Part 1: Executive Summary: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations

Thrombolytics in Cardiac Arrest from Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

BACKGROUND

During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intravenous thrombolytics are commonly used for patients whose underlying etiology of cardiac arrest is presumed to be related to pulmonary embolism (PE).

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature that focused on the use of thrombolytics for cardiac arrest due to presumed or confirmed PE. Outcomes of interest were return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival to hospital discharge, neurologically-intact survival, and bleeding complications.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies with a total of 803 patients were included in this review. Most studies included were single-armed and retrospective. Thrombolytic agent and dose were heterogeneous between studies. Among those with control groups, intravenous thrombolysis was associated with higher rates of ROSC (OR 2.55, 95% CI = 1.50-4.34), but without a significant difference in survival to hospital discharge (OR 1.41, 95% CI = 0.79-2.41) or bleeding complications (OR 2.21, 0.95-5.17).

CONCLUSIONS

Use of intravenous thrombolytics in cardiac arrest due to confirmed or presumed PE is associated with increased ROSC but not survival to hospital discharge or change in bleeding complications. Larger randomized studies are needed. Currently, we recommend continuing to follow existing consensus guidelines which support use of thrombolytics for this indication.

Critical Care Management of Patients After Cardiac Arrest: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association and Neurocritical Care Society

The critical care management of patients after cardiac arrest is burdened by a lack of high-quality clinical studies and the resultant lack of high-certainty evidence. This results in limited practice guideline recommendations, which may lead to uncertainty and variability in management. Critical care management is crucial in patients after cardiac arrest and affects outcome. Although guidelines address some relevant topics (including temperature control and neurological prognostication of comatose survivors, 2 topics for which there are more robust clinical studies), many important subject areas have limited or nonexistent clinical studies, leading to the absence of guidelines or low-certainty evidence. The American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and the Neurocritical Care Society collaborated to address this gap by organizing an expert consensus panel and conference. Twenty-four experienced practitioners (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and a respiratory therapist) from multiple medical specialties, levels, institutions, and countries made up the panel. Topics were identified and prioritized by the panel and arranged by organ system to facilitate discussion, debate, and consensus building. Statements related to postarrest management were generated, and 80% agreement was required to approve a statement. Voting was anonymous and web based. Topics addressed include neurological, cardiac, pulmonary, hematological, infectious, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and general critical care management. Areas of uncertainty, areas for which no consensus was reached, and future research directions are also included. Until high-quality studies that inform practice guidelines in these areas are available, the expert panel consensus statements that are provided can advise clinicians on the critical care management of patients after cardiac arrest.

Critical Care Management of Patients After Cardiac Arrest: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and Neurocritical Care Society

The critical care management of patients after cardiac arrest is burdened by a lack of high-quality clinical studies and the resultant lack of high-certainty evidence. This results in limited practice guideline recommendations, which may lead to uncertainty and variability in management. Critical care management is crucial in patients after cardiac arrest and affects outcome. Although guidelines address some relevant topics (including temperature control and neurological prognostication of comatose survivors, 2 topics for which there are more robust clinical studies), many important subject areas have limited or nonexistent clinical studies, leading to the absence of guidelines or low-certainty evidence. The American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and the Neurocritical Care Society collaborated to address this gap by organizing an expert consensus panel and conference. Twenty-four experienced practitioners (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and a respiratory therapist) from multiple medical specialties, levels, institutions, and countries made up the panel. Topics were identified and prioritized by the panel and arranged by organ system to facilitate discussion, debate, and consensus building. Statements related to postarrest management were generated, and 80% agreement was required to approve a statement. Voting was anonymous and web based. Topics addressed include neurological, cardiac, pulmonary, hematological, infectious, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and general critical care management. Areas of uncertainty, areas for which no consensus was reached, and future research directions are also included. Until high-quality studies that inform practice guidelines in these areas are available, the expert panel consensus statements that are provided can advise clinicians on the critical care management of patients after cardiac arrest.

Development and Effectiveness of a Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Program: A Quasi-Experimental Study

The Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) simulation during neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) training provides in-event feedback for each simulation step, repeats the simulation from the beginning, and undergoes a continuous improvement process. It also offers after-event debriefing that involves follow-up discussion and reflection after completing simulations. These two methods differ in the timing and frequency of feedback application, and there may be differences in the effectiveness of neonatal resuscitation training. A quasi-experimental simulation study with a pre- and post-test design was used; the experimental group received RCDP simulation NRP training, based on the self-determination theory, while the control group received an after-event debriefing, following the NRP scenario. The experimental group displayed significantly improved clinical decision-making skills compared with the control group. When responding to emergencies involving high-risk newborns, we found that RCDP simulation during NRP training and better preparation for neonatal resuscitation among nursing students improved outcomes for newborns.

Association between institutional volume of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases and short term outcomes

BACKGROUND

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a serious condition. The volume-outcome relationship and various post-cardiac arrest care elements are believed to be associated with improved neurological outcomes. Although previous studies have investigated the volume-outcome relationship, adjusting for post-cardiac arrest care, intra-class correlation for each institution, and other covariates may have been insufficient.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the volume-outcome relationships and favorable neurological outcomes among OHCA cases in each institution.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational study of adult patients with non-traumatic OHCA using the OHCA registry in Japan. The primary outcome was 30-day favorable neurological outcomes, and the secondary outcome was 30-day survival. We set the cutoff values to trisect the number of patients as equally as possible and classified institutions into high-, middle-, and low-volume. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were performed to adjust for covariates and within-hospital clustering.

RESULTS

Among the 9909 registry patients, 7857 were included. These patients were transported to either low- (2679), middle- (2657), or high- (2521) volume institutions. The median number of eligible patients per institution in 19 months of study periods was 82 (range, 1-207), 252 (range, 210-353), and 463 (range, 390-701), respectively. After multivariable GEE using the low-volume institution as a reference, no significant difference in odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were noted for 30-day favorable neurological outcomes for middle volume [1.22 (0.69-2.17)] and high volume [0.80 (0.47-1.37)] institutions. Moreover, there was no significant difference for 30-day survival for middle volume [1.02 (0.51-2.02)] and high volume [1.09 (0.53-2.23)] institutions.

CONCLUSION

The patient volume of each institution was not associated with 30-day favorable neurological outcomes. Although this result needs to be evaluated more comprehensively, there may be no need to set strict requirements for the type of institution when selecting a destination for OHCA cases.

Traumatic injuries after manual and automatic mechanical compression during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a retrospective cohort study

Introduction

Chest compressions during advanced cardiac life support is a life-saving, potential harmful procedure with high incidence of severe and life-threatening injuries. Previous studies suggest a possible correlation between the increased incidence of chest and/or abdominal trauma and the use of automatic mechanical compression devices.

Methods

An observational monocentric retrospective cohort study was conducted including all patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Canton Ticino (Switzerland) from 2012 to 2021. The primary endpoint was to describe any resuscitation-related body injury. The secondary endpoints were to explore possible predictors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) related injuries and their association with the 30-day mortality.

Results

We included 335 patients, 287 treated with manual chest compressions, 48 mechanically assisted. 55.5% of all resuscitated patients presented severe, or life-threatening lesions. Skeletal and thoracic injuries were the most frequent lesions followed by abdominal injuries. Mechanical assisted resuscitated patients presented higher risk of bleeding (OR 5.9; 95% CI 2.9-11.6) and increased CPR-related injuries (aOR 6.2; 95% CI 2.5-15.4) compared to standard manual chest compressions. In particular higher number of extra-thoracic and life-threatening lesions were described among the mechanical assisted CPR group. Patients with life-threatening had statistically significant higher mortality at 30-days compared to the severe and lesion's free cohort.

