Evolution of the use of intraosseous vascular access in prehospital advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation: The IOVA-CPR study

INTRODUCTION

Obtaining vascular access is crucial in critically ill patients. The EZ-IO® device is easy to use and has a high insertion success rate. Therefore, the use of intraosseous vascular access (IOVA) has gradually increased.

AIM

We aim to determine how IOVA was integrated into management of vascular access during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation.

METHODS

Analysing the data from the OHCA French registry for events occurring between 1 January 2013 and 15 March 2021, we studied: demography, circumstances of occurrence and management including vascular access, delays and evolution. The primary outcome was the rate of IOVA implantation.

RESULTS

Among the 7156 OHCA included in the registry, we analysed the 3964 (55%) who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The vascular access was peripheral in 3122 (79%) cases, intraosseous in 775 (20%) cases and central in 12 (<1%) cases. The use of IOVA has increased linearly (R2  = 0.61) during the 33 successive trimesters studied representing 7% of all vascular access in 2013 and 33% in 2021 (p = 0.001). It was significantly more frequent in traumatic cardiac arrest: 12% versus 5%; p < 0.0001. The first epinephrine bolus occurred significantly later in the IOVA group, at 6 (4-10) versus 5 (3-8) min; p < 0.0001. Survival rate in the IOVA group was significantly lower, at 1% versus 7%; p < 0.0001.

CONCLUSION

The insertion rate of IOVA significantly increased over the studied period, to reach 30% of all vascular access in the management OHCA patients. The place of the intraosseous route in the strategy of venous access during the management of prehospital cardiac arrest has yet to be determined.

Cumulative dose of epinephrine and mode of death after non-shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a registry-based study

BACKGROUND

Epinephrine increases the chances of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), especially when the initial rhythm is non-shockable. However, this drug could also worsen the post-resuscitation syndrome (PRS). We assessed the association between epinephrine use during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and subsequent intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients with ROSC after non-shockable OHCA.

METHODS

We used data prospectively collected in the Sudden Death Expertise Center (SDEC) registry (capturing OHCA data located in the Greater Paris area, France) between May 2011 and December 2021. All adults with ROSC after medical, cardiac and non-cardiac causes, non-shockable OHCA admitted to an ICU were included. The mode of death in the ICU was categorized as cardiocirculatory, neurological, or other.

RESULTS

Of the 2,792 patients analyzed, there were 242 (8.7%) survivors at hospital discharge, 1,004 (35.9%) deaths from cardiocirculatory causes, 1,233 (44.2%) deaths from neurological causes, and 313 (11.2%) deaths from other etiologies. The cardiocirculatory death group received more epinephrine (4.6 ± 3.8 mg versus 1.7 ± 2.8 mg, 3.2 ± 2.6 mg, and 3.5 ± 3.6 mg for survivors, neurological deaths, and other deaths, respectively; p < 0.001). The proportion of cardiocirculatory death increased linearly (R2 = 0.92, p < 0.001) with cumulative epinephrine doses during CPR (17.7% in subjects who did not receive epinephrine and 62.5% in those who received > 10 mg). In multivariable analysis, a cumulative dose of epinephrine was strongly associated with cardiocirculatory death (adjusted odds ratio of 3.45, 95% CI [2.01-5.92] for 1 mg of epinephrine; 12.28, 95% CI [7.52-20.06] for 2-5 mg; and 23.71, 95% CI [11.02-50.97] for > 5 mg; reference 0 mg; population reference: alive at hospital discharge), even after adjustment on duration of resuscitation. The other modes of death (neurological and other causes) were also associated with epinephrine use, but to a lesser extent.

CONCLUSIONS

In non-shockable OHCA with ROSC, the dose of epinephrine used during CPR is strongly associated with early cardiocirculatory death. Further clinical studies aimed at limiting the dose of epinephrine during CPR seem warranted. Moreover, strategies for the prevention and management of PRS should take this dose of epinephrine into consideration for future trials.

Effect of Noninvasive Airway Management of Comatose Patients With Acute Poisoning: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Tracheal intubation is recommended for coma patients and those with severe brain injury, but its use in patients with decreased levels of consciousness from acute poisoning is uncertain.

Objective

To determine the effect of intubation withholding vs routine practice on clinical outcomes of comatose patients with acute poisoning and a Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 9.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a multicenter, randomized trial conducted in 20 emergency departments and 1 intensive care unit (ICU) that included comatose patients with suspected acute poisoning and a Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 9 in France between May 16, 2021, and April 12, 2023, and followed up until May 12, 2023.

Intervention

Patients were randomized to undergo conservative airway strategy of intubation withholding vs routine practice.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was a hierarchical composite end point of in-hospital death, length of ICU stay, and length of hospital stay. Key secondary outcomes included adverse events resulting from intubation as well as pneumonia within 48 hours.

Results

Among the 225 included patients (mean age, 33 years; 38% female), 116 were in the intervention group and 109 in the control group, with respective proportions of intubations of 16% and 58%. No patients died during the in-hospital stay. There was a significant clinical benefit for the primary end point in the intervention group, with a win ratio of 1.85 (95% CI, 1.33 to 2.58). In the intervention group, there was a lower proportion with any adverse event (6% vs 14.7%; absolute risk difference, 8.6% [95% CI, -16.6% to -0.7%]) compared with the control group, and pneumonia occurred in 8 (6.9%) and 16 (14.7%) patients, respectively (absolute risk difference, -7.8% [95% CI, -15.9% to 0.3%]).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among comatose patients with suspected acute poisoning, a conservative strategy of withholding intubation was associated with a greater clinical benefit for the composite end point of in-hospital death, length of ICU stay, and length of hospital stay.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04653597.

Quantifying physician's bias to terminate resuscitation. The TERMINATOR Study

Context Deciding on "termination of resuscitation" (TOR) is a dilemma for any physician facing cardiac arrest. Due to the lack of evidence-based criteria and scarcity of the existing guidelines, crucial arbitration to interrupt resuscitation remains at the practitioner's discretion.

AIM

Evaluate with a quantitative method the existence of a physician internal bias to terminate resuscitation.

METHOD

We extracted data concerning OHCAs managed between January 2013 and September 2021 from the RéAC registry. We conducted a statistical analysis using generalized linear mixed models to model the binary TOR decision. Utstein data were used as fixed effect terms and a random effect term to model physicians personal bias towards TOR.

RESULTS

5,144 OHCAs involving 173 physicians were included. The cohort's average age was 69 (SD 18) and was composed of 62% of women. Median no-flow and low-flow times were respectively 6 (IQR [0,12]) and 18 (IQR [10,26]) minutes. Our analysis showed a significant (p<0.001) physician effect on TOR decision. Odds ratio for the "doctor effect" was 2.48 [2.13-2.94] for a doctor one SD above the mean, lower than that of dependency for activities of daily living (41.18 [24.69-65.50]), an age of more than 85 years (38.60 [28.67-51.08]), but higher than that of oncologic, cardiovascular, respiratory disease or no-flow duration between 10 to 20 minutes (1.60 [1.26-2.00]).

