Decision tree model for predicting long-term outcomes in children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide, population-based observational study

Verification of the termination of resuscitation rules in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases

Aim

Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has an unfavorable prognosis; therefore, making accurate predictions of outcomes is crucial for tailoring treatment plans. The termination of resuscitation rules must accurately predict unfavorable outcomes. In this study, we aimed to assess if the current termination of resuscitation rules for adults can predict factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and examine the relationship between these factors and unfavorable outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective nationwide cohort study of pediatric cases registered in the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine Multicenter Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Registry from June 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020, was conducted. The association between the current termination of resuscitation rules and outcomes, such as 30-day mortality and unfavorable 30-day neurological outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, was evaluated.

Results

A total of 1,216 participants were included. The positive predictive value for predicting 30-day mortality for each termination of resuscitation rule exceeded 0.9. The specificity and positive predictive value for predicting unfavorable 30-day neurological outcomes were 1.00, indicating that no rules identified favorable outcomes. Factors such as no bystander witness, no return of spontaneous circulation before hospital arrival, no automated external defibrillator or defibrillator use, and no bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation were associated with poor 30-day mortality and neurological outcomes.

Conclusion

Adult termination of resuscitation rules had a high positive predictive value for predicting pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, surviving cases make it challenging to use these rules for end-of-resuscitation decisions, indicating the need for identifying new rules to help predict neurological outcomes.

Decision model for durable clinical benefit from front- or late-line immunotherapy alone or with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Predictive biomarkers and models of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been extensively studied in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, evidence for many biomarkers remains inconclusive, and the opaqueness of machine learning models hinders practicality. We aimed to provide compelling evidence for biomarkers and develop a transparent decision tree model.

METHODS

We consolidated data from 3,288 ICI-treated patients with NSCLC across real-world multicenter, public cohorts and the Choice-01 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03856411). Over 50 features were examined for predicting durable clinical benefits (DCBs) from ICIs. Noteworthy biomarkers were identified to establish a decision tree model. Additionally, we explored the tumor microenvironment and peripheral CD8+ programmed death-1 (PD-1)+ T cell receptor (TCR) profiles.

FINDINGS

Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified tumor histology, PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, tumor mutational burden, line, and regimen of ICI treatment as significant factors. Mutation subtypes of EGFR, KRAS, KEAP1, STK11, and disruptive TP53 mutations were associated with DCB. The decision tree (DT10) model, using the ten clinicopathological and genomic markers, showed superior performance in predicting DCB in the training set (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.82) and consistently outperformed other models in test sets. DT10-predicted-DCB patients manifested longer survival, an enriched inflamed tumor immune phenotype (67%), and higher peripheral TCR diversity, whereas the DT10-predicted-NDB (non-durable benefit) group showed an enriched desert immune phenotype (86%) and higher peripheral TCR clonality.

CONCLUSIONS

The model effectively predicted DCB after front-/subsequent-line ICI treatment, with or without chemotherapy, for squamous and non-squamous lung cancer, offering clinicians valuable insights into efficacy prediction using cost-effective variables.

FUNDING

This study was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China.

An 18-year, single centre, retrospective study of long-term neurological outcomes in paediatric submersion-related cardiac arrests

Aim

Investigate long-term outcome in paediatric submersion-related cardiac arrests (CA).

Methods

Children (age one day-17 years) were included if admitted to the Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, after drowning with CA, between 2002 and 2019. Primary outcome was survival with favourable neurological outcome, defined as a Paediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) score of 1-3 at longest available follow-up. Secondary outcome were age-appropriate neuropsychological assessments at longest available follow-up.

Results

Upon hospital admission, 99 children were included (median age at time of CA 3.2 years [IQR 2.0-5.9] and 65% males). Forty children died in-hospital (no return of circulation (45%) or withdrawal of life sustaining therapies (55%)) and 4 children deceased after hospital discharge due to complications following the drowning-incident. Among survivors, with a median follow-up of 2.3 years [IQR 0.2-5.5], 47 children had favourable neurological outcome (i.e. PCPC 1-3) and 8 children unfavourable (unfavourable outcome group total n = 52, i.e. PCPC 4-5 or deceased). Twenty-six (47%) children participated in a neuropsychological assessment (median follow-up 4.0 years [IQR 2.3-8.7]). Compared with normative test data, participants obtained worse general (p = 0.008) and performance (p = 0.003) intelligence scores, processing speed (p = 0.002) and visual motor integration scores (p = 0.0012).

