epinephrine compared with bag-mask ventilation (BMV) and Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) 1 status in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) using a large, nationwide, population-based registry dataset.Methods and Results:This was a post hoc analysis of the All-Japan Utstein Registry. We included patients with OHCA of cardiac origin aged ≥18 years with resuscitation performed by emergency medical services (EMS) between January 2011 and December 2015. The primary endpoint was favorable neurological outcome (CPC 1). The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the prehospital management performed by EMS: BMV group received only basic life support (BLS); epinephrine group received BLS plus epinephrine; SGA group received BLS plus SGA; and combined group received BLS plus epinephrine and SGA. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for the primary endpoint. Among the 106,434 patients with OHCA, 48,847 received only BMV, 8,958 received BLS+epinephrine, 25,467 received BLS+SGA, and 15,551 received BLS+epinephrine+SGA. Using the BMV group as the reference, multivariable analysis showed that the epinephrine, SGA, and combined groups were independently associated with a reduced incidence of favorable neurological outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that compared with BLS, patients in the prehospital SGA and/or epinephrine groups had a significantly reduced incidence of CPC 1 status.

Prehospital advanced airway management for paediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Although prehospital advanced airway management (AAM) (i.e., endotracheal intubation [ETI] and insertion of supraglottic airways [SGA]) has been performed for paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the effect of AAM has not been fully studied. We evaluated the association between prehospital AAM for paediatric OHCA and patient outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted an observational cohort study, using the All-Japan Utstein Registry between 2014 and 2016. We included paediatric patients (age <18 years) with OHCA. We calculated time-dependent propensity score at each minute after initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by EMS providers, using a Fine-Gray regression model. We sequentially matched patients who received AAM during cardiac arrest to patients at risk of receiving AAM within the same minute (risk-set matching). The primary outcome was 1-month survival. Secondary outcome was 1-month survival with favourable functional status, defined as Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2.

RESULTS

We analysed 3801 paediatric patients with OHCA. 481 patients (12.7%) received AAM and 3320 (87.3%) did not. Among the 3801 analysed patients, 912 patients underwent risk-set matching. In the matched cohort, AAM was not associated with 1-month survival (AAM: 52/456 [11.4%] vs. no AAM: 44/456 [9.6%]; risk ratio [RR], 1.15 [95% CI, 0.76-1.73]; risk difference [RD], 1.5% [-3.0 to 6.1%]) or favourable functional status (AAM: 9/456 [2.0%] vs. no AAM: 10/456 [2.2%]; RR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.26-1.79]; RD, -0.8% [-2.9 to 1.3%]).

CONCLUSION

Among paediatric patients with OHCA, we found that prehospital AAM was not associated with 1-month survival or favourable functional status.

Risk factors associated with inpatient cardiac arrest during emergency endotracheal intubation at general wards

Background:

Peri-intubation cardiac arrest (PICA) following emergent endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a rare, however, potentially preventable type of cardiac arrest. Limited published data have described factors associated with inpatient PICA and patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with PICA among hospitalized patients emergently intubated at a general ward as compared to non-PICA inpatients. In addition, we identified a difference of clinical outcomes in patients between PICA and other types of inpatient cardiac arrest (OTICA).

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients at two institutions between January 2016 to December 2017. PICA was defined in patients emergently intubated who experienced cardiac arrest within 20 minutes after ETI. The non-PICA group consisted of inpatients emergently intubated without cardiac arrest. Risk factors for PICA were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Clinical outcomes were compared between PICA and OTICA.

Results:

Fifteen episodes of PICA occurred during the study period, accounting for 3.6% of all inpatient arrests. Intubation-related shock index, number of intubation attempts, pre-ETI vasopressor use, and neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) use, especially succinylcholine, were independently associated with PICA. Clinical outcomes of intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, survival to discharge, and neurologic outcome at hospital discharge were not significantly different between PICA and OTICA.

Conclusions:

We identified four independent risk factors for PICA, and preintubation hemodynamic stabilization and avoidance of NMBA were possibly correlated with a decreased PICA risk. Clinical outcomes of PICA were similar to those of OTICA.

Predictors of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes in Pre-Hospital Settings; a Retrospective Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Different potential factors can affect the outcomes of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). The present study aimed to identify important factors contributing to the Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) and Survival to Hospital Discharge (SHD) in these patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on all the OHCA patients who underwent Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in emergency medical service (EMS) of Hamedan province during 2016-2017. All the relevant data were retrieved from three sources, according to Utstein's style. In addition, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to identify predictive factors of ROSC and SHD using SPSS software, version 20.