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate the existence of individual physician biases in their decision about TOR. The impact of this bias is greater than that of a no-flow duration lasting ten to twenty minutes. Our results plead in favor developing tools and guidelines to guide physicians in their decision.

Digit preference and biased conclusions in cardiac arrest studies

BACKGROUND

In cardiac arrest (CA), time is directly predictive of patients' prognosis. The increase in mortality resulting from delayed cardiopulmonary resuscitation has been quantified minute by minute. Times reported in CA management studies could reflect a timestamping bias referred to as "digit preference". This phenomenon leads to a preference for certain numerical values (such as 2, 5, or 10) over others (such as 13). Our objective was to investigate whether or not digit preference phenomenon could be observed in reported times of the day related to CA management, as noted in a national registry.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the French National Electronic Registry of Cardiac Arrests. We analyzed twelve times-of-the-day corresponding to each of the main steps of CA management reported by the emergency physicians who managed the patients in prehospital settings. We postulated that if CA occurred at random times throughout the day, then we could expect to see events related to CA management occurring at a similar rate each minute of each hour of the day, at a fraction of 1/60. We compared the fraction of times reported as multiples of 15 (0, 15, 30, and 45 - on the hour, quarters, half hour) with the expected fraction of 4/60 (i.e. 4 × 1/60).

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 47,211 times-of-the-day in relation to 6131 CA were analyzed. The most overrepresented numbers were: 0, with 3737 occurrences (8% vs 2% expected, p < 0.0001) and 30, with 2807 occurrences (6% vs 2% expected, p < 0.0001). Times-of-the-day as multiples of 15 were overrepresented (22% vs 7% expected, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Prospectively collected times were considerably influenced by digit preference phenomenon. Studies that are not based on automatic time recordings and that have not evaluated and considered this bias should be interpretated with caution.

European standard internal telephone number 2222 for in-hospital emergency calls: A national survey in all French military training hospitals

•

A broad heterogeneity persists in alert system: six different phone numbers were found to call for help in in the different French military training hospital.

•

The European standard phone number “2222” for in-hospital emergencies was first launched in France in two French military training hospital.

•

Worldwide diffusion of a standard phone number for in-hospital emergencies could improve quality and efficiency of care.

Background

In 2016, three European scientific societies called for standardization to the “2222” as a European unique phone number in case of in-hospital emergencies. This study describes the management of in-hospital emergency calls in all French military training hospitals and aims to detail their original transition, for the first time in France, to the “2222”.

Methods

An electronic standardized questionnaire was emailed to heads of rapid response teams in the eight French military training hospitals.

Results

All participants answered the questionnaire (100%). The eight French military training hospitals had a specific procedure for management of in-hospital emergencies. Six hospitals already used a unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies, but none of them were using the 2222 in March 2019. Two hospitals still used several phone numbers for in-hospital emergencies, mainly due to historical and local arrangements. Rapid response teams included at least a physician and a nurse. There was a discussion to switch to “2222” as the unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies in two hospitals. In both, the discussions involved hospital executive officers, medical teams, rapid response teams and technical teams leading to a step-by-step transition. Finally, in October 2019, these two hospitals launched the “2222” procedure for in-hospital emergencies.

Conclusion

This study found a large disparity in the eight French military training hospitals, concerning in-hospital emergency protocols. Two French military training hospitals launched the “2222” procedure for the first time in France. Further efforts are still needed to continue to promote the use of the 2222 as a European unique phone number for in-hospital emergencies.

Angioedèmes et médecine d’urgence

Les angioedèmes (AE) sont un motif de recours fréquent aux urgences. Leur morbimortalité n’est pas négligeable compte tenu de l’atteinte fréquente des voies aériennes supérieures. On distingue les AE histaminiques et bradykiniques. Aux urgences, la démarche diagnostique et la conduite à tenir doit être systématique et standardisée afin de ne pas méconnaître un potentiel AE bradykinique. Les AE histaminiques, accompagnés dans la plupart des cas d’une urticaire superficielle, sont de loin les plus fréquents et sont associés parfois à une anaphylaxie, ce qui nécessite alors un traitement par adrénaline immédiat. Ils peuvent être allergiques (médiés par les IgE) et sont alors associés à une anaphylaxie ou non allergiques, et se traduisent cliniquement par une urticaire aiguë ou chronique associée à l’AE. Les AE bradykiniques, d’incidence plus rare, sont également pourvoyeurs de recours aux urgences et particulièrement les AE secondaires aux inhibiteurs de l’enzyme de conversion de l’angiotensine compte tenu de leur importante prescription et de leurs atteintes cliniques de la face, de la langue et du larynx, elles-mêmes pourvoyeuses de recours aux urgences. Les traitements spécifiques d’urgence comprennent principalement l’icatibant et le concentré de C1-inhibiteur. Ils doivent être administrés le plus tôt possible devant l’inefficacité des traitements antiallergiques. Un avis auprès d’un expert du centre de référence pour les AE à kinines peut améliorer les prises en charge en aidant à la démarche diagnostique et en organisant la mise à disposition des traitements spécifiques d’urgence.

A national population-based study of patients, bystanders and contextual factors associated with resuscitation in witnessed cardiac arrest: insight from the french RéAC registry

Background

In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), bystander initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases the chance of return of spontaneous circulation and survival with a favourable neurological status. Socioeconomic disparities have been highlighted in OHCA field. In areas with the lowest average socioeconomic status, OHCA incidence increased, and bystander CPR decreased. Evaluations were performed on restricted geographical area, and European evaluation is lacking. We aimed to analyse, at a national level, the impact of area-level social deprivation on the initiation of CPR in case of a witnessed OHCA.

Methods

We included all witnessed OHCA cases with age over 18 years from July 2011 to July 2018 form the OHCA French national registry. We excluded OHCA occurred in front of rescue teams or in nursing home, and patients with incomplete address or partial geocoding. We collected data from context, bystander and patient. The area-level social deprivation was estimated by the French version of the European Deprivation Index (in quintile) associated with the place where OHCA occurred. We assessed the associations between Utstein variables and social deprivation level using a mixed-effect logit model with bystander-initiated CPR.

Results

We included 23,979 witnessed OHCA of which 12,299 (51%) had a bystander-initiated CPR. More than one third of the OHCA (8,326 (35%)) occurred in an area from the highest quintile of social deprivation. The higher the area-level deprivation, the less the proportion of bystander-initiated CPR (56% in Quintile 1 versus 48% in Quintile 5). The In the multivariable analysis, bystander less often began CPR in areas with the highest deprivation level, compared to those with the lowest deprivation level (OR=0.69, IC95%: 0.63-0.75).