Conclusions

Although overall outcome in survivors was favourable at longest available follow-up, significant deficits in neuropsychological assessments were found. This study underlines the need for a standardized long term follow-up program as standard of care in paediatric drowning with CA.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning in prehospital emergency care: A scoping review

Our scoping review provides a comprehensive analysis of the landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in prehospital emergency care (PEC). It contributes to the field by highlighting the most studied AI applications and identifying the most common methodological approaches across 106 included studies. The findings indicate a promising future for AI in PEC, with many unique use cases, such as prognostication, demand prediction, resource optimization, and the Internet of Things continuous monitoring systems. Comparisons with other approaches showed AI outperforming clinicians and non-AI algorithms in most cases. However, most studies were internally validated and retrospective, highlighting the need for rigorous prospective validation of AI applications before implementation in clinical settings. We identified knowledge and methodological gaps using an evidence map, offering a roadmap for future investigators. We also discussed the significance of explainable AI for establishing trust in AI systems among clinicians and facilitating real-world validation of AI models.

Changes in pre- and in-hospital management and outcomes among children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 2012 and 2017 in Kanto, Japan

Previously, the SOS-KANTO 2012 studies, conducted in the Kanto area of Japan, reported a summary of outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This sub-analysis of the SOS-KANTO study 2017 aimed to evaluate the neurological outcomes of paediatric OHCA patients, by comparing the SOS-KANTO 2012 and 2017 studies. All OHCA patients, aged < 18 years, who were transported to the participating hospitals by EMS personnel were included in both SOS-KANTO studies (2012 and 2017). The number of survival patients with favourable neurological outcomes (paediatric cerebral performance category 1 or 2) at 1 month did not improve between 2012 and 2017. There was no significant difference in achievement of pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) [odds ratio (OR): 2.00, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.50-7.99, p = 0.50] and favourable outcome at 1 month [OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.11-3.99, p = 1] between the two studies, matched by age, witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, aetiology of OHCA, and time from call to EMS arrival. Multivariable logistic regression showed no significant difference in the achievement of pre-hospital ROSC and favourable outcomes at 1 month between the two studies.

Evaluation of Local Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Emergency Services Response

Background

Survival after pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is poor. Paramedic services provide critical interventions that impact survival outcomes. We aimed to describe local pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (POHCA) events and evaluate the impact of the paramedic service response to POHCA.

Methods

The Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium and corresponding ambulance call records were used to evaluate deviations from best practice by paramedics for patients aged 1 day to <18 years who had an atraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 2012 and 2020 in Middlesex-London County. Deviations were any departure from protocol as defined by Middlesex-London Paramedic Services.

Results

Fifty-one patients were included in this study. All POHCA events had at least one deviation, with a total of 188 deviations for the study cohort. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 35.3% of patients and 5.8% survived to hospital discharge. All survivors developed a new, severe neurological impairment. Medication deviations were most common (n = 40, 21.3%) followed by process timing (n = 38, 20.2%), vascular access (n = 27, 14.4%), and airway (n = 27, 14.4%). A delay in vascular access was the most common deviation (n = 25, 49.0%). The median (IQR) time to epinephrine administration was 8.6 (5.90-10.95) min from paramedic arrival. Cardiac arrests occurring in public settings had more deviations than private settings (p = 0.04). ROSC was higher in events with a deviation in any circulation category (p = 0.03).

Conclusion

Patient and arrest characteristics were similar to other POHCA studies. This cohort exhibited high rates of ROSC and bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation but low survival to hospital discharge. The study was underpowered for its primary outcome of survival. The total deviations scored was low relative to the total number of tasks in a resuscitation. Epinephrine was frequently administered outside of the recommended timeframe, highlighting an important quality improvement opportunity.

Association of subsequent treated shockable rhythm with outcomes after paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests: A nationwide, population-based observational study

Aim

Among patients with paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), most have an initial non-shockable rhythm with poor outcomes. There is a subset who developed shockable rhythms. This study aimed to investigate the association between subsequent shock delivery and outcomes after paediatric OHCAs.

Methods

We analysed records of 19,095 children (aged <18 years) with OHCA and initial non-shockable rhythm. Data were obtained from a Japanese nationwide database for 13 years (2005-2017). The primary outcome measure was 1-month neurologically intact survival, defined as cerebral performance category 1-2.

Results

Among patients with pulseless electrical activity (PEA, n = 3,326), there was no significant difference between those with subsequent treated shockable rhythm (10.0% [11/109]) and those with sustained non-shockable rhythm (6.0% [192/3,217], p = 0.10) with respect to the neurologically intact survival rate. Among asystole patients (n = 15,769), the neurologically intact survival rate was significantly higher in the subsequent treated shockable rhythm group (4.4% [10/227]) than in the sustained non-shockable rhythm group (0.7% [106/15,542], p < 0.0001). Subsequent treated shockable rhythm with a shock delivery time (time from emergency medical services [EMS]-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] to shock delivery) ≤9 min was associated with increased odds of neurologically intact survival compared with sustained non-shockable rhythm (PEA, adjusted odds ratio, 2.45 [95% confidence interval, 1.16-5.16], p = 0.018; asystole, 9.77 [4.2-22.5], p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

After paediatric OHCAs, subsequent treated shockable rhythm was associated with increased odds of 1-month neurologically intact survival regardless of whether the initial rhythm was PEA or asystole, only when the shock was delivered ≤9 min of EMS-initiated CPR.