Conclusion

Traumatic lesions occurred frequently after chest compression and their severity was associated with increased 30-day mortality. Mechanical devices, compared to manual chest compression, appear to be more harmful and may play a role in causing body lesions and hemorrhagic events.

Cardiac Emergency in the Athlete

Cardiac-related deaths are the leading nontraumatic cause of death in the young athlete. Although there are multiple causes for cardiac arrest in athletes, sideline evaluation and management does not vary. Recognition, immediate high-quality chest compressions, and time to defibrillation are the greatest factors affecting survival. This article reviews the approach to the collapsed athlete, causes for select cardiac emergencies in athletes, preparedness for cardiac emergencies, and return to play considerations and recommendations.

Defibrillation Strategies for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation

BACKGROUND

Despite advances in defibrillation technology, shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation remains common during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Double sequential external defibrillation (DSED; rapid sequential shocks from two defibrillators) and vector-change (VC) defibrillation (switching defibrillation pads to an anterior-posterior position) have been proposed as defibrillation strategies to improve outcomes in patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation.

METHODS

We conducted a cluster-randomized trial with crossover among six Canadian paramedic services to evaluate DSED and VC defibrillation as compared with standard defibrillation in adult patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Patients were treated with one of these three techniques according to the strategy that was randomly assigned to the paramedic service. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included termination of ventricular fibrillation, return of spontaneous circulation, and a good neurologic outcome, defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 2 or lower (indicating no symptoms to slight disability) at hospital discharge.

RESULTS

A total of 405 patients were enrolled before the data and safety monitoring board stopped the trial because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A total of 136 patients (33.6%) were assigned to receive standard defibrillation, 144 (35.6%) to receive VC defibrillation, and 125 (30.9%) to receive DSED. Survival to hospital discharge was more common in the DSED group than in the standard group (30.4% vs. 13.3%; relative risk, 2.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 3.67) and more common in the VC group than in the standard group (21.7% vs. 13.3%; relative risk, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.88). DSED but not VC defibrillation was associated with a higher percentage of patients having a good neurologic outcome than standard defibrillation (relative risk, 2.21 [95% CI, 1.26 to 3.88] and 1.48 [95% CI, 0.81 to 2.71], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation, survival to hospital discharge occurred more frequently among those who received DSED or VC defibrillation than among those who received standard defibrillation. (Funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada; DOSE VF ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04080986.).

The effects of neonatal resuscitation gamification program using immersive virtual reality: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Clinical practice in neonatal intensive care units for nursing college students has been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak; thus, the gamification program has emerged as an alternative learning method. Consequently, there is a need to examine the effectiveness of such alternative learning methods to enhance the response to high-risk newborn emergencies.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects (neonatal resuscitation nursing knowledge, problem-solving and clinical reasoning ability, self-confidence in practical performance, degree of anxiety, and learning motivation) of a neonatal resuscitation gamification program using immersive virtual reality based on Keller's ARCS model.

DESIGN

A non-randomized controlled simulation study with a pretest-posttest design.

SETTING

Lab and lecture rooms of two universities in South Korea, from June to November 2021.

PARTICIPANTS

Prelicensure nursing students.

METHODS

The virtual reality group (n = 29) underwent a neonatal resuscitation gamification program using virtual reality based on Keller's ARCS model. The simulation group (n = 28) received high-fidelity neonatal resuscitation simulations and online neonatal resuscitation program lectures. The control group (n = 26) only received online neonatal resuscitation program lectures. Changes in scores among these groups were compared using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance with SPSS for Windows version 27.0.

RESULTS

Post intervention, neonatal resuscitation knowledge [F(2) = 3.83, p = .004] and learning motivation [F(2) = 1.79, p = .025] were significantly higher in the virtual reality and simulation groups than in the control group, whereas problem-solving ability [F(2) = 2.07, p = .038] and self-confidence [F(2) = 6.53, p < .001] were significantly higher in the virtual reality group than in the simulation and control groups. Anxiety [F(2) = 16.14, p < .001] was significantly lower in the simulation group than in the virtual reality and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The neonatal resuscitation gamification program using immersive virtual reality was found to be effective in increasing neonatal resuscitation knowledge, problem-solving ability, self-confidence, and learning motivation of the nursing students who participated in the trial application process.

A chronotherapeutics-applicable multi-target therapeutics based on AI: Example of therapeutic hypothermia

Nowadays, the complexity of disease mechanisms and the inadequacy of single-target therapies in restoring the biological system have inevitably instigated the strategy of multi-target therapeutics with the analysis of each target individually. However, it is not suitable for dealing with the conflicts between targets or between drugs. With the release of high-precision protein structure prediction artificial intelligence, large-scale high-precision protein structure prediction and docking have become possible. In this article, we propose a multi-target drug discovery method by the example of therapeutic hypothermia (TH). First, we performed protein structure prediction for all protein targets of each group by AlphaFold2 and RoseTTAFold. Then, QuickVina 2 is used for molecular docking between the proteins and drugs. After docking, we use PageRank to rank single drugs and drug combinations of each group. The ePharmaLib was used for predicting the side effect targets. Given the differences in the weights of different targets, the method can effectively avoid inhibiting beneficial proteins while inhibiting harmful proteins. So it could minimize the conflicts between different doses and be friendly to chronotherapeutics. Besides, this method also has potential in precision medicine for its high compatibility with bioinformatics and promotes the development of pharmacogenomics and bioinfo-pharmacology.

National survey of do not attempt resuscitation decisions on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in China

BACKGROUND

To investigate and understand the determinants of decisions not to attempt resuscitation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, to contribute to establishing rules that are appropriate to China.

METHODS

We recruited participants through directors of emergency medical services across China. A 28-question web survey was available between February 5 and March 6, 2021 that targeted demographic information and views on emergency work and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Each question was assigned a value between 1 and 7 based on the level of importance from low to high. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis H-tests were used to compare continuous variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing when people considered it suitable to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

RESULTS

The study involved 4289 participants from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in mainland China, of whom 52.8% were male. The top three reasons for not attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation were decomposition/hypostasis/rigor mortis (6.39 ± 1.44 points), massive injury (4.57 ± 2.08 points) and family members' preference (4.35 ± 1.98 points). In total, 2761 (64.4%) thought emergency services should not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation when cardiac arrest had happened more than 30 min before, and there had been no bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Gender (OR 1.233, p = 0.002), religion (OR 1.147, p = 0.046), level (OR 0.903, p = 0.028) or classification of city (OR 0.920, p = 0.049), years of work experience (OR 0.884, p = 0.004), and major (OR 1.032, p = 0.044) all influenced how long after cardiac arrest was considered suitable for initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese emergency physicians have different perceptions of when not to attempt resuscitation to those practicing elsewhere. The existing guidelines for resuscitation are not suitable for China, and China-specific guidelines need to be established.