Conclusions

The level of social deprivation of the area where OHCA occurred was associated with bystander-initiated CPR. It decreased in the more deprived areas although these areas also concentrate more younger patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12269-4.

Relation between chest compression rate and depth: the ENFONCE Study

INTRODUCTION

Chest compressions are the cornerstone of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The recent International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guidelines recommend increasing the rate and the depth of chest compressions, to 100-120/min and 5-6 cm, based on theoretical arguments and observational studies. We hypothesized that an increased chest compressions rate could decrease chest compressions depth.

METHODS

Operators were asked to perform continuous chest compressions on a mannequin. Chest compressions rate and depth were collected. The ratio of chest compressions compliance to the guidelines, that is rate 100-120/min and depth 5-6 cm, was calculated.

RESULTS

In total 951 sequences of chest compressions were studied. Median chest compressions rate: 114 (104-130)/min. Median chest compressions depth: 4.5 (3.4-5.3) cm. Correlation between rate and depth: low (R2 = 0.12). Chest compressions in compliance with the recommended rate: 434 (46%). Rate >120/min in 285 (30%) cases and <100/min in 223 (23%) cases. Chest compressions in compliance with the recommended depth: 286 (30%). Depth >6 cm in 50 (5%) cases and <5 cm in 621 (65%) cases. Finally, chest compressions were in compliance with the guidelines for both rate and depth in 141 (15%) cases. The ratio of chest compressions in compliance with the recommended depth significantly decreased with the increase of the rate: 40% for a rate <100/min, 32% for a rate in the target (100-120/min) and 18% for a rate >100/min (P < 0.0001).

DISCUSSION

The ratio of chest compressions in compliance with the recommended rate and depth was as low as 15%. The rate of chest compressions in compliance with the recommended depth significantly decreased when the chest compressions rate increased. To reach both recommended rate and depth seems illusive.

Efficacy of emergency medical center use of a protocol during telephone calls to give medical advice related to fever or gastroenteritis: a cluster randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To determine the efficacy of emergency medical center physicians' use of a protocol to guide their management of telephone consultations for fever and gastroenteritis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Cluster randomized controlled trial. Participating centers were randomized to use the telephone protocol or provide usual telephone assistance. Six emergency centers in France included calls from patients needing advice on fever or gastroenteritis. Centers assigned to the protocol followed specific guidelines on managing the call and giving advice on treatment. Primary endpoints were the number of in-person visits and hospital admissions required within 15 days of the call. Secondary endpoints were patient satisfaction and costs.

RESULTS

A total of 2498 calls were included. Use of the assigned protocol while attending 1234 calls was associated with a relative risk for hospitalization or an unscheduled in-person visit for care of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.58-0.85) versus usual practice. Ambulance use, admission to an intensive care unit, mortality, morbidity, and symptom improvement did not differ significantly between centers using the protocol and those following usual practice. Ninety percent of the patients were satisfied. The cost of care was €91 in centers applying the protocol and €150 in the other centers (P .01).

CONCLUSION

Use of the protocol was associated with fewer unscheduled in-person visits for care and fewer hospital admissions. The protocol is safe and less costly than the centers' usual approaches to giving telephone advice.

COVID-19 Infection Epidemic in the South Pacific Island of New Caledonia and in the Greater Paris: Where Is the Highest Wave?

INTRODUCTION

New-Caledonia, an island located in the South-Pacific, was the first (overseas) French country hit by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to come out of lockdown. The epidemic was rapidly controlled. Analyzing the impact of an epidemic only makes sense if it is compared with a zone with a similar health care system.

OBJECTIVE

To compare epidemic evolution in New-Caledonia and Paris suburb.

METHODS

Health care organization is similar in New-Caledonia and Seine-Saint-Denis, based on an Emergency Medical System call center. We recorded the numbers of patients managed by SAMU (Service d'Aide Médicale Urgente)-Emergency Medical System, transferred to the emergency department and managed in prehospital setting by mobile intensive care unit. We compared these parameters during the reference (February 1-23, 2020) and the COVID-19 (February 24, 2020, to April 19, 2020) periods. Primary end-point: number of days over the 95th percentile of the reference period.

RESULTS

Number of patients managed was over the 95th percentile during 27 and 47 days in New-Caledonia and Seine-Saint-Denis, respectively. Number of emergency department transfers was more than the 95th percentile during 4 and 31 days, respectively. Number of mobile intensive care unit sent was over the 95th percentile during 3 and 14 days, respectively. Peaks were similar.

CONCLUSION

The duration of the critical period rather than its spread affected the health care system.

[Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalizations: From request to a call center to hospitalization]

BACKGROUND

Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization (IPH) is a heavy and complex psychiatric exception measure. In the Seine-Saint-Denis department (low medical density), the evaluation of the patient in psychiatric decompensation is the responsibility of the out-of-hours general practitioners (GP) mandated by the call center. Their feeling is the non-achievement of the procedure once the patient arrives at the emergency room. We aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients following a request for IPH from these GP.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study based on all requests for IPH received during 2016 at the Seine-Saint-Denis emergency medical call center. The characteristics of the call and the patient, as well as the decisions of the regulator and the GP were collected. The decision of hospitalization in the emergency room was sought for patients referred for IPH.

RESULTS

Of the 7541 calls for decompensation, 539 were for an IPH. These calls occurred during non-working hours in 55 % of cases. A GP was involved in more than two-thirds of the cases and requested an IPH for 240/304 (79 %) patients. Patients were male in 56 % of cases with an average age of 40 (±16) years. IPH was confirmed for 132 (61 %) patients. This rate did not differ from the 65 % reported in the literature (Z-test, P=0.26). Voluntary hospitalization was performed for 37 (17 %) other patients.

DISCUSSION

The IPH rate for patients referred by GP mandated by the call center was comparable to that following the requests of the attending physicians, validating their intervention in this critical context.

Temporal Trends of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests Without Resuscitation Attempt by Emergency Medical Services

BACKGROUND

Significant improvements in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been reported; however, these are based only on data from OHCA in whom resuscitation is initiated by emergency medical services (EMS). We aimed to assess the characteristics and temporal trends of OHCA without resuscitation attempt by EMS.

METHODS

Prospective population-based study between 2011 and 2016 in the Greater Paris area (6.7 million inhabitants). All cases of OHCA were included in collaboration with EMS units, 48 different hospitals, and forensic units.

RESULTS

Among 15 207 OHCA (mean age 70.7±16.9 years, 61.6% male), 5486 (36.1%) had no resuscitation attempt by EMS. Factors that were independently associated with increase in likelihood of no resuscitation attempt included: age of patients (odds ratio, 1.06 per year [95% CI, 1.05-1.06], P<0.001), female sex (odds ratio, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.10-1.32], P=0.002), OHCA at home location (odds ratio, 3.38 [95%CI, 2.86-4.01], P<0.001), and absence of bystander (odds ratio, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.74-2.16], P<0.001). Overall, the annual number of OHCA increased by 9.1% (from 2923 to 3189, P=0.028). This increase was related to an increase of the annual number of OHCA without resuscitation attempt by EMS by 26.3% (from 993 to 1253, P=0.012), while the annual number of OHCA with resuscitation attempt by EMS did not significantly change (from 1930 to 1936, P=0.416). Considering only cases with resuscitation attempt, survival rate at hospital discharge increased (from 7.3% to 9.5%, P=0.02). However, when considering all OHCA, survival improvement did not reach statistical significance (from 4.8% to 5.7%, P=0.17).