Dispatcher-assisted conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation and outcomes for paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests

AIM

As asphyxial cardiac arrest is more common than cardiac arrest from a primary cardiac event in paediatric cardiac arrest, effective ventilation is important during paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We aimed to determine optimal dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions for bystanders after paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS

We analysed the records of 8172 children who received bystander dispatcher-assisted CPR. Data were obtained from an All-Japan Utstein-style registry from 2005 to 2017. Patients were divided into conventional CPR and compression-only CPR groups. The primary study endpoint was 1-month neurologically intact survival, defined as a Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2 (CPC 1-2).

RESULTS

The 1-month CPC 1-2 rate was significantly higher in the dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR group than in the dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR group (before propensity score matching, 5.7% [175/3077] vs. 3.1% [160/5095], p < 0.0001, adjusted odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.19-3.22; after propensity score matching, 6.0% [156/2618] vs. 2.6% [69/2618], p < 0.0001, adjusted odds ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.76-3.32). In most subgroup analyses after matching, dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR had a higher CPC 1-2 rate than dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR; however, CPC 1-2 rates were similar between the two groups for patients with an initial shockable rhythm, those with total prehospital CPR time ≥ 20 min, those receiving public access defibrillation, advanced airway management, or adrenaline administration.

CONCLUSION

Within the limitations of this retrospective observational study, dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR was preferable to dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR as optimal CPR instructions for coaching callers to perform bystander CPR.

Topics and trends in artificial intelligence assisted human brain research

Artificial intelligence (AI) assisted human brain research is a dynamic interdisciplinary field with great interest, rich literature, and huge diversity. The diversity in research topics and technologies keeps increasing along with the tremendous growth in application scope of AI-assisted human brain research. A comprehensive understanding of this field is necessary to assess research efficacy, (re)allocate research resources, and conduct collaborations. This paper combines the structural topic modeling (STM) with the bibliometric analysis to automatically identify prominent research topics from the large-scale, unstructured text of AI-assisted human brain research publications in the past decade. Analyses on topical trends, correlations, and clusters reveal distinct developmental trends of these topics, promising research orientations, and diverse topical distributions in influential countries/regions and research institutes. These findings help better understand scientific and technological AI-assisted human brain research, provide insightful guidance for resource (re)allocation, and promote effective international collaborations.

Outcomes of paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest according to hospital characteristic defined by the annual number of paediatric patients with invasive mechanical ventilation: A nationwide study in Japan

AIM

We examined whether outcomes of paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are associated with a hospital characteristic defined by the annual number of invasive mechanical ventilation cases, suggesting hospitals' experience in caring for severely ill paediatric patients.

METHOD

We analysed the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database from 2010 to 2017. We identified children (<18 years) with OHCA and post-resuscitation intensive care (defined as invasive mechanical ventilation and/or catecholamine infusion). Hospitals were divided into four groups by mean annual number of paediatric cases involving invasive mechanical ventilation. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcome was unfavourable outcomes (death or medical care dependency at discharge). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between hospitals' experience and outcomes.

RESULTS

We included 2540 paediatric OHCA patients from 385 institutions. Overall in-hospital mortality was 62.4%, with rates of 69.6%, 61.3%, 61.8%, and 57.0% in hospitals with low (≤48 cases/year), low-intermediate (48-110), high-intermediate (110-164), and high (>164) experience levels (P < .001), respectively. Compared to hospitals with low experience, adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for hospitals with low-intermediate, high-intermediate, and high experience were as follows: primary outcome: 0.64 (0.40-1.01), 0.67 (0.42-1.05), and 0.46 (0.31-0.70), respectively; secondary outcome: 0.93 (0.55-1.57), 0.95 (0.63-1.43), and 0.67 (0.46-0.96), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Japanese hospitals with higher experience in caring for severely ill paediatric patients showed lower mortality for paediatric OHCA. This fact should be considered by the Emergency Medical Systems when deciding transport strategy.

Prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and neurological outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among children by location of arrest: a Nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the associations between the duration of prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by emergency medical services (EMS) and outcomes among paediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). We investigated these associations and the optimal prehospital EMS CPR duration by the location of arrests.