Dissemination of Chest Compression-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation by Bystanders for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Students: A Nationwide Investigation in Japan

We aimed to investigate how the types of bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) among students have changed recently. We also determined the association between two types of bystander-CPRs (i.e., chest compression-only CPR [CCCPR] and conventional CPR with rescue breathing [CCRB]) and survival after OHCA. From a nationwide registry of pediatric OHCAs occurring in school settings in Japan, the data of 253 non-traumatic OHCA patients (elementary, junior high, and high school/technical college students) receiving bystander-CPR between April 2008 and December 2017 were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of different types of bystander-CPR on 30-day survival with favorable neurological outcomes. The proportion of patients receiving CCCPR increased from 25.0% during 2008–2009 to 55.3% during 2016–2017 (p for trend < 0.001). Overall, 53.2% (50/94) of patients receiving CCCPR and 46.5% (74/159) of those receiving CCRB survived for 30 days with favorable neurological outcomes. Multivariable analysis showed no significant difference in outcomes between the two groups (adjusted odds ratio: 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 0.67–2.28). In this setting, CCCPR is a common type of bystander-CPR for OHCA in students, and the effectiveness of CCCPR and CCRB on survival outcomes seems comparable.

Evaluation of initial shockable rhythm as an indicator of short no-flow time in cardiac arrest: a national registry study

BACKGROUND

The duration from collapse to initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (no-flow time) is one of the most important determinants of outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Initial shockable cardiac rhythm (ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia) is reported to be a marker of short no-flow time; however, there is conflicting evidence regarding the impact of initial shockable cardiac rhythm on treatment decisions. We investigated the association between initial shockable cardiac rhythm and the no-flow time and evaluated whether initial shockable cardiac rhythm can be a marker of short no-flow time in patients with OHCA.

METHODS

Patients aged 18 years and older experiencing OHCA between 2010 and 2016 were selected from a nationwide population-based Japanese database. The association between the no-flow time duration and initial shockable cardiac rhythm was evaluated. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value.

RESULTS

A total of 177 634 patients were eligible for the analysis. The median age was 77 years (58.3%, men). Initial shockable cardiac rhythm was recorded in 11.8% of the patients. No-flow time duration was significantly associated with lower probability of initial shockable cardiac rhythm, with an adjusted OR of 0.97 (95% CI 0.96 to 0.97) per additional minute. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of initial shockable cardiac rhythm to identify a no-flow time of <5 min were 0.12 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.12), 0.88 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.89) and 0.35 (95% CI 0.34 to 0.35), respectively. The positive predictive values were 0.90, 0.95 and 0.99 with no-flow times of 15, 18 and 28 min, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there was a significant association between initial shockable cardiac rhythm and no-flow time duration, initial shockable cardiac rhythm was not reliable when solely used as a surrogate of a short no-flow time duration after OHCA.

Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in pediatric patients in Kyushu area in Japan

BACKGROUND

It is well-known that a neurologically favorable outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with the presence of bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (bystander CPR) and use of an automated external defibrillator. However, little is known about the effect of the presence of pre-existing conditions, prior activity, and locations on the outcome of pediatric OHCA.

METHODS

We analyzed the data from questionnaires about pediatric patients with OHCA aged from 3 days to 19 years in the Kyushu area in Japan between 2012 and 2016.

RESULTS

A total of 594 OHCA cases were collected. The numbers of OHCA cases and the rate of 1 month survival with a favorable neurological outcome during sleeping, swimming / bathing, and exercise were 192 (1.0%), 83 (32.5%), and 44 (65.9%), respectively. When an OHCA occurred at school (n = 56), 88% of children / adolescents received bystander CPR, but when it occurred at home (n = 390), 15% received bystander CPR. Cardiovascular (n = 61), suicide (n = 61), and neurological / neuromuscular (n = 44) diseases were three major pre-existing conditions. The OHCA of cardiovascular disease was associated with exercise (24/61) and mainly occurred at school (22/61). The OHCA of neurological / neuromuscular disease was associated with swimming/bathing (15/44) and mainly occurred during bathing at home (12/44). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the presence of bystander CPR (P < 0.001) and occurrence of OHCA at school (P < 0.001) were independently predictive of a favorable outcome in pediatric OHCA.

CONCLUSION

The outcome was different among pre-existing conditions, prior activity, and location of OHCA. These findings might be useful for preventing OHCA and improving the outcome of pediatric OHCA.

Nursing Home Versus Community Resuscitation After Cardiac Arrest: Comparative Outcomes and Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of patients who experienced cardiac arrest in nursing homes compared with those in private residences and determine prognostic factors for survival.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective study that analyzed data from an Utstein-style registry of the Tokyo Fire Department.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We identified patients aged ≥65 years who experienced cardiac arrest in a nursing home or private residence from the population-based registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Tokyo, Japan, from 2014 to 2018.

METHODS

Patients were grouped into the nursing home or the private residence groups according to their cardiac arrest location. We compared the characteristics and outcomes between the 2 groups and determined prognostic factors for survival in the nursing home group. The primary outcome was 1-month survival after cardiac arrest.

RESULTS

In total, 37,550 patient records (nursing home group = 6271; private residence group = 31,279) were analyzed. Patients in the nursing home group were significantly older and more often had witnessed arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and shock delivery using an automated external defibrillator. The 1-month survival rate was significantly higher in the nursing home group (2.6% vs 1.8%, P < .001). In the best scenario (daytime emergency call, witnessed cardiac arrest, bystander CPR provided), the 1-month survival rate after cardiac arrest in the nursing home group was 8.0% (95% confidence interval 6.4-9.9%), while none survived if they had neither witness nor bystander CPR.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Survival outcome was significantly better in the nursing home group than in the private residence group and was well stratified by 3 prognostic factors: emergency call timing, witnessed status, and bystander CPR provision. Our results suggest that a decision to withhold vigorous treatment solely based on nursing home residential status is not justified, while termination of resuscitation may be determined by considering significant prognostic factors.

General health condition of patients hospitalized after an incident of in-hospital or out-of hospital sudden cardiac arrest with return of spontaneous circulation

Background

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is one of the main reasons for admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), which influences discharge in a good neurological state.

Hypothesis

To analyze patients who had recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) during hospitalization in the ICU using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).

Methods

The study group comprised 78 patients after SCA (35 after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest [OHCA] and 43 after in‐hospital cardiac arrest [IHCA]) with ROSC who were admitted to the ICU of Regional Hospital No. 5 in Sosnowiec from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. GOS was used to assess neurological status. Basic anthropological data, with, arterial blood pH, lactate concentration (LAC), and catecholamine treatment were also collected.

Results

In the study group, 32.1% (n = 25/78) of patients survived until ICU discharge and 30.8% (n = 24/78) until discharge from the hospital. SCA in cardiac mechanism was more common in OHCA than in the IHCA group (OHCA vs. IHCA: 85.7% vs. 62.8%, p = .02). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for neurological status assessed using GOS. There was no statistically significant difference between LAC or arterial blood pH and survival to ICU discharge, survival to hospital discharge, or mortality. The need for using catecholamines increased the mortality rate (GOS 1) (p < .001).

Conclusions

Most patients after RSOC were assigned to a group other than GOS 1, and 25% of all subjects belonged to GOS 4–5. Treatment with catecholamines was more common in patients who do not survive hospital or ICU discharge.

Sudden Death in the Young: Information for the Primary Care Provider

There are multiple conditions that can make children prone to having a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Efforts have been made by multiple organizations to screen children for cardiac conditions, but the emphasis has been on screening before athletic competition. This article is an update of the previous American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement of 2012 that addresses prevention of SCA and SCD. This update includes a comprehensive review of conditions that should prompt more attention and cardiology evaluation. The role of the primary care provider is of paramount importance in the evaluation of children, particularly as they enter middle school or junior high. There is discussion about whether screening should find any cardiac condition or just those that are associated with SCA and SCD. This update reviews the 4 main screening questions that are recommended, not just for athletes, but for all children. There is also discussion about how to handle post-SCA and SCD situations as well as discussion about genetic testing. It is the goal of this policy statement update to provide the primary care provider more assistance in how to screen for life-threatening conditions, regardless of athletic status.