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated an increase of the total number of OHCA related to an increase of the number of OHCA without resuscitation attempt by EMS. This increasing proportion of OHCA without resuscitation attempt attenuates improvement in survival rates achieved in EMS-treated patients.

Prise en charge en phase aiguë des patients suspects d’accident vasculaire cérébral : étude EpisignAVC

Objectif : Les patients présentant des signes d’accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) nécessitent une prise en charge rapide. En France, il a été mis en place une filière « neurovasculaire » dédiée à ces patients. L’objectif de cette étude était de décrire la filière de prise en charge des patients présentant des signes évocateurs d’AVC dans le système de soins français.

Méthodes : Étude prospective observationnelle de courte durée pendant trois jours dans 35 régulations Samu, 27 Smur et 85 services d’urgences en France, incluant tout patient de plus de 18 ans présentant un signe évocateur d’AVC ou d’accident ischémique transitoire (AIT). Les patients suivaient ou non la filière neurovasculaire définie au préalable.

Résultats : Du 29 novembre au 1er décembre 2016, 827 patients ont été inclus, d’âge moyen 68 ans. Parmi eux, 418 avaient un AVC confirmé, dont 231 accidents ischémiques constitués. La filière UNVa été suivie pour 279 patients (44 %). Le délai médian de prise en charge médicale était de 3 heures 49. Pour les patients avec AVC confirmé, ce délai était significativement plus court dans la filière neurovasculaire (2 heures 45 vs 5 heures 56 ; p < 0,001).

Conclusion : En France, la prise en charge dans une filière dédiée des patients suspects d’AVC n’est actuellement effective que dans la moitié des cas. Cette filière nécessite d’être promue.

[Diabetic patients, knowledge respectives complications and severity]

Education is at the cornerstone of management of insulin-treated diabetic patient. Previous studies reported that the education of diabetic patients and their entourage was failing, hypothesizing that this lack of education was explained by a lack of knowledge on the disease and its complications and the underestimation of their respective severity. The "Educated Why" suggests that diabetic patients treated with insulin know that hypoglycemia and to a lesser extent diabetes itself are serious or very serious diseases.

Early hyperoxemia is associated with lower adjusted mortality after severe trauma: results from a French registry

Background

Hyperoxemia has been associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients, but little is known about its effect in trauma patients. The objective of this study was to assess the association between early hyperoxemia and in-hospital mortality after severe trauma. We hypothesized that a PaO₂ ≥ 150 mmHg on admission was associated with increased in-hospital mortality.

Methods

Using data issued from a multicenter prospective trauma registry in France, we included trauma patients managed by the emergency medical services between May 2016 and March 2019 and admitted to a level I trauma center. Early hyperoxemia was defined as an arterial oxygen tension (PaO₂) above 150 mmHg measured on hospital admission. In-hospital mortality was compared between normoxemic (150 > PaO₂ ≥ 60 mmHg) and hyperoxemic patients using a propensity-score model with predetermined variables (gender, age, prehospital heart rate and systolic blood pressure, temperature, hemoglobin and arterial lactate, use of mechanical ventilation, presence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), initial Glasgow Coma Scale score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), American Society of Anesthesiologists physical health class > I, and presence of hemorrhagic shock).

Results

A total of 5912 patients were analyzed. The median age was 39 [26–55] years and 78% were male. More than half (53%) of the patients had an ISS above 15, and 32% had traumatic brain injury. On univariate analysis, the in-hospital mortality was higher in hyperoxemic patients compared to normoxemic patients (12% versus 9%, p < 0.0001). However, after propensity score matching, we found a significantly lower in-hospital mortality in hyperoxemic patients compared to normoxemic patients (OR 0.59 [0.50–0.70], p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

In this large observational study, early hyperoxemia in trauma patients was associated with reduced adjusted in-hospital mortality. This result contrasts the unadjusted in-hospital mortality as well as numerous other findings reported in acutely and critically ill patients. The study calls for a randomized clinical trial to further investigate this association.

Retour d’expérience sur la direction médicale de crise à l’Assistance publique–Hôpitaux de Paris pendant la crise Covid-19

Un retour d’expérience sur la direction médicale de crise (DMC) pendant la première phase de l’épidémie de Covid-19 a été effectué à l’Assistance publique–Hôpitaux de Paris (AP–HP), le plus important centre hospitalier universitaire européen. L’AP–HP s’est dotée d’un directeur médical de crise (DMC) AP–HP, de six DMC de groupes hospitaliers (GH) et d’un DMC pour chacun des 39 sites hospitaliers. Le pilotage s’est appuyé sur des réunions quotidiennes de crise AP–HP et de GH, des groupes de travail disciplinaires et des tableaux de bord quotidiens fiabilisés qui ont permis d’optimiser les actions. Des actions innovantes ont été mises en place : cellules de régulation des entrées et des sorties de réanimation, suivi des patients infectés à domicile, traçage des contacts, transferts interrégionaux de patients de réanimation. Les éléments clés de la réussite ont été les relations entre direction générale et DMC, l’articulation entre l’échelon central (AP–HP) et celui des GH, la mobilisation de tous les acteurs vers un objectif unique identifié et la mobilisation de l’ensemble des soignants, y compris les étudiants. Parmi les pistes d’amélioration soulignées, il convient de citer la généralisation des DMC hors AP–HP, conformément à la réglementation, le développement de la connaissance du mode de fonctionnement de crise, l’anticipation de la formation à la gestion de crise, la réalisation d’une information quotidienne de l’ensemble des acteurs des actions menées dans une crise de longue durée et la participation des représentants des usagers. La gestion de la recherche en temps de crise reste à inventer au niveau national, voire européen.