METHODS

We included paediatric patients aged 0-17 years with OHCAs before EMS arrival who were transported to medical institutions after resuscitation by bystanders or EMS personnel. We excluded paediatric OHCA patients for whom CPR was not performed, who had cardiac arrest after EMS arrival, whose EMS CPR duration were < 0 min or ≥120 min and who had cardiac arrest in healthcare facilities. Prehospital EMS CPR duration was defined as the time from CPR initiation by EMS personnel to the time of prehospital return of spontaneous circulation or to the time of hospital arrival. The primary outcome was 1-month survival with a favourable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category scale 1 or 2). Statistical analysis was performed with Mann-Whitney U tests for numerical variables and chi-squared test for categorical variables. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to assess the association between prehospital EMS CPR duration and a favourable neurological outcome, and crude and adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with a favourable neurological outcome was lower in residential locations than in public locations (2.3% [66/2865] vs 10.8% [113/1048]; P < .001). In both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses, the proportion of patients with a favourable neurological outcome decreased as prehospital EMS CPR duration increased, regardless of the location of arrests (P for trend <.001). However, some patients achieved a favourable neurological outcome after a prolonged prehospital EMS CPR duration (> 30 min) in both groups (1.4% [6/417] in residential locations and 0.6% [1/170] in public locations).

CONCLUSIONS

A longer prehospital EMS CPR duration is independently associated with a lower proportion of patients with a favourable neurological outcome. The association between prehospital EMS CPR duration and neurological outcome differed significantly by location of arrests.

Algorithm on age partitioning for estimation of reference intervals using clinical laboratory database exemplified with plasma creatinine

BACKGROUND

We describe an algorithm to determine age-partitioned reference intervals (RIs) exemplified for creatinine using data collection from the clinical laboratory database.

METHODS

The data were acquired from the test results of creatinine of 164,710 outpatients aged <18 years in Beijing Children's Hospital laboratories' databases between January 2016 and December 2016. The tendency of serum creatinine with age was examined visually using box plot by gender first. The age subgroup was divided automatically by the decision tree method. Subsequently, the statistical tests of the difference between subgroups were performed by Harris-Boyd and Lahti methods.

RESULTS

A total of 136,546 samples after data cleaning were analyzed to explore the partition of age group for serum creatinine from birth to 17 years old. The suggested age partitioning of RIs for creatinine by the decision tree method were for eight subgroups. The difference between age subgroups was demonstrated to be statistically significant by Harris-Boyd and Lahti methods. In addition, the results of age partitioning for RIs estimation were similar to the suggested age partitioning by the Canadian Laboratory Initiative in Pediatric Reference Intervals study. Lastly, a suggested algorithm was developed to provide potential methodological considerations on age partitioning for RIs estimation.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate age partitioning is very important for establishing more accurate RIs. The procedure to explore the age partitioning using clinical laboratory data was developed and evaluated in this study, and will provide more opinions for designing research on establishment of RIs.

Prediction of quadriceps strength recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a hamstring autograft: Decision tree analysis

BACKGROUND

The wide variations in patient demographics and concomitant injuries make the prediction of which patients will regain strength quickly following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction challenging. This study aimed to identify the dominant factor affecting quadriceps strength recovery after ACL reconstruction with a hamstring tendon autograft and to construct a predictive model for quadriceps strength recovery using decision tree analysis.

METHODS

Three hundred and eighty-six patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with a hamstring tendon autograft were included in this study. The isokinetic quadriceps strength at 60°/s was measured preoperatively and at 6 months after surgery. The quadriceps strength index (QSI) was calculated by normalising the peak torque of the involved leg with the uninvolved leg and multiplying it by 100. A stepwise multiple linear regression and a decision tree analysis were performed to assess whether or not the following parameters affect quadriceps strength recovery at 6 months: socio-demographic data and maximum isokinetic quadriceps strength.

RESULTS

The preoperative QSI, age, and pre-injury Tegner activity scale were independently correlated with quadriceps strength recovery at 6 month after surgery. The decision tree analysis demonstrated that patients were expected to have a QSI ≥85% at 6 months after surgery if they met one of the following conditions: (1) age <23 years with a preoperative QSI ≥78.8%, (2) age ≥29 years with a preoperative QSI ≥98.0%, or (3) age <16 years with a preoperative QSI <58.5% and pre-injury Tegner activity scale ≥9. By contrast, patients ≥29 years with a preoperative QSI <98.0% were likely to achieve a quadriceps strength index <70% at 6 months after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of the decision tree analysis, younger patients could achieve good quadriceps recovery even if they have a lower preoperative QSI, whereas patients ≥29 years need a higher preoperative QSI to obtain good muscle recovery.

Relationship between institutional case volume and one-month survival among cases of paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

AIM

To evaluate volume-outcome relationship in paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

METHODS

This post hoc analysis of the SOS-KANTO 2012 study included data of paediatric OHCA patients <18 years old who were transported to the 53 emergency hospitals in the Kanto region of Japan between January 2012 and March 2013. Based on the paediatric OHCA case volume, the higher one-third of institutions (more than 10 paediatric OHCA cases during the study period) were defined as high-volume centres, the middle one-third institutions (6-10 cases) were defined as middle-volume centres and the lower one-third of institutions (less than 6 cases) were defined as low-volume centres. The primary outcome measurement was survival at 1 month after cardiac arrest. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for 1-month survival and paediatric OHCA case volume were performed after adjusting for multiple propensity scores. To estimate the multiple propensity score, we fitted a multinomial logistic regression model, which fell into one of the three groups as patient demographics and prehospital factors.