Impact of the Revised NRP Meconium Aspiration Guidelines on Term Infant Outcomes

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Seventh Edition changes on term infants born with meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF).

STUDY DESIGN

We evaluated the effect of no longer routinely intubating nonvigorous term infants born with MSAF in 14 322 infants seen by the resuscitation team from January 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017 in a large, urban, academic hospital.

RESULTS

Delivery room intubations of term infants with MSAF fell from 19% to 3% after the change in guidelines (P = <.0001). The rate of all other delivery room intubations also decreased by 3%. After the implementation of the Seventh Edition guidelines, 1-minute Apgar scores were significantly more likely to be >3 (P = .009) and significantly less likely to be <7 (P = .011). The need for continued respiratory support after the first day of life also decreased. Admission rates to the NICU, length of stay, and the need for respiratory support on admission were unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Seventh Edition recommendations against routine suctioning nonvigorous infants born with MSAF was temporally associated with an improvement in 1-minute Apgar scores and decreased the need for respiratory support after the first day of life. There was also a significant decrease in total intubations performed in the delivery room. This has long-term implications on intubation experience among frontline providers.

Evaluation of a revised resuscitation protocol for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients due to COVID-19 safety protocols: a single-center retrospective study in Japan

This study aimed to determine the association between cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) safety protocols in our hospital and the prognosis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, in an urban area, where the prevalence of COVID-19 infection is relatively low. This was a single-center, retrospective, observational, cohort study conducted at a tertiary critical care center in Kyoto City, Japan. Adult OHCA patients arriving at our hospital under CPR between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020 were included. Our hospital implemented a revised resuscitation protocol for OHCA patients on April 1, 2020 to prevent COVID-19 transmission. This study defined the conventional CPR period as January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, and the COVID-19 safety protocol period as April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Throughout the prehospital and in-hospital settings, resuscitation protocols about wearing personal protective equipment and airway management were revised in order to minimize the risk of infection; otherwise, the other resuscitation management had not been changed. The primary outcome was hospitalization survival. The secondary outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation after hospital arrival and 1-month survival after OHCA occurrence. The adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for outcomes to compare the two study periods, and the multivariable logistic model was used to adjust for potential confounders. The study analyzed 443 patients, with a median age of 76 years (65-85), and included 261 men (58.9%). The percentage of hospitalization survivors during the entire research period was 16.9% (75/443 patients), with 18.7% (50/267) during the conventional CPR period and 14.2% (25/176) during the COVID-19 safety protocol period. The adjusted odds ratio for hospitalization survival during the COVID-19 safety protocol period was 0.61 (95% CI 0.32-1.18), as compared with conventional CPR. There were no cases of COVID-19 infection among the staff involved in the resuscitation in our hospital. There was no apparent difference in hospitalization survival between the OHCA patients resuscitated under the conventional CPR protocol compared with the current revised protocol for controlling COVID-19 transmission.

Can hospital adult code-teams and individual members perform high-quality CPR? A multicenter simulation-based study incorporating an educational intervention with CPR feedback

Aims

A multicenter simulation-based research study to assess the ability of interprofessional code-teams and individual members to perform high-quality CPR (HQ-CPR) at baseline and following an educational intervention with a CPR feedback device.

Methods

Five centers recruited ten interprofessional teams of AHA-certified adult code-team members with a goal of 200 participants. Baseline testing of chest compression (CC) quality was measured for all individuals. Teams participated in a baseline simulated cardiac arrest (SCA) where CC quality, chest compression fraction (CCF), and peri-shock pauses were recorded. Teams participated in a standardized HQ-CPR and abbreviated TeamSTEPPS® didactic, then engaged in deliberate practice with a CPR feedback device. Individuals were assessed to determine if they could achieve ≥80% combined rate and depth within 2020 AHA guidelines. Teams completed a second SCA and CPR metrics were recorded. Feedback was disabled for assessments except at one site where real-time CPR feedback was the institutional standard. Linear regression models were used to test for site effect and paired t-tests to evaluate significant score changes. Logistic univariate regression models were used to explore characteristics associated with the individual achieving competency.

Results

Data from 184 individuals and 45 teams were analyzed. Baseline HQ-CPR mean score across all sites was 18.5% for individuals and 13.8% for teams. Post-intervention HQ-CPR mean score was 59.8% for individuals and 37.0% for teams. There was a statistically significant improvement in HQ-CPR mean scores of 41.3% (36.1, 46.5) for individuals and 23.2% (17.1, 29.3) for teams (p < 0.0001). CCF increased at 3 out of 5 sites and there was a mean 5-s reduction in peri-shock pauses (p < 0.0001). Characteristics with a statistically significant association were height (p = 0.01) and number of times performed CPR (p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Code-teams and individuals struggle to perform HQ-CPR but show improvement after deliberate practice with feedback as part of an educational intervention. Only one site that incorporated real-time CPR feedback devices routinely achieved ≥80% HQ-CPR.

Effectiveness of public-access automated external defibrillators at Tokyo railroad stations

AIM

To investigate the effectiveness of public-access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at Tokyo railroad stations.

METHODS

We analysed data from a population-based registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Tokyo, Japan (2014-2018). We identified patients aged ≥18 years who experienced bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation of presumed cardiac origin at railroad stations. The primary outcome was survival at 1 month after cardiac arrest with favourable neurological outcomes (cerebral performance category 1-2).

RESULTS

Among 280 eligible patients who had bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest and received defibrillation at railroad stations, 245 patients (87.5%) received defibrillation using public-access AEDs and 35 patients (12.5%) received defibrillation administered by emergency medical services (EMS). Favourable neurological outcomes at 1 month after cardiac arrest were significantly more common in the group that received defibrillation using public-access AEDs (50.2% vs. 8.6%; adjusted odds ratio: 11.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.43-88.4) than in the group that received defibrillation by EMS. Over a 5-year period, favourable neurological outcomes at 1 month after cardiac arrest of 101.9 cases (95% confidence interval: 74.5-129.4) were calculated to be solely attributable to public-access AED use. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to gain one favourable neurological outcome obtained from public-access AEDs at railroad stations was lower than that obtained from nationwide deployment (48.5 vs. 2133.4 AED units).

CONCLUSION

Deploying public-access AEDs at Tokyo railroad stations presented significant benefits and cost-effectiveness. Thus, it may be prudent to prioritise metropolitan railroad stations in public-access defibrillation programs.

Association Between Resuscitative Time on the Scene and Survival After Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background: The optimal timing for transporting pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who do not achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is unclear. Therefore, we assessed the association between resuscitation time on the scene and 1-month survival.

Methods and Results: Data from the All-Japan Utstein Registry from 2013 through 2015 for 3,756 pediatric OHCA patients (age <18 years) who did not achieve ROSC prior to departing the scene were analyzed. Overall, the proportion of 1-month survival for on-scene resuscitation time <5, 5–9, 10–14, and ≥15 min was 13.6% (104/767), 10.2% (170/1,666), 8.6% (75/870), and 4.0% (18/453), respectively. Among specific age groups, the proportion of 1-month survival for on-scene resuscitation time of <5, 5–9, 10–14, and ≥15 min was 12.6% (54/429), 8.7% (59/680), 8.6% (23/267), and 6.8% (8/118), respectively, for patients aged 0 years; 16.4% (38/232), 11.0% (52/473), 11.9% (23/194), and 7.1% (6/85), respectively, for those aged 1–7 years; and 11.3% (12/106), 11.5% (59/513), 7.1% (29/409), and 1.6% (4/250), respectively, for those aged 8–17 years.