Clinical features of 1487 COVID-19 patients with outpatient management in the Greater Paris: the COVID-call study

Clinical features of COVID-19 have been mostly described in hospitalized patients with and without ICU admission. Yet, up to 80% of patients are managed in an outpatient setting. This population is poorly documented. In France, health authorities recommend outpatient management of patients presenting mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms. The aim of this study was to describe their clinical characteristics. The study took place in an emergency medical dispatching center located in the Greater Paris region. Patients included in this survey met confirmed COVID-19 infection criteria according to the WHO definition. We investigated clinical features and classified symptoms as general, digestive, ear-nose-throat, thoracic symptoms, and eye disease. Patients were included between March 24 and April 6 2020. 1487 patients included: 700 (47%) males and 752 (51%) females, with a median age of 44 (32-57) years. In addition to dry cough and fever reported in more than 90% of cases, the most common symptoms were general symptoms: body aches/myalgia (N = 845; 57%), headache (N = 824; 55%), and asthenia (N = 886; 60%); shortness of breath (N = 479; 32%) and ear-nose-throat symptoms such as anosmia (N = 415; 28%) and ageusia (N = 422; 28%). Chest pain was reported in 320 (21%) cases and hemoptysis in 41 (3%) cases. The main difference between male and female patients was an increased prevalence of ear-nose-throat symptoms as well as diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches in female patients. General symptoms and ear-nose-throat symptoms were predominant in COVID-19 patients presenting mild-to-moderate symptoms. Shortness of breath and chest pain were remarkably frequent.

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

BACKGROUND

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

OBJECTIVE

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

METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

CONCLUSIONS

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

Opération Code Bleu : mettons en place un numéro d’appel unique (2222) pour les urgences vitales intra-hospitalières !

La survenue d’un arrêt cardiaque intra-hospitalier, quiconstitue la forme la plus extrême de l’urgence vitaleintra-hospitalière (UVIH), constitue un évènementindésirable majeur qui concerne environ 1 à 5 patientspour 1000 admissions. Le pronostic de ces victimesest étroitement dépendant de la mise en œuvre d’unechaîne de survie intra-hospitalière efficace, dont l’élémentle plus important est le déclenchement immédiat dessecours. Chaque minute compte : tout retard engendrénotamment par une incertitude ou une hésitation surle système d’alerte diminue les chances de survie etaugmente les risques de séquelles.

Early-onset pneumonia following bag-mask ventilation versus endotracheal intubation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A substudy of the CAAM trial

AIM

Early-onset pneumonia (EOP) is a common in-hospital complication in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In this substudy of the CAAM trial, we aimed to compare whether bag mask ventilation (BMV) compared to endotracheal intubation (ETI) performed during cardiopulmonary resuscitation increases the risk of developing EOP.

METHODS

Adult patients from the CAAM trial that survived beyond 12 h of hospitalization were included. Information about in-hospital management and outcome of study subjects was systematically collected. Our primary aim was to compare the incidence of EOP in the BMV and ETI group using a series of bivariate analysis adjusting for one variable at a time and a logistic regression controlled for survival beyond 96 h, age, gender, catecholamine administration, no flow time, and initial shockable rhythm.

RESULTS

Of 627 patients from the CAAM trial that survived to hospital admission, 409 patients were hospitalized beyond 12 h and thus included (202 randomized to BMV and 20 7 randomized to ETI). Patients in the BMV group had a significantly longer period of unsecured airway during prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BMV (median): 33 min; ETI (median): 17 min, p < 0.0001). No significant difference in the development of EOP according to airway management was identified on univariate analysis (BMV: 53%, ETI: 53%, Odds Ratio 1.0 [0.7-1.5], p = 1.0). We found no difference in the development of EOP according to airway management in the series of bivariate analyses or in the multivariable regression analysis either.

CONCLUSION

In this substudy of the CAAM trial, development of early-onset pneumonia in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors did not depend on airway management technique during CPR.

[Impact of extreme temperatures on primary care requirement in France: the CHAUFOS Study (2010-2018).]

INTRODUCTION

The health impact of cold and hot waves is major. Nevertheless, the respective impact of extreme high and low temperatures remains controversial.

METHOD

The daily number of (1)&#160;patients managed by SAMU&#160;93 dispatching centre &#8211; primary care requirement indicator, (2)&#160;Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) interventions &#8211; patient severity indicator and (3)&#160;number of deaths have been recorded. Daily minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded from 2010 to 2018. The analysis covered the 10&#160;warmest and coldest days of each year (2&#160;&#215;&#160;70&#160;days), and the 30&#160;warmest and coldest days of the total period (2&#160;&#215;&#160;30 days).

RESULTS

Over 2,702&#160;days, 1,513,070&#160;patients, 89,478&#160;MICU interventions and 7,350&#160;deaths were analysed. Median temperature: 16.0[10.4-21.6]&#176;C.The coldest days were associated with a significant increase in patients managed (665[609-764] vs 538[474-619]; P&#160;&lt;&#160;0.001), MICU interventions (35[32-39] vs 33 [28-38]; P&#160;=&#160;0.006) and deaths (3[2-5] vs 2[1-4]; P&#160;=&#160;0.0008) considering the 10&#160;days of extreme temperatures in each year and a significant increase in patients managed 615[580-698] vs 542[475-627]; P&#160;&lt;&#160;0.001) considering the 30-day extreme of the period.The hottest days were associated with a significant decrease in patients managed (484[443-549] vs 538[474-619]; P &lt;&#160;0.001), MICU interventions (31[25-37] vs 33[28-38]; P&#160;=&#160;0.006) and deaths (2[1-3] vs 2[1-4]; P&#160;=&#160;0.0008) considering the 10 extreme days of each year and a significant decrease in patients managed (536[479-576] vs 542[475-627]; P &lt;&#160;0.001) considering the 30 extreme days of the period.

CONCLUSION

Primary care requirement, number of severe patients and mortality increased significantly with extreme low of temperature.

Effect of Rocuronium vs Succinylcholine on Endotracheal Intubation Success Rate Among Patients Undergoing Out-of-Hospital Rapid Sequence Intubation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Rocuronium and succinylcholine are often used for rapid sequence intubation, although the comparative efficacy of these paralytic agents for achieving successful intubation in an emergency setting has not been evaluated in clinical trials. Succinylcholine use has been associated with several adverse events not reported with rocuronium.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the noninferiority of rocuronium vs succinylcholine for tracheal intubation in out-of-hospital emergency situations.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Multicenter, single-blind, noninferiority randomized clinical trial comparing rocuronium (1.2 mg/kg) with succinylcholine (1 mg/kg) for rapid sequence intubation in 1248 adult patients needing out-of-hospital tracheal intubation. Enrollment occurred from January 2014 to August 2016 in 17 French out-of-hospital emergency medical units. The date of final follow-up was August 31, 2016.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were randomly assigned to undergo tracheal intubation facilitated by rocuronium (n = 624) or succinylcholine (n = 624).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was the intubation success rate on first attempt. A noninferiority margin of 7% was chosen. A per-protocol analysis was prespecified as the primary analysis.

RESULTS

Among 1248 patients who were randomized (mean age, 56 years; 501 [40.1%] women), 1230 (98.6%) completed the trial and 1226 (98.2%) were included in the per-protocol analysis. The number of patients with successful first-attempt intubation was 455 of 610 (74.6%) in the rocuronium group vs 489 of 616 (79.4%) in the succinylcholine group, with a between-group difference of -4.8% (1-sided 97.5% CI, -9% to ∞), which did not meet criteria for noninferiority. The most common intubation-related adverse events were hypoxemia (55 of 610 patients [9.0%]) and hypotension (39 of 610 patients [6.4%]) in the rocuronium group and hypoxemia (61 of 616 [9.9%]) and hypotension (62 of 616 patients [10.1%]) in the succinylcholine group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients undergoing endotracheal intubation in an out-of-hospital emergency setting, rocuronium, compared with succinylcholine, failed to demonstrate noninferiority with regard to first-attempt intubation success rate.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02000674.