RESULTS

Among the eligible 282 children, 112, 82 and 88 patients were transported to the low-volume (36 institutions), middle-volume (11 institutions) and high-volume (6 institutions) centres, respectively. Transport to a high-volume centre was significantly associated with a better 1-month survival after adjusting for multiple propensity score (adjusted odds ratio, 2.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-6.17).

CONCLUSION

There may be a relationship between institutional case volume and survival outcomes in paediatric OHCA.

Early Clinical Predictors of Neurological Outcome in Children With Asphyxial Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia

Aim: The aim of the current study was to identify early clinical predictors of neurologic outcome in children with asphyxial out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Methods: The present retrospective cohort study of comatose children treated with therapeutic hypothermia or normothermia after asphyxial OHCA was conducted between January 2010 and June 2018. All children aged between 1 month and 18 years of age, with a history of at least 3 min of chest compressions were eligible for inclusion. Their 6-month neurological outcomes were evaluated using the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) score and early clinical predictors were determined. Results: A total of 100 patients met the eligibility criteria for the study. Sixty-four (64%) of the children were male, and the mean age of participants was 4.59 ± 5.45 years. Forty (40%) of the children had underlying disorders. The overall 1-month survival rate was 36%. Only 12 (12%) of the patients had favorable outcomes (PCPC ≤ 2). Thirty-four (34%) of the 100 children were receiving therapeutic hypothermia. In the univariate analysis, an initial lactate level of ≤ 80 mg/dL, a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of 5-8, a GCS motor score ≥4 and a present pupil reflex before therapeutic hypothermia, were significantly associated with favorable 6-month neurological outcomes. However, after the multivariate logistic analysis, only initial serum lactate level and GCS before therapeutic hypothermia were significantly associated with favorable 6-month neurological outcomes. Conclusion: Initial serum lactate level and GCS before therapeutic hypothermia were significantly associated with 6-month favorable neurological outcomes in pediatric asphyxial OHCA patients who were treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Therefore, these early clinical predictors could be helpful to facilitate future clinical research in children with asphyxial OHCA treated with therapeutic hypothermia.

Duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Results from a severity stratification analysis

BACKGROUND

The relationship between duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and post-arrest outcomes based on severity stratification in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) remains unclear.

METHODS

We analysed 420,959 adult patients without prehospital ROSC in the All-Japan OHCA registry for 4 years. Prehospital CPR duration was defined as the time from CPR initiation by emergency medical service (EMS) providers to hospital arrival. The primary outcome was 1-month neurologically intact survival (cerebral performance category 1 or 2, CPC 1-2).

RESULTS

The rate of overall 1-month CPC 1-2 was 0.45% (1899/420,959). Using recursive partitioning analysis to predict 1-month CPC 1-2, we stratified patients into 4 groups with 3 predictors: patients aged <75 years with initial shockable rhythm (1-month CPC 1-2 rate, 6.15%), those aged ≥75 years with initial shockable rhythm (1.32%), those with EMS-witnessed arrest and initial non-shockable rhythm (1.62%), and those with EMS-unwitnessed arrest and initial non-shockable rhythm (0.15%). Prehospital CPR duration was negatively associated with 1-month CPC 1-2 (adjusted odds ratio 0.94 per 1-min increment; 95% confidence interval 0.94-0.95). Prehospital CPR durations beyond which the dynamic probability of 1-month CPC 1-2 decreased to <1% were 26 min, 10 min, 7 min, and at all times in above-mentioned stratification, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In OHCA patients without prehospital ROSC, those aged <75 years with initial shockable rhythm had acceptable 1-month CPC 1-2 rate. However, CPR efforts lasting 26 min or over before hospital arrival could be futile.

An Ethical Justification for Termination of Resuscitation Protocols for Pediatric Patients

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article was to compare specific characteristics and outcomes among adult and pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients to show that the existing literature warrants the design and implementation of pediatric studies that would specifically evaluate termination of resuscitation protocols. We also address the emotional and practical concerns associated with ceasing resuscitation efforts on scene when treating pediatric patients.

METHODS

Relevant prospective and retrospective studies were used to compare characteristics and outcomes between adult and pediatric OHCA patients. Characteristics analyzed were nonwitnessed arrests, absence of shockable rhythm, no return of spontaneous circulation, and survival to hospital discharge.

RESULTS

Cases of unwitnessed arrests by emergency medical services providers are substantially the same in pediatric patients (41.0%-96.3%) compared with their adult counterparts (47.4%-97.7%). The adult studies revealed 57.6% to 92.2% of patients without an initial shockable rhythm. The pediatric studies showed a range of 64.0% to 98.0%. The range of adult patients without return of spontaneous circulation was 54.8% to 95.4%, and the range in pediatric patients was 68.2% to 95.6%. Survival rates among the adult studies ranged from 0.8% to 9.3% (mean, 5.0%; median, 5.2%), and in the pediatric studies they were 2.0% to 26.2% (mean, 9.2%; median, 7.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

The data compared demonstrate that characteristics and outcomes are virtually identical between adult and pediatric OHCA patients. We also found the 3 chief barriers hindering further research to be invalid impediments to moving forward. This review warrants designing pediatric studies that would specifically correlate termination of resuscitation protocols with patient survival and include predictive values.