Conclusions: Longer on-scene resuscitation was associated with decreased chance of 1-month survival among pediatric OHCA patients without ROSC. For patients aged <8 years, earlier departure from the scene, within 5 min, may increase the chances of 1-month survival. Conversely, for patients aged ≥8 years, continuing on-scene resuscitation for up to 10 min would be reasonable.

Time boundaries of the three-phase time-sensitive model for ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest

Aim

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest may consist of three time-sensitive phases: electrical, circulatory, and metabolic. However, the time boundaries of these phases are unclear. We aimed to determine the time boundaries of the three-phase model for VF cardiac arrest.

Methods

We reviewed 20,741 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases with initial VF and presumed cardiac origin from the All-Japan Utstein-style registry between 2013 and 2017. The study endpoint was 1-month neurologically intact survival. The collapse-to-shock interval was defined as the time from collapse to the first shock delivery by emergency medical service personnel. The patients were divided into the bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR, n = 11,606) and non-bystander CPR (n = 9135) groups.

Results

In the bystander CPR group, the collapse-to-shock times that were associated with increased adjusted 1-month neurologically intact survival, compared with those in the non-bystander CPR group, ranged from 7 min (42.9% [244/4999] vs. 26.0% [119/458], adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44-2.63; P < 0.0001) to 17 min (17.1% [70/410] vs. 7.3% [21/288], aOR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.62-4.91; P = 0.0002). However, the neurologically intact survival rate of the bystander CPR group was statistically insignificant compared with that of the non-bystander CPR group when the collapse-to-shock time was outside this range.

Conclusions

The time boundaries of the three-phase time-sensitive model for VF cardiac arrest may be defined as follows: electrical phase, from collapse to <7 min; circulatory phase, from 7 to 17 min; and metabolic phase, from >17 min onward.

Target Temperature Management and Survival with Favorable Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Children: A Nationwide Multicenter Prospective Study in Japan

To assess whether target temperature management (TTM) is effective for 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome among pediatric patients who achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine-out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (JAAM-OHCA) Registry, a multicenter prospective observational registry in Japan, included OHCA patients aged ≤17 years who achieved ROSC between June 2014 and December 2017. The primary outcome was 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes, defined as pediatric cerebral performance category 1 or 2. We conducted a propensity score analysis with inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW) and evaluated the effect of TTM using logistic regression models with IPTW. A total of 167 patients [120 in the non-TTM group (71.9%) and 47 in the TTM group (28.1%)] were eligible for our analysis. The proportion of patients demonstrating 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes was 25.5% (12/47) in the TTM group and 16.7% (20/120) in the non-TTM group; there were no significant differences in favorable neurological outcomes (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-3.35) between the non-TTM and TTM groups after performing adjustments with IPTW. In our study population composed of pediatric patients who achieved ROSC after OHCA, we did not find a positive association between TTM implementation and 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes.

Effectiveness of neonatal emergency nursing education through simulation training: Flipped learning based on Tanner's Clinical Judgement Model

Aim

To examine the effects of neonatal simulation‐based practice by applying flipped learning based on Tanner's clinical judgement model to pre‐simulation briefing for nursing students.

Design

A quasi‐experimental non‐equivalent control group pre‐ and postintervention design.

Methods

Using Tanner's clinical judgment model, flipped learning was developed and applied to the pre‐simulation briefing curriculum prior to the neonatal nursing simulation exercise. Flipped learning was compared with a general pre‐simulation briefing with 65 South Korean students. From September 7, 2019, to October 25, 2019.

Results

The experimental group's critical thinking, self‐confidence and clinical judgement ability increased, but knowledge, satisfaction and anxiety did not differ from that of the control group. Pre‐simulation briefing design focuses on improving students’ environmental comfort and reducing anxiety rather than developing complex reasoning skills and clinical judgement abilities. Applying flipped learning based on Tanner's clinical judgement model to pre‐simulation briefing increased critical thinking, self‐confidence and clinical judgement ability.

Impact of CPR Quality and Adherence to Advanced Cardiac Life Support Guidelines on Patient Outcomes in In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND

Sudden cardiac arrest is a major cause of death worldwide. Performance of prompt, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association between patient survival of in-hospital cardiac arrest and 2 independent variables: adherence to resuscitation guidelines and patient severity of illness, as indicated by the number of organ supportive therapies in use before cardiac arrest.

METHODS

An observational study was conducted using prospectively collected data from a convenience sample. Cardiopulmonary arrest forms and medical records were evaluated at an academic medical center. Adherence to resuscitation guidelines was measured with the ZOLL R Series monitor/defibrillator using RescueNet Code Review software. The primary outcome was patient survival.

RESULTS

Of 200 cases, 37% of compressions were in the recommended range for rate (100-120/min) and 63.9% were in range for depth. The average rate was above target 55.7% of the time. The average depth was above and below target 1.4% and 34.7% of the time, respectively. Of the 200 patients, 125 (62.5%) attained return of spontaneous circulation. Of those, 94 (47%) were alive 24 hours after resuscitation. Fifty patients (25%) were discharged from the intensive care unit alive and 47 (23.5%) were discharged from the hospital alive.

CONCLUSIONS

These exploratory data reveal overall survival rates similar to those found in previous studies. The number of pauses greater than 10 seconds during resuscitation was the one consistent factor that impacted survival. Despite availability of an audiovisual feedback system, rescuers continue to perform compressions that are not at optimal rate and depth.

Neonatal reticulocyte count during the early postnatal period

BACKGROUND

There are few reports on reticulocyte count during the early postnatal period, and its clinical significance is not well understood. To examine the relationships between neonatal reticulocyte count and other perinatal variables.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of neonatal infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, Japan, between April 1, 2016 and July 31, 2019. All blood samples were collected within 3 h after admission.

RESULTS

Four hundred and twenty-eight infants were included, of whom 317 (74.1%) were preterm and 111 (25.9%) were term. Two hundred and ninety-nine infants (69.9%) were born by cesarean section. The median reticulocyte counts (‰) for all gestational ages (GAs) were as follows: 24-25 wks (n = 11), 124.1 (range: 106.3 to 148.6); 26-27 wks (n = 25), 111.1 (range: 55.5 to 144.3); 28-30 wks (n = 52), 81.9 (range: 35.6 to 131.5); 31-33 wks (n = 86), 71.6 (range: 28.3 to 116.6); 34-36 wks (n = 143); 59.6 (range: 30.2 to 110.9); and 37-41 wks (n = 111), 43.2 (range: 21.9 to 69.2). There were significant relationships between the neonatal reticulocyte count and gender [p < 0.01, odds ratio (OR), 0.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.21 to 0.64], GA (p < 0.01, OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90 to 0.93), delivery type (p = 0.03, OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.95), maternal haemoglobin before delivery (p < 0.01, OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.91), tracheal intubation at resuscitation (p = 0.04, OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.04 to 7.32) and mean platelet volume (p < 0.01, OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.74).

CONCLUSION

A higher neonatal reticulocyte count in NICU infants may be one of the physiological responses to a more rapid environmental change during the early postnatal period.

Real-time audio-visual feedback with handheld nonautomated external defibrillator devices during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest: A meta-analysis

Objective:

Restoring cardiopulmonary circulation with effective chest compression remains the cornerstone of resuscitation, yet real-time compressions may be suboptimal. This project aims to determine whether in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA; population), chest compressions performed with free-standing audiovisual feedback (AVF) device as compared to standard manual chest compression (comparison) results in improved outcomes, including the sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and survival to the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital discharge (outcomes).