Patient care pathways in acute heart failure and their impact on in-hospital mortality, a French national prospective survey

Background

Our purpose was to describe the care pathway of patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF) and investigate whether a management involving a cardiology department had an impact on in-hospital mortality.

Methods

Between June 2014 and October 2018, we included patients hospitalized for AHF in 24 French hospitals. Characteristics of the episode, patient’s care pathway and outcomes were recorded on a specific assessment tool. The primary outcome was the association between patient care pathway and in-hospital mortality. The independent association between admission to a cardiology ward and in-hospital mortality was assessed through a multivariate regression model and propensity score matching.

Results

A total of 3677 patients, mean age of 78, were included. The in-hospital mortality rate was 8% (n = 287) and was associated on multivariate regression with advanced age, presence of sepsis, of cardiogenic shock, high New York Heart Association (NYHA) score and increased plasma creatinine level on admission. High blood pressure and admission to a cardiology department appeared as protective factors. After propensity score matching, hospitalization in a cardiology department remained a protective factor of in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.61 [0.44–0.84], p = 0.002).

Conclusion

A hospital course of care involving a cardiology department was associated with an increase in hospital survival in AHF patients. These finding may highlight the importance of collaboration between cardiologists and other in-hospitals specialties, such as emergency physicians, in order to find the best in-hospital pathway for patients with AHF.

Clinical Trial NCT03903198.

Is the French Emergency Medical Service System duplicable in developing countries?

Issue

The management of pre-hospital emergencies is a growing issue in developing countries, particularly because of the increase of both road accidents and cardio-vascular diseases.

Description of the problem

Numerous countries have tried or are currently trying to develop emergency response systems like the French SAMU but the outcome of those actions show a lot of difficulties. It is however proved that efficient care of serious pre-hospital medical emergencies significantly improves both patients’ mortality and morbidity.

Results

AP-HP, Greater Paris University Hospitals, has a strong experience of supporting the development of this model of care in countries with limited resources. Most of last 30 years’ experiments have been reviewed to understand what the essential prerequisites to succeed in setting up an emergency response system such as SAMU are. The analysis (5 criteria evaluation: efficiency, sustainability, effectiveness, impact, relevance) of past and present experiments in 28 countries showed that main issues are political (what are the priorities?), financial and societal (what does the population expect?). The question of medical resources is also crucial as the French model introduces medical regulation at all levels. Moreover, in France, such a system is built as a health care pathway with a predetermined orientation towards the appropriate and operational structure, which unfortunately is not the case in a lot of countries. Aside from those realized in China or in some Southern American countries, most of the projects so far don’t match all the evaluation criteria, particularly sustainability, as it is based both on stable funding and a strong reactivity of local hospitals.

Lessons

Future projects will have to fit with the local context. Strong commitments from partner countries must be made on the long term to have a real impact.

Key messages

There is no universal system easily duplicable. Some major prerequisites must be identified and implemented to succeed in the set-up of an efficient and sustainable EMSS.

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a registry study

Aims

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) without return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) despite conventional resuscitation is common and has poor outcomes. Adding extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (extracorporeal-CPR) is increasingly used in an attempt to improve outcomes.

Methods and results

We analysed a prospective registry of 13 191 OHCAs in the Paris region from May 2011 to January 2018. We compared survival at hospital discharge with and without extracorporeal-CPR and identified factors associated with survival in patients given extracorporeal-CPR. Survival was 8% in 525 patients given extracorporeal-CPR and 9% in 12 666 patients given conventional-CPR (P = 0.91). By adjusted multivariate analysis, extracorporeal-CPR was not associated with hospital survival [odds ratio (OR), 1.3; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.8–2.1; P = 0.24]. By conditional logistic regression with matching on a propensity score (including age, sex, occurrence at home, bystander CPR, initial rhythm, collapse-to-CPR time, duration of resuscitation, and ROSC), similar results were found (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.5–1.3; P = 0.41). In the extracorporeal-CPR group, factors associated with hospital survival were initial shockable rhythm (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.5–10.3; P = 0.005), transient ROSC before ECMO (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1–4.7; P = 0.03), and prehospital ECMO implantation (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.5–5.9; P = 0.002).

Conclusions

In a population-based registry, 4% of OHCAs were treated with extracorporeal-CPR, which was not associated with increased hospital survival. Early ECMO implantation may improve outcomes. The initial rhythm and ROSC may help select patients for extracorporeal-CPR.

Young children are the main victims of fast food induced obesity in Brazil

INTRODUCTION

Obesity and overweight strongly contribute to increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and are becoming a worldwide health issue. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in Latin America. Child obesity is a major issue. Fast food is strongly suspected of contributing to this epidemic of obesity, although there is a lack of evidence.

METHODS

We studied the correlation between the number of McDonald restaurants and overweight and obesity prevalence by region stratified by gender and age. Data on prevalences were obtained within national studies conducted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Three age sub-groups were analyzed: 5 to 9-year-olds, 10 to 19-year-olds and over 19-year-olds.

RESULTS

There was a very strong positive correlation between overweight rates and the number of McDonald restaurants for both males and females between 5 and 9 years old (R2 respectively = 0.92 and 0.84) and a strong positive correlation for females between 10 and 19 years old (R2 = 0.68). There was a very strong positive correlation between obesity rates and the number of McDonald restaurants for males between 5 and 9 years old (R2 = 0.95). This positive correlation was strong for both males and females between 10 and 19 years old (R2 respectively = 0.77 and 0.63). Other correlations were not significant.

CONCLUSION

A strong correlation between the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the number of McDonald restaurants was found for Brazilian children and was most important within the group of youngest children. These results should be taken into consideration by education and prevention campaigns.

Does occurrence during sports affect sudden cardiac arrest survival?

OBJECTIVES

A higher survival rate was observed in Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurring during sports activities, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that better initial management, rather than sports per se, may account for the observed better outcomes during sports activities.

METHODS

Data was taken between May 2011 and March 2016 from a prospective ongoing registry that includes all SCA in Paris and suburbs (6.7 million inhabitants). Sports-related SCA (i.e. SCA occurring during sport activities or within one hour of cessation of the activity) were identified.