Burst Suppression in Hypothermia After Cardiac Arrest Because of Drowning Treated with Targeted Temperature Management: A Case Report

Outcomes of cardiac arrest (CA) because of drowning in children are generally poor, but some reports show that cases with post-CA hypothermia because of drowning exhibit good recovery when treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). However, because electroencephalogram (EEG) findings are not reported in those cases, a complete examination of brain damage has not been performed during TTM. Here we report a case of a 15-month-old boy with post-CA hypothermia recovery after treating with TTM, along with EEG findings. The initial clinical and laboratory data and resuscitation history in the current case strongly indicated an unfavorable outcome. However, the return of normal EEG findings after 36 hours postadmission may indicate favorable neurological outcomes. Although reliable evidence has not been established, we recommend maintained mild therapeutic hypothermia using TTM, followed by slow rewarming in patients with post-CA hypothermia because of drowning, based on the observations in the current case and in other studies.

Duration of Prehospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Favorable Neurological Outcomes for Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The appropriate duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) remains unclear and may differ based on initial rhythm. We aimed to determine the relationship between the duration of prehospital CPR by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and post-OHCA outcomes.

METHODS

We analyzed the records of 12 877 pediatric patients who experienced OHCAs (<18 years of age). Data were recorded in a nationwide Japanese database between 2005 and 2012. Study end points were 30-day survival and 30-day survival with favorable neurological outcomes (Cerebral Performance Category [CPC] scale 1-2). Prehospital EMS-initiated CPR duration was defined as the time from CPR initiation by EMS personnel to prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or to hospital arrival when prehospital ROSC was not achieved during prehospital CPR efforts.

RESULTS

The rates of 30-day survival and 30-day CPC 1 to 2 were 9.1% (n=1167) and 2.5% (n=325), respectively. Prehospital EMS-initiated CPR duration was significantly and inversely associated with 30-day outcomes (adjusted odds ratio for 1-minute increments: 0.94, 95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.95 for survival; adjusted odds ratio: 0.90, 95% confidence interval: 0.88-0.92 for CPC 1-2). The duration of prehospital EMS-initiated CPR, beyond which the chance for favorable outcomes diminished to <1%, was 42 minutes for each key outcome, 30-day survival, and 30-day survival with CPC 1 to 2. When categorized by initial rhythm, the prehospital EMS-initiated CPR durations beyond which the chance for 30-day survival with CPC 1 to 2 diminished to <1% were 39 minutes for shockable rhythms, 42 minutes for pulseless electric activity, and 46 minutes for asystole, respectively. In patients with bystander-initiated CPR, the prehospital CPR duration, beyond which the chance for favorable outcome diminished to <1%, was 46 minutes from call receipt.

CONCLUSIONS

Prehospital EMS-initiated CPR duration for pediatric OHCAs was independently and inversely associated with 30-day favorable outcomes. The duration of prehospital EMS-initiated CPR, beyond which the chance for 30-day favorable outcomes diminished to <1%, was 42 minutes. However, the CPR duration to achieve this proportion of outcomes differed based on initial rhythm. Further research is required to elucidate appropriate CPR duration for pediatric OHCAs, including in-hospital CPR time.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02432196.

Subsequent Shockable Rhythm During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Children With Initial Non-Shockable Rhythms: A Nationwide Population-Based Observational Study

BACKGROUND

The effect of a subsequent treated shockable rhythm during cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the outcome of children who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with initial nonshockable rhythm is unclear. We hypothesized that subsequent treated shockable rhythm in children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest would improve survival with favorable neurological outcomes (Cerebral Performance Category scale 1-2).

METHODS AND RESULTS

From the All-Japan Utstein Registry, we analyzed the records of 12 402 children (aged <18 years) with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and initial nonshockable rhythms. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: subsequent treated shockable rhythm (YES; n=239) and subsequent treated shockable rhythm (NO; n=12 163). The rate of 1-month cerebral performance category 1 to 2 in the subsequent treated shockable rhythm (YES) cohort was significantly higher when compared to the subsequent treated shockable rhythm (NO) cohort (4.6% [11 of 239] vs 1.3% [155 of 12 163]; adjusted odds ratio, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.42-5.36; all P<0.001). In the subsequent treated shockable rhythm (YES) cohort, the rate of 1-month cerebral performance category 1 to 2 decreased significantly as time to shock delivery increased (17.7% [3 of 17] for patients with shock-delivery time 0-9 minutes, 7.3% [8 of 109] for 10-19 minutes, and 0% [0 of 109] for 20-59 minutes; P<0.001 [for trend]). Age-stratified outcomes showed no significant differences between the 2 cohorts in the group aged <7 years old: 1.3% versus 1.4%, P=0.62.