Methods:

Scholarly databases and relevant bibliographies were searched, as were clinical trial registries and relevant conference proceedings to limit publication bias. Studies were not limited by date, language, or publication status. Clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included that enrolled adults (age ≥ 18 years) with IHCA and assessed real-time chest compressions delivered with either the standard manual technique or with AVF from a freestanding device not linked to an automated external defibrillator (AED) or automated compressor.

Results:

Four clinical trials met inclusion criteria and were included. No ongoing trials were identified. One RCT assessed the Ambu CardioPump (Ambu Inc., Columbia, MD, USA), whereas three assessed Cardio First Angel™ (Inotech, Nubberg, Germany). No clinical RCTs compared AVF devices head-to-head. Three RCTs were multi-center. Sustained ROSC (4 studies, n = 1064) was improved with AVF use (Relative risk [RR] 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39–2.04), as was survival to hospital discharge (2 studies, n = 922; RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.54–2.06) and survival to hospital discharge (3 studies, n = 984; RR 1.91, 95% CI 1.62–2.25).

Conclusion:

The moderate-quality evidence suggests that chest compressions performed using a non-AED free-standing AVF device during resuscitation for IHCA improves sustained ROSC and survival to ICU and hospital discharge.

Trial Registration:

PROSPERO (CRD42020157536).

Evolution and current state of global research on paediatric resuscitation: a systematic scientometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Paediatric resuscitation is rare but potentially associated with maximal lifetime reduction. Notably, several nations experience high infant mortality rates even today. To improve clinical outcomes and promote research, detailed analyses on evolution and current state of research on paediatric resuscitation are necessary.

METHODS

Research on paediatric resuscitation published in-between 1900 and 2019 were searched using Web of Science. Metadata were extracted and analyzed based on the science performance evaluation (SciPE) protocol. Research performance was evaluated regarding quality and quantity over time, including comparisons to adult resuscitation. National research performance was related to population, financial capacities, infant mortality rate, collaborations, and authors' gender.

RESULTS

Similar to adult resuscitation, research performance on paediatric resuscitation grew exponentially with most original articles being published during the last decade (1106/1896). The absolute number, however, is only 14% compared to adults. The United States dominate global research by contributing the highest number of articles (777), Hirsch-Index (70), and citations (18,863). The most productive collaboration was between the United States and Canada (52). When considering nation's population and gross domestic product (GDP) rate, Norway is leading regarding population per article (62,467), per Hirsch-Index (223,841), per citation (2226), and per GDP (2.3E-04). Regarding publications per infant mortality rate, efforts of India and Brazil are remarkable. Out of the 100 most frequently publishing researchers, 25% were female.

CONCLUSION

Research efforts on paediatric resuscitation have increased but remain underrepresented. Specifically, nations with high infant mortality rates should be integrated by collaborations. Additional efforts are required to overcome gender disparities.

Heuristic bias in perception of medical students relating to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of medical students with respect to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests focusing on the frequency and survival and to identify potential problems in resuscitation education.

Methods

Fourth-year medical students in a six-year undergraduate educational system were asked to guess the number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests with cardiac etiology per year in Japan, related data such as the one-month survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests with cardiac etiology and the number of deaths from traffic accidents for comparison. The guesses of students were compared with actual statistical data.

Results

The incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests was clearly underestimated by the students compared to the real statistics. The median guessed number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests ranged from 6000 to 20,000 while the real statistics ranged from 73.023 to 78.302 by year (P ​< ​0.001 for all years). In contrast, the guessed number of deaths from traffic accidents was markedly overestimated: the median guessed number ranged from 8000 to 20,000 and the real statistics were 3694 to 4438 (P ​< ​0.001 for all years). The one-month survival rate was also underestimated: the guessed number was 50% and the real rate was 11.5 to 13.5% (P ​< ​0.001 for all years).

Conclusions

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are underestimated in frequency, and survival after an arrest is overestimated by medical students. To recognize and to understand the heuristic bias in perception of learners is needed for resuscitation education in addition to promote resuscitation skills of learners.

Training of Basic Life Support Among Lay Undergraduates: Development and Implementation of an Evidence-Based Protocol

Background

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an important method to improve the prognosis of patients with prehospital cardiac arrest (CA). Basic life support (BLS) is the first step in CPR and is usually performed by the first witness. However, the general population has poor BLS skills due to the lack of efficient and practical training strategy. Several training initiatives could be used to improve this situation, and the challenge is to find the most efficient one in detail according to the actual setting. Repeated and effective BLS training increase bystander’s confidence and willingness to perform BLS. Evidence-based instructional design is essential to improve the training of lay providers and ultimately improve resuscitation performance and patient outcomes.

Objective

1) To develop an evidence-based BLS training protocol for lay undergraduates; 2) to implement the protocol and 3) to evaluate the process of implementation.

Methods

Nine databases were searched to synthesize the best evidence. A protocol was formed by ranking evidence and considering university setting and students’ preferences. We implemented this training protocol and evaluated its effects.

Results

We achieved the three aims above. A total of 120 lay undergraduates received BLS training and retraining within 3 months. The students and teaching staff were satisfied with the training protocol and effect. The BLS training process was more clearly defined. The role of teaching assistants and the strategies to sustain training quality was proven to be crucial to the project’s success.

Conclusion

The development and implementation of an evidence-based protocol could elevate undergraduates’ BLS skill and confidence.

Layperson reversal of opioid overdose supported by smartphone alert: A prospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Rapid naloxone administration is crucial in reversing an opioid overdose. We investigated whether equipping community members, including people who use opioids (PWUO), with a smartphone application enabling them to signal and respond to suspected overdose would support naloxone administration in advance of Emrgency Medical Services (EMS).

METHODS

This observational cohort study of opioid overdose intervention used a dedicated smartphone app, UnityPhilly, activated by volunteers witnessing an overdose to signal other nearby volunteers in Philadelphia (March 2019 - February 2020). Alerted volunteers chose to respond, or declined to respond, or ignored/missed the alert. Witnessing volunteer was connected to 9-1-1 through a semi-automated telephone call. The primary outcome was layperson-initiated overdose reversal before EMS arrival, and a secondary outcome was hospital transfer. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03305497.

FINDINGS

112 volunteers, including 57 PWUO and 55 community members, signaled 291 suspected opioid overdose alerts. 89 (30⸱6%) were false alarms. For 202 true alerts, the rate of layperson initiated naloxone use was 36⸱6% (74/202 cases). Most naloxone-use cases occurred in the street (58⸱11% (43/74)) and some in home settings (22⸱98% (17/74)). The first naloxone dose was provided by a nearby volunteer responding to the alert in 29⸱73% (22/74) of cases and by the signaling volunteer in 70⸱27% (52/74) of cases. Successful reversal was reported in 95⸱9% (71/74) of cases. Layperson intervention preceded EMS by 5 min or more in 59⸱5% of cases. Recovery without hospital transport was reported in 52⸱7% (39/74) of cases.

INTERPRETATION

Our findings support the benefits of equipping community members, potentially witnessing suspected opioid overdose, with naloxone and an emergency response community smartphone app, alerting EMS and nearby laypersons to provide additional naloxone.

FUNDING

Funding provided by NIH through NIDA, grant number: 5R34DA044758.