RESULTS

Among the 3214 eligible patients whose data were collected, most OHCA patients were female (59.7%) with the mean age of 58 years. Moreover, the majority of OHCAs (77.8%) occurred at home during 8pm-8am (65.1%) and about 26.3% of OHCAs were witnessed, with only 5.1% bystander-initiated CPR. Furthermore, the median ambulance response time and CPR duration were 6.0 and 20 minutes, respectively. Overall, ROSC and SHD success rates were 8.3 and 4.1%, respectively. Bystander CPR was found to be the most effective predicting factor for the success rate of ROSC (AOR=3.26, P<0.001) and SHD (AOR=3.04, P<0.001) after adjusting for the Utstein variables including the patients' age, gender, cardiac disease history, arrest time, CPR duration, response time, being witnessed, bystander CPR, and endotracheal intubation (ETI).

CONCLUSION

The overall success rates of ROSC and SHD were 8.3% and 4.1%, respectively. The age, ambulance response time, CPR duration, and cardiac disease history were negatively associated with the outcomes of ROSC and SHD, while being witnessed, bystander CPR, ETI, and initial shockable rhythm were positively related to both of the above-mentioned outcomes.

Association of Prehospital Epinephrine Administration With Survival Among Patients With Traumatic Cardiac Arrest Caused By Traffic Collisions

For traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA), the effect of prehospital epinephrine administration was unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between prehospital epinephrine administration and survival in patients with TCA caused by traffic collisions. We conducted a nationwide, prospective, population-based observational study involving patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by using the All-Japan Utstein Registry. Blunt trauma patients with TCA who received prehospital epinephrine were compared with those who did not receive prehospital epinephrine. The primary outcome was 1-month survival of patients. The secondary outcome was prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). A total of 5,204 patients with TCA were analyzed. Of those, 758 patients (14.6%) received prehospital epinephrine (Epinephrine group), whereas the remaining 4,446 patients (85.4%) did not receive prehospital epinephrine (No epinephrine group). Eleven (1.5%) and 41 (0.9%) patients in the Epinephrine and No epinephrine groups, respectively, survived for 1 month. In addition, 74 (9.8%) and 40 (0.9%) patients achieved prehospital ROSC in the Epinephrine and No epinephrine groups, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression models, prehospital epinephrine administration was not associated with 1-month survival (odds ratio [OR] 1.495, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.758 to 2.946) and was associated with prehospital ROSC (OR 3.784, 95% CI 2.102 to 6.812). A propensity score-matched analysis showed similar results for 1-month survival (OR 2.363, 95% CI 0.606 to 9,223) and prehospital ROSC (OR 6.870, 95% CI 3.326 to 14.192). Prehospital epinephrine administration in patients with TCA was not associated with 1-month survival, but was beneficial in regard to prehospital ROSC.

Confirmed cardiac output on emergency medical services arrival as confounding by indication: an observational study of prehospital airway management in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

OBJECTIVES

Many registry studies on patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have reported that conventional bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation is independently associated with favourable outcomes. This study aimed to compare the data of patients with OCHA with confirmed cardiac output on emergency medical services (EMS) arrival and consider the confounding factors in prehospital airway management studies.

METHODS

This was a cohort study using the registry data for survivors after out-of hospital cardiac arrest in the Kanto region at 2012 in Japan (SOS-KANTO 2012). Survivors who received advanced airway management (AAM) group and a BVM group were compared for confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival and neurolgical outcome at 1 month. Favourable neurological outcome was defined as a score of one or two on the Cerebral Performance Categories Scale. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust the neurological outcome by age, gender, cardiac aetiology, witnessed arrest, shockable rhythm, cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by a bystander, BVM at prehospital ventilation and presence of confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival.

RESULTS

A total of 16 452 patients were enrolled in the SOS-KANTO 2012 study, and of those data 12 867 were analysed; 5893 patients comprised the AAM group and 6974 comprised the BVM group. Of the study participants, 386 (2.9%) had confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival; 340 (2.6%) of the entire study group had a favourable neurological outcome. The proportion of patients with confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival was significantly higher in the BVM group (272: 3.9%) than in the AAM group (114: 1.9%) (95% CI: 1.65 to 2.25). The proportion of patients with favourable neurological outcomes was 30% (117/386) in those with cardiac output on EMS arrival compared with 1.8% (223/12481) in those without. The OR for a good neurological outcome with BVM decreased from 3.24 (2.49 to 4.20) to 2.60 (1.97 to 3.44) when confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival was added to the multivariable model analysis.

CONCLUSION

Confirmed cardiac output on EMS arrival should be considered as confounding by indication in observational studies of prehospital airway management.