CONCLUSIONS

In children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and initial nonshockable rhythms, subsequent treated shockable rhythm was associated with improved 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes. In the cohort of older children (7-17 years), these outcomes worsened as time to shock delivery increased.

A meta-analysis of the success rates of heartbeat restoration within the platinum 10 min among outpatients suffering from sudden cardiac arrest in China

BACKGROUND

The optimal time to save a person who has had a sudden cardiac arrest is within the first few minutes of the incident. Early compression and early defibrillation should be performed at this time. Timeliness is the key to successful CPR; as such, Prof. He proposed the "platinum 10 min" system to study early CPR issues. This paper systematically evaluates the success rates of heartbeat restoration within the "platinum 10 min" among patients suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.

METHODS

The clinical data of outpatients suffering from a cardiac arrest were retrieved from the China Knowledge Network (January 1975-January 2015), the Chongqing VIP database (January 1989-January 2015), and the Wanfang database (January 1990-January 2015). The success of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed at different times after the patients had cardiac arrests was analyzed. Two researchers screened the literature and extracted the data independently. A meta-analysis was conducted using Stata12.0. A total of 57 papers met the inclusion criteria, including 29,269 patients. Of these patients, 1776 had their heartbeats successfully restored. The results showed high heterogeneity (X (2)  = 3428.85, P < 0.01, I(2) = 98.4 %). The meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model. The combined effect size was 0.171 (0.144-0.199).

RESULTS

(1) The success rate of heartbeat restoration did not differ among the four emergency treatment methods that patients received: the methods described in the 2000 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, that described in the 2005 version, 2010 version, and another CPR method. (2) The patients were divided into five groups based on the time when CPR was performed: the ≤1 min group, the 1- ≤ 5 min group, the 5- ≤ 10 min group, the 10- ≤ 15 min group and the >15 min group. The CPR success rates of these five groups were 0.247 (0.15-0.344), 0.353 (0.250-0.456), 0.136 (0.109-0.163), 0.058 (0.041-0.075), and 0.011 (0.004-0.019), respectively. The CPR success rates did not differ between the patients in the ≤1 min group and the 1- ≤ 5 min group. This success rate was higher for the patients in the 1- ≤ 5 min group than those in the 10- ≤ 15 min group, those in the 10- ≤ 15 min group, and those in the >15 min group. The CPR success rate was higher for the patients in the 5-10 min group than those in the 10- ≤ 15 min group and those in the >15 min group.

CONCLUSIONS

The CPR success rate was higher for the patients in the 10- ≤ 15 min group than those in the >15 min group. In addition, the patients were divided into two groups based on whether CPR was performed within the first 10 min after the cardiac arrest occurred: the ≤10 min group and the >10 min group. The CPR success rate was higher for the patients in the ≤10 min group (0.189 [0.161-0.218]) than those in the >10 min group (0.044 [0.032-0.056]). (3) Differences were not found between the CPR success rates among the patients in the telephone guidance group (0.167 [0.016-0.351]) and those in the ≤1 min, 1- ≤ 5 min, 5- ≤ 10 min, 10- ≤ 15 min, and >15 min groups. (4) The CPR success rates did not differ among in the patients in the witness + public group (0.329 [0.221-0.436]), those in the ≤1 min group, and those in the 1- ≤ 5 min group. However, this success rate was higher in the patients in the witness + public group than those in the 5- ≤ 10 min, 10- ≤ 15 min, and >15 min groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The success rate of heartbeat restoration did not differ among patients receiving CPR based on different guidelines. The success rate of CPR lies in its timeliness. The participation of the general population is the cornerstone of improving CPR. Providing complete emergency treatment equipment and perfecting comprehensive measures can improve the success rate of CPR among patients within the platinum 10 min. CPR research in China must be improved.

Applying the termination of resuscitation rules to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of both cardiac and non-cardiac etiologies: a prospective cohort study

Background

The 2015 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation recommend Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) rules for termination of resuscitation (TOR). However, it is unclear whether the TOR rules are valid for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) of both cardiac and non-cardiac etiologies. In this study, we validated the TOR rules for OHCA resulting from both etiologies.

Methods

This was a prospective multicenter observational study of OHCA patients transported to 67 emergency hospitals between January 2012 and March 2013 in the Kanto region of Japan. We calculated the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for neurologically unfavorable outcomes at one month in patients with OHCA of cardiac and non-cardiac etiologies.