COVID-19 cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Guidelines and modifications

International societies like the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), American Heart Association (AHA), and UK Resuscitation Council have suggested modified guidelines for resuscitation during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Though there is consensus in most of the recommendations there are also disparities. Considering the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and our better understanding of the spread of the disease, there is an urgent need to suggest modifications to the existing guidelines. These modifications should allay the fear of health care workers regarding their safety and reluctance to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but should also address the serious concerns where an opportunity is lost to revive patients who may not be COVID positive as suspected.

Intra-day change in occurrence of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation in Japan: The JCS-ReSS study

BACKGROUND

Real-world evidence of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation (VF), especially regarding intra-day change, remains unclear. We aimed to investigate that age- and gender-dependent difference of intra-day change of VF occurrence.

METHOD

We enrolled 71,692 patients (males: 56,419 [78.7%], females: 15,273 [21.3%]) in whom cardiac VF had been documented from the 2005-2015 All-Japan Utstein Registry data. Subjects were divided into four groups: group-I (<18 years old), group-II (18-39), group-III (40-69), and group-IV (≥70). Among four groups in each of male and female, we compared the intra-day change of VF occurrence, and evaluated the risk factors of the unfavorable neurologic outcomes at 1 month after VF.

RESULTS

Regardless of age, the incidence of VF was significantly greater in male than in female subjects. In male subjects, VF in group-I, III and IV occurred higher at daytime, however, group-II had no intra-day difference because group-II had a higher VF events at midnight~ early morning compared with other aged groups (Poisson regression analysis, p = .03). While in female, each group showed similar intra-day pattern of VF occurrence. Logistic regression analysis revealed that some of the clinical parameters such as time periods from call receipt to first shock and the presence of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation were important for risk of 30-day neurologically unfavorable outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The intra-day change of VF occurrence was age-dependently different in males but not in females, suggesting age- and gender-dependent differences in underlying cardiac diseases. These might affect the significant difference in unfavorable neurologic outcome.

Augmented Reality Learning Environment for Basic Life Support and Defibrillation Training: Usability Study

Background

Basic life support (BLS) is crucial in the emergency response system, as sudden cardiac arrest is still a major cause of death worldwide. Unfortunately, only a minority of victims receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders. In this context, training could be helpful to save more lives, and technology-enhanced BLS simulation is one possible solution.

Objective

The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of our augmented reality (AR) prototype as a tool for BLS training.

Methods

Holo-BLSD is an AR self-instruction training system, in which a standard CPR manikin is “augmented” with an interactive virtual environment that reproduces realistic scenarios. Learners can use natural gestures, body movements, and spoken commands to perform their tasks, with virtual 3D objects anchored to the manikin and the environment. During the experience, users were trained to use the device while being guided through an emergency simulation and, at the end, were asked to complete a survey to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed tool (5-point Likert scale; 1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree).

Results

The system was rated easy to use (mean 4.00, SD 0.94), and the trainees stated that most people would learn to use it very quickly (mean 4.00, SD 0.89). Voice (mean 4.48, SD 0.87), gaze (mean 4.12, SD 0.97), and gesture interaction (mean 3.84, SD 1.14) were judged positively, although some hand gesture recognition errors reduced the feeling of having the right level of control over the system (mean 3.40, SD 1.04).

Conclusions

We found the Holo-BLSD system to be a feasible and acceptable tool for AR BLS training.

Prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and neurological outcome after adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by location of arrest

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the association between prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration for adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and outcome by the location of arrests. This study aimed to investigate the association between prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and one-month survival with favourable neurological outcome.

METHODS

We analysed 276,391 adults aged 18 years and older with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of medical origin before emergency medical service arrival. Prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration was defined as the time from emergency medical service-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation to prehospital return of spontaneous circulation or to hospital arrival. The primary outcome was one-month survival with favourable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category 1 or 2). The association between prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and favourable neurological outcome was assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

The proportion of favourable neurological outcomes was 2.3% in total, 7.6% in public locations, 1.5% in residential locations and 0.7% in nursing homes (P < 0.001). In univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses, longer prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration was associated with poor neurological outcome, regardless of arrest location (P for trend < 0.001). Patients with shockable rhythm in both public and residential locations had better neurological outcome than those in nursing homes at any time point, and residential and public locations had a similar neurological outcome tendency among patients with shockable rhythm.

CONCLUSIONS

Longer prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration was independently associated with a lower proportion of patients with favourable neurological outcomes. Moreover, the association between prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and neurological outcome differed according to the location of arrest and the first documented rhythm.

Age-dependent trends in survival after adult in-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

While survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) has improved in recent years, it remains unknown whether this trend primarily applies to younger IHCA victims. The aim of this study was to assess trends in survival to hospital discharge after adult IHCA across age groups from 2000 to 2016.

METHODS

This is an observational study of IHCA patients included in the Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation registry between 2000 and 2016. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Patients were stratified into five age groups: <50 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80 years. Generalized linear regression was used to obtain absolute survival rates over time.

RESULTS

A total of 234,767 IHCA patients were included. The absolute increase in survival per calendar year was 0.8% (95% CI 0.7-1.0%, p < 0.001) for patients younger than 50 years, 0.6% (95% CI 0.4-0.7%, p < 0.001) for patients between 50 and 59 years, 0.5% (95% CI 0.4-0.6%, p < 0.001) for patients between 60 and 69 years, 0.5% (95% CI 0.4-0.6%, p < 0.001) for patients between 70 and 79 years, and 0.5% (95% CI 0.4-0.6%, p < 0.001) for patients older than 80 years. We observed a significant interaction between calendar year and age group (p < 0.001), indicating that the rate of improvement in survival over time was significantly different between age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with IHCA, rates of survival to discharge have improved significantly from 2000 to 2016 across all age groups.

Inducing Brain Cooling Without Core Temperature Reduction in Pigs Using a Novel Nasopharyngeal Method: An Effectiveness and Safety Study

BACKGROUND

Acute brain lesions constitute an alarming public health concern. Neuroprotective therapies have been implemented to stabilize, prevent, or reduce brain lesions, thus improving neurological outcomes and survival rates. Hypothermia is the most effective approach, mainly attributed to the reduction in cellular metabolic activity. Whole-body cooling is currently implemented by healthcare professionals; however, adverse events are frequent, limiting the potential benefits of therapeutic hypothermia. Therefore, selective methods have been developed to reduce adverse events while delivering neuroprotection. Nasopharyngeal approaches are the safest and most effective methods currently considered. Our primary objective was to determine the effects of a novel nasopharyngeal catheter on the brain temperature of pigs.

METHODS

In this prospective, non-randomized, interventional experimental trial, 10 crossbred pigs underwent nasopharyngeal cooling for 60 min followed by 15 min of rewarming. Nasopharyngeal catheters were inserted into the left nostril and properly positioned at the nasopharyngeal cavity.