RESULTS

Over the study period, 13,400 SCA occurred, of which 154 were sports-related (median age: 51.2 years, 96.1% males). At discharge, sports activity was associated with an 8-times higher survival rate (39.7% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that after considering potential confounders, including age, gender, SCA location, witness presence, time to response, and initial shockable rhythm, occurrence of SCA during sports was associated with a higher survival rate (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.14-2.74, P = 0.01). However, after further adjustment for initial basic life support, i.e. bystander CPR and AED use, there was no association between sports setting and survival at hospital discharge (OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.91-2.23, P = 0.12).

CONCLUSION

Sports-related SCA is a rare event, with an 8-times higher survival rate compared to non-sports-related SCA. Better initial management, including bystander CPR and AED use, rather than sports per se, mainly accounts this difference. This highlights the major importance of population education to basic life support in improving SCA outcome.

Role of Student Nurse in the Prehospital Medical Teams Responding to the Scene of A Terrorist Attack in France

BACKGROUND

The terrorist attacks in Paris and in Saint-Denis in November 2015 were unprecedented events involving various human and material resources. These events question the role of nurse students in prehospital teams.

PURPOSE

To investigate nursing students' preference about whether they wished to participate in the prehospital care during a terrorist attack.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with student nurses, from two nursing schools in the Greater Paris area. They completed an anonymous survey assessing the desire to be called to help the mobile intensive care units (MICU) or another ward; whether their presence should be mandatory, and the feelings associated with their experience. The responses were collected with a visual analogue scale and could range from 1 (yes, very much) to 10 (no, not at all). A Chi-square test was performed for qualitative variables and a Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables.

FINDINGS

Among 225 students, 205 (91%) responded, 133 (65%) were women. When on duty, 169 (82%) would have preferred to accompany the MICU team, compared with 31 (15%) who would have preferred not to go. Overall, 146 students (71%) considered that this presence should be optional. Only gender was significantly associated with the choice to accompany the MICU team (W = 87% vs. M = 13%; p = .002). Students expressed a moderate feeling of frustration and fear.

DISCUSSION

Students would prefer to assist the MICU team responding to the scene of a terrorist attack but feel this choice should be optional. A discussion in nursing schools and universities should be considered for the implementation of a "systematic" procedure to ensure the student's willingness to participate in such interventions.

Does endotracheal intubation increases chest compression fraction in out of hospital cardiac arrest: A substudy of the CAAM trial

BACKGROUND

Optimal out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) airway management strategies remain unclear. We compared chest compression fraction (CCF) between patients receiving endotracheal intubation (ETI) versus bag mask ventilation (BMV).

METHODS

We studied adult OHCA enrolled from our center in the CAAM trial. Primary exposures were ETI or BMV. Primary outcome was whole intervention CCF, adjusted for Utstein confounders. Secondary outcomes were per cycle CCF, no flow time associated (NFT) with ventilation, rhythms checks and mechanical chest compression device placement.

RESULTS

Of 2040 OHCA enrolled in the CAAM trial we analyzed 112 cases recruited by our center. Unadjusted CCF was 0.89 for ETI and 0.88 for BMV (p = 0.19). Compared with BMV, ETI achieved lower NFT associated with ventilations (32 vs 127 s; p < 0.001). ETI cases experienced higher NFT associated with rhythm checks (69.5 vs 42.5 s p = 0.02) and with mechanical chest compression placement (29 vs 20 s; p = 0.04). CCF was higher during the first cycle in BMV than in ETI patients (0.81 vs 0.74; p = 0.02). After correction for confounders we observed no difference in global intervention CCF between the ETI and BMV (ΔCCF [ETI-BMV] 0.301; [95%CI: -1.9 to 2.51]; p = 0.79).

CONCLUSION

In our substudy whole intervention CCF among OHCA was not modified by ETI compared to BMV. In the ETI group we observed lower NFT associated with ventilations and higher NFT associated with mechanical chest compression devices placement. CCF was lower in the ETI group during the first cycle.

Experts' guidelines of intubation and extubation of the ICU patient of French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (SFAR) and French-speaking Intensive Care Society (SRLF) : In collaboration with the pediatric Association of French-speaking Anaesthetists and Intensivists (ADARPEF), French-speaking Group of Intensive Care and Paediatric emergencies (GFRUP) and Intensive Care physiotherapy society (SKR)

BACKGROUND

Intubation and extubation of ventilated patients are not risk-free procedures in the intensive care unit (ICU) and can be associated with morbidity and mortality. Intubation in the ICU is frequently required in emergency situations for patients with an unstable cardiovascular or respiratory system. Under these circumstances, it is a high-risk procedure with life-threatening complications (20-50%). Moreover, technical problems can also give rise to complications and several new techniques, such as videolaryngoscopy, have been developed recently. Another risk period is extubation, which fails in approximately 10% of cases and is associated with a poor prognosis. A better understanding of the cause of failure is essential to improve success procedure.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

In constructing these guidelines, the SFAR/SRLF experts have made use of new data on intubation and extubation in the ICU from the last decade to update existing procedures, incorporate more recent advances and propose algorithms.

[Impact of the Air Quality on Health - Analysis of the activity of a SAMU-Center 15 in Paris area - the IQUASS Study]

INTRODUCTION

The atmospheric pollution is a growing public health problem. The highly urbanized regions such as Paris area seem particularly exposed. However, the overall health impact is poorly documented.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of air quality degradation on the demand for primary care.

METHOD

Site: medical dispatching center SAMU 93-Center 15. Related population: 1.6 million inhabitants.

DATA

daily number of medical regulation records (DRM) and daily air quality index (AQI) using the Airparif^® database from January 2014 to February 2017. The AQI is classified into five levels. Level 4 corresponds to the threshold of information and recommendations to reduce certain sources of polluting emissions and level 5 to the alert threshold setting up measures of restriction or suspension of the activities contributing to the pollution including vehicles circulation.

RESULTS

The analysis covered 1134 consecutive days and a total of 639,576 DRM. Average daily DRM number: 564 (507-643). IQA≥4 for 56 (5%) days and≥5 for 4 (0.4%) days. The number of DRM was very closely correlated with the IQA (R²=0.91); the daily median varied from 502 (494-621) for an IQA of level 1 to 650 (540-704) for an IQA≥4.

CONCLUSION

Degradation of air quality was significantly correlated with demand for primary care. The environmental alert is also a health alert. The impact was major (DRM +30%) considering all pathologies, all the pollutants on a departmental scale.

Corrélation entre la qualité de la réponse aux appels d’un Samu-Centre 15 et les effectifs d’assistants de régulation médicale — Étude QRAARM

Introduction : Le taux d’occupation des lignes téléphoniques d’un Samu-Centre 15 conditionne la fluidité de la gestion des appels et donc sa capacité de répondre à l’urgence. La disponibilité des assistants de régulation médicale (ARM) et des médecins régulateurs est déterminante. Nous nous sommes interrogés sur l’impact du nombre d’ARM sur la prise en charge des appels d’un Samu-Centre 15.