Results

Of 11,505 eligible cases, 6,138 and 5,367 cases were of cardiac and non-cardiac etiology, respectively. BLS was performed on 2,818 and 2,606 patients with OHCA of cardiac and non-cardiac etiology, respectively. ALS was performed on 3,320 and 2,761 patients with OHCA of cardiac and non-cardiac etiology, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the TOR rules for predicting unfavorable outcomes in patients with OHCA of cardiac etiology who received BLS included a specificity of 0.985 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.956–0.997) and a PPV of 0.999 (95 % CI: 0.996–1.000). In patients with OHCA from cardiac etiologies who received ALS, the TOR rules had a specificity of 0.963 (95 % CI: 0.896–0.992) and a PPV of 0.997 (95 % CI: 0.991–0.999). In patients with OHCA from non-cardiac etiologies who received BLS, the specificity was 0.915 (95 % CI: 0.796–0.976) and PPV was 0.998 (95 % CI: 0.995–0.999). For patients with OHCA from non-cardiac etiologies who received ALS, the specificity was 0.833 (95 % CI: 0.586–0.964) and PPV was 0.996 (95 % CI: 0.988–0.999).

Conclusions

Both TOR rules have high specificity and PPV in patients with OHCA from cardiac etiologies. For patients with OHCA from non-cardiac etiologies, the rules had a high PPV, but relatively low specificity. Therefore, TOR rules are useful in patients with OHCA from cardiac etiologies, but should be applied with caution to patients with OHCA from non-cardiac etiologies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-016-1226-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Neurological outcomes in children dead on hospital arrival

Introduction

Obtaining favorable neurological outcomes is extremely difficult in children transported to a hospital without a prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the crucial prehospital factors affecting outcomes in this cohort remain unclear. We aimed to determine the prehospital factors for survival with favorable neurological outcomes (Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2 (CPC 1–2)) in children without a prehospital ROSC after OHCA.

Methods

Of 9093 OHCA children, 7332 children (age <18 years) without a prehospital ROSC after attempting resuscitation were eligible for enrollment. Data were obtained from a prospectively recorded Japanese national Utstein-style database from 2008 to 2012. The primary endpoint was 1-month CPC 1–2 after OHCA.

Results

The 1-month survival and 1-month CPC 1–2 rates were 6.92 % (n = 508) and 0.99 % (n = 73), respectively. The proportions of the following prehospital variables were significantly higher in the 1-month CPC 1–2 cohort than in the 1-month CPC 3–5 cohort: age (median, 3 years (interquartile range (IQR), 0–14) versus 1 year (IQR, 0–11), p <0.05), bystander-witnessed arrest (52/73 (71.2 %) versus 1830/7259 (25.2 %), p <0.001), initial ventricular fibrillation (VF)/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) rhythm (28/73 (38.3 %) versus 241/7259 (3.3 %), p <0.001), presumed cardiac causes (42/73 (57.5 %) versus 2385/7259 (32.8 %), p <0.001), and actual shock delivery (25/73 (34.2 %) versus 314/7259 (4.3 %), p <0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that 2 prehospital factors were associated with 1-month CPC 1–2: initial non-asystole rhythm (VF/pulseless VT: adjusted odds ratio ( aOR), 16.0; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 8.05–32.0; pulseless electrical activity (PEA): aOR, 5.19; 95 % CI, 2.77–9.82) and bystander-witnessed arrest (aOR, 3.22; 95 % CI, 1.84–5.79). The rate of 1-month CPC 1–2 in witnessed-arrest children with an initial VF/pulseless VT was significantly higher than that in those with other initial cardiac rhythms (15.6 % versus 2.3 % for PEA and 1.2 % for asystole, p for trend <0.001).

Conclusions

The crucial prehospital factors for 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes after OHCA were initial non-asystole rhythm and bystander-witnessed arrest in children transported to hospitals without a prehospital ROSC.

Time on the scene and interventions are associated with improved survival in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Survival is less than 10% for pediatric patients following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It is not known if more time on the scene of the cardiac arrest and advanced life support interventions by emergency services personnel are associated with improved survival.

AIM

This study was performed to determine which times on the scene and which prehospital interventions were associated with improved survival.

METHODS

We studied patients aged 3 days to 19 years old with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, using the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium cardiac arrest database from 11 North American regions, from 2005 to 2012. We evaluated survival to hospital discharge according to on-scene times (<10, 10 to 35 and >35 min).

RESULTS

Data were available for 2244 patients (1017 infants, 594 children and 633 adolescents). Infants had the lowest rate of survival (3.7%) compared to children (9.8%) and adolescents (16.3%). Survival improved over the 7 year study period especially among adolescents. Survival was highest in the 10 to 35 min on-scene time group (10.2%) compared to the >35 min. group (6.9%) and the <10 min. group (5.3%, p=0.01). Intravenous or intra-osseous access attempts and fluid administration were associated with improved survival, whereas advanced airway attempts were not associated with survival and resuscitation drugs were associated with worse survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In this observational study, a scene time of 10 to 35 min was associated with the highest survival, especially among adolescents. Access for fluid resuscitation was associated with increased survival but advanced airway and resuscitation drugs were not.