RESULTS

Nasopharyngeal cooling was associated with a decrease in brain temperature, which was more significant in the left cerebral hemisphere (p = 0.01). There was a reduction of 1.47 ± 0.86 °C in the first 5 min (p < 0.001), 2.45 ± 1.03 °C within 10 min (p < 0.001), and 4.45 ± 1.36 °C after 1 h (p < 0.001). The brain-core gradient was 4.57 ± 0.87 °C (p < 0.001). Rectal, esophageal, and pulmonary artery temperatures and brain and systemic hemodynamic parameters, remained stable during the procedure. Following brain cooling, values of oxygen partial pressure in brain tissue significantly decreased. No mucosal lesions were detected during nasal, pharyngeal, or oral inspection after nasopharyngeal catheter removal.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, a novel nasopharyngeal cooling catheter effectively induced and maintained exclusive brain cooling when combined with effective counter-warming methods. Exclusive brain cooling was safe with no device-related local or systemic complications and may be desired in selected patient populations.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Protects Against Post-Cardiac Arrest Myocardial Dysfunction Through a Novel Mechanism of Suppressing Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Production

Post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction significantly contributes to early mortality after the return of spontaneous circulation. However, no effective therapy is available now. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) enzyme has been shown to protect the heart from aldehyde toxicity such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluated the effect of enhanced activity or expression of ALDH2 on post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction and survival in a rat cardiac arrest model. Furthermore, we elucidated the underlying mechanisms with a focus on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in a cell hypoxia/reoxygenation model. A total of 126 rats were used for the ALDH2 activation or cardiac overexpression of ALDH2 studies. Randomization was done 10 min before the respective agonist injection or in vivo gene delivery. We showed that enhanced activity or expression of ALDH2 significantly improved contractile function of the left ventricle and survival rate in rats subjected to cardiac arrest-cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure. Moreover, ALDH2 prevented cardiac arrest-induced cardiomyocyte death from apoptosis and mitochondrial damage. Mechanistically, 4-HNE, a representative substrate of ALDH2, was dominantly increased in the hypoxia/reoxygenation-exposed cardiomyocytes. Direct addition of 4-HNE led to significantly augmented succinate accumulation and mitochondrial ROS production. Through metabolizing 4-HNE, ALDH2 significantly inhibited mitochondrial ROS production. Our findings provide compelling evidence of the cardioprotective effects of ALDH2 and therapeutic targeting this enzyme would provide an important approach for treating post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction.

Private residence as a location of cardiac arrest may have a deleterious effect on the outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in patients with an initial non-shockable cardiac rhythm: A multicentre retrospective cohort study

AIM

We compared the outcomes between patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at private residences and public locations to investigate whether patient and bystander characteristics can explain the poorer outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests at private residences.

METHODS

Adult patients with intrinsic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (n = 6,191, age ≥18 years) were selected from a prospectively collected Japanese database (January 2012 and March 2013). Patients were grouped according to arrest location into private-residence or control (e.g., public station or road, workplace, school, and other public locations) groups. The primary outcome was a favourable neurological outcome 1 month after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

RESULTS

The arrest location and initial cardiac rhythm had interaction effects on the outcome. After adjusting for patient and bystander characteristics and relative to the control group, a significantly poorer 1-month neurological outcome was observed in the private-residence group if the initial cardiac rhythm was non-shockable (odds ratio: 0.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.54), while it was not significant if the initial cardiac rhythm was shockable (odds ratio: 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-1.84).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at private residences had poorer outcomes than those with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at public locations, even after adjusting for patient and bystander characteristics, if the initial cardiac rhythm was non-shockable. Our results suggest that poorer patient and bystander characteristics do not completely explain the poorer outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests; there may be unknown mechanisms through which the location of cardiac arrest affect the outcomes.

A comparison of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with standard manual compressions versus compressions with real-time audiovisual feedback: A randomized controlled pilot study

Background:

Strategies that improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guideline adherence may improve in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) outcomes. Real-time audiovisual feedback (AVF) is one strategy identified by the American Heart Association and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation as an area needing further investigation. The aim of this study was to determine if in patients with IHCA, does the addition of a free-standing AVF device to standard manual chest compressions during CPR improve sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rates (primary outcome) or CPR quality or guideline adherence (secondary outcomes).

Methods:

This was a prospective, randomized, controlled, parallel study of patients undergoing resuscitation with chest compressions for IHCA in the mixed medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of two academic teaching hospitals. Patients were randomized to receive either standard manual chest compressions or compressions using the Cardio First Angel™ feedback device.

Results:

Sixty-seven individuals were randomized, and 22 were included. CPR quality evaluation and guideline adherence scores were improved in the intervention group (P = 0.0005 for both). The incidence of ROSC was similar between groups (P = 0.64), as was survival to ICU discharge (P = 0.088) and survival to hospital discharge (P = 0.095).

Conclusion:

The use of the Cardio First Angel™ compression feedback device improved adherence to publish CPR guidelines and CPR quality. The insignificant change in rates of ROSC and survival to ICU or hospital discharge may have been related to small sample size. Further clinical studies comparing AVF devices to standard manual compressions are needed, as are device head-to-head comparisons.

More than experience: a post-task reflection intervention among team members enhances performance in student teams confronted with a simulated resuscitation task-a prospective randomised trial

Background

Teams that regularly step back from action and deliberately reflect on their performance and strategies show higher performance. Ad hoc emergency teams with changing team composition cannot develop such habits but may engage in short postaction reflection to discuss shortcomings of past performance and potential adaptations of their strategies for future similar tasks. This study aimed to test the effect of a short postaction self-led reflective team briefing on resuscitation performance in a simulator setting in terms of three performance parameters: hands-on time, coordination between chest compression and ventilation, and defibrillation.

Methods

We performed a randomised controlled trial including 56 ad hoc formed teams of three fourth-year medical students each. All groups performed a resuscitation task, followed by a self-guided reflective briefing, based on a general instruction (n=28 teams), or an unrelated discussion session (control condition; n=29), followed by a second resuscitation task in the same team composition.

Results

Adjusted for performance in the first task, teams in the reflection condition showed higher performance gain in the second resuscitation than teams in the control condition (6.21 percentage points (95% CI 1.31 to 11.10, p<0.001)) for basic hands-on performance; 15.0 percentage points (95% CI 2 to 28, p<0.001) for coordinative performance but non-significantly lower performance for defibrillation (-9%, 95% CI -27% to -9%, p=0.312).

Conclusion

Even very short self-led postaction reflective briefings enhance basic resuscitation performance in ad hoc groups but may not influence more complex aspects of the task. We recommend including short self-led team debriefings as part of simulator training.

The Effect of Basic CPR Training on Adults' Knowledge and Performance in Rural Areas of Iran: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Introduction

Cardiac arrest happening outside the hospital, specifically in rural regions that are more distant from health centers, is a crucial issue in the health of individuals in those regions. Therefore, the ability of residents in those regions to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is very important in preventing death among people. This study aimed at determining the effect of basic CPR training on the adults’ knowledge and performance in rural areas.

Methodology

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 92 adults from rural areas of Shouraab Kohmareh-Sorkhi in Fars province, Iran, in September and October 2018. The samples were selected and divided into two groups using the simple random method. The data were collected using a demographic information form, knowledge questionnaire, and an observational checklist of CPR performance devised by the researcher. Basic teaching of CPR for the intervention group included two hours of oral teaching using lecture and question and answer as well as two hours of practical teaching using demonstration, practice on a manikin, provision of feedback, and correction of errors. The data were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 21 and were analyzed using descriptive statistical tests, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, independent t-test, chi-square test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann–Whitney test.

Findings

The study results revealed that the intervention group’s mean score of knowledge was significantly greater after the intervention (6.78±1.23) compared to that at baseline (2.78±1.74) and compared to the control group (3.24±1.84) (p<0.001). Additionally, the intervention group’s mean score of performance was significantly greater after the intervention (8.22±1.65) than that before the intervention (0.8±0.77) and compared to the control group (1.17±0.71) (p<0.001).

Conclusion

According to the study findings, the villagers’ performance and knowledge could be enhanced by teaching basic CPR techniques.

Trial Registration Number

IRCT20150714023199N3; date registered: 2018-05-06.