Méthodes : Le taux d’appels raccrochés (par l’appelant) après 15 secondes a été retenu comme critère de jugement principal. Il a été analysé en fonction de l’effectif « réel » d’ARM. L’effectif théorique d’ARM a été pris comme référence. Deux analyses ont été réalisées, la première portant sur 672 périodes d’un quart d’heure de la semaine 51 de l’année 2016 (en période d’épidémie de grippe) et la seconde sur 3 624 périodes d’une heure sur les cinq premiers mois de l’année 2017.

Résultats : Sur la première période, le nombre médian d’appels raccrochés après 15 secondes était de 1 (0–3) par quart d’heure. Il variait de 0 (0–1) à 3 (1–5) selon l’effectif d’ARM auquel il était parfaitement inversement corrélé (p < 0,001). Sur la seconde période, le nombre médian d’appels raccrochés était de 4 (1–8) par heure. Il variait de 2 (1–6) à 10 (6–16) selon l’effectif d’ARM auquel il était parfaitement inversement corrélé (p < 0,001).

Conclusion : Le taux d’appels raccrochés après 15 secondes était parfaitement corrélé à l’effectif (plus précisément au sous-effectif) d’ARM. Sur une année, le nombre estimé d’appels perdus ainsi était proche de 50 000 ! Prendre en considération l’effectif des ARM est une nécessité absolue.

Epidemiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A French national incidence and mid-term survival rate study

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is considered an important public health issue but its incidence has not been examined in France. The aim of this study is to define the incidence of OHCA in France and to compare this to other neighbouring countries. Data were extracted from the French OHCA registry. Only exhaustive centres during the period from January 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014 were included. All patients were included, regardless of their age and cause of OHCA. The participating centres covered about 10% of the French population. The study involved 6918 OHCA. The median age was 68 years, with 63% of males. Paediatric population (<15years) represented 1.8%. The global incidence of OHCA was 61.5 per 100,000 inhabitants per year in the total population corresponding to approximately 46,000 OHCA per year. In the adult population, we found an incidence of 75.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. In adults, the incidences were 100.3 and 52.7 in males and females, respectively. Most (75%) OHCA occurred at home and were due to medical causes (88%). Half of medical OHCA had cardiovascular causes. Survival rates at 30 days was 4.9% [4.4; 5.4] and increased to 10.4% [9.1; 11.7] when resuscitation was immediately performed by bystander at patient's collapse. The incidence and survival at 30 days of OHCA in France appeared similar to that reported in other European countries. Compared to other causes of deaths in France, OHCA is one of the most frequent causes, regardless of the initial pathology.

Development of an online, universal, Utstein registry-based, care practice report card to improve out-of-hospital resuscitation practices

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Care quality is a primary concern in health field. In France, the care practice report card (CPRC) is compulsory for practitioners. It is the first step towards the culture of excellence. In this context, practitioners have to assess and improve their practices. Competent authorities define registries as reliable sources for CPRC. The first aim of this work is to describe how we designed and built a universally transposable CPRC model based on an Utstein-style cardiac arrest registry. The second aim is to measure the adherence of practitioners to this approach and to show how such a tool can be used in real situation.

METHODS

Our report card is adapted from in-hospital CA care quality and safety indicators. We built a 2-section grid. The first part described the quality and completeness of the analysed data. The second part distinguished medical and traumatic CA and assesses care practices. We analysed the practitioners' adherence thanks to a satisfaction survey. Finally, we presented a CPRC case study.

RESULTS

This tool was tested in 92 centres gathering 8433 patients. The satisfaction survey showed that this CPRC was well accepted by emergency professionals. We presented an implementation example of this tool in a centre in real-life situation.

CONCLUSIONS

We designed and implemented a fully automated CPRC tool routinely usable for Utstein-style CA registries. This CPRC is easily transferable in all other Utstein CA registries. The debriefing report source codes are freely distributed upon request. This tool enables the care assessment and improvement.

Effect of Bag-Mask Ventilation vs Endotracheal Intubation During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiorespiratory Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Bag-mask ventilation (BMV) is a less complex technique than endotracheal intubation (ETI) for airway management during the advanced cardiac life support phase of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest. It has been reported as superior in terms of survival.

OBJECTIVES

To assess noninferiority of BMV vs ETI for advanced airway management with regard to survival with favorable neurological function at day 28.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS

Multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing BMV with ETI in 2043 patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest in France and Belgium. Enrollment occurred from March 9, 2015, to January 2, 2017, and follow-up ended January 26, 2017.

INTERVENTION

Participants were randomized to initial airway management with BMV (n = 1020) or ETI (n = 1023).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was favorable neurological outcome at 28 days defined as cerebral performance category 1 or 2. A noninferiority margin of 1% was chosen. Secondary end points included rate of survival to hospital admission, rate of survival at day 28, rate of return of spontaneous circulation, and ETI and BMV difficulty or failure.

RESULTS

Among 2043 patients who were randomized (mean age, 64.7 years; 665 women [32%]), 2040 (99.8%) completed the trial. In the intention-to-treat population, favorable functional survival at day 28 was 44 of 1018 patients (4.3%) in the BMV group and 43 of 1022 patients (4.2%) in the ETI group (difference, 0.11% [1-sided 97.5% CI, -1.64% to infinity]; P for noninferiority = .11). Survival to hospital admission (294/1018 [28.9%] in the BMV group vs 333/1022 [32.6%] in the ETI group; difference, -3.7% [95% CI, -7.7% to 0.3%]) and global survival at day 28 (55/1018 [5.4%] in the BMV group vs 54/1022 [5.3%] in the ETI group; difference, 0.1% [95% CI, -1.8% to 2.1%]) were not significantly different. Complications included difficult airway management (186/1027 [18.1%] in the BMV group vs 134/996 [13.4%] in the ETI group; difference, 4.7% [95% CI, 1.5% to 7.9%]; P = .004), failure (69/1028 [6.7%] in the BMV group vs 21/996 [2.1%] in the ETI group; difference, 4.6% [95% CI, 2.8% to 6.4%]; P < .001), and regurgitation of gastric content (156/1027 [15.2%] in the BMV group vs 75/999 [7.5%] in the ETI group; difference, 7.7% [95% CI, 4.9% to 10.4%]; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest, the use of BMV compared with ETI failed to demonstrate noninferiority or inferiority for survival with favorable 28-day neurological function, an inconclusive result. A determination of equivalence or superiority between these techniques requires further research.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02327026.

[When the patient calls the SAMU because his pacemaker is making "beep-beep". Study on physicians' knowledge on pacemaker sound alarm]

INTRODUCTION

More than 60,000 pacemakers are inserted every year in France. This number has been steadily increasing for a decade. Miscellaneous incidents can lead patients with pacemakers or their relatives to contact emergency services. Following the call to the SAMU-Center 15 of a asymptomatic 90-year-old woman reported that her pacemaker was making "beep-beep", we assessed the knowledge of physicians of the SAMU-Center 15 (call center) dispatching center on the existence of pacemaker sound alarms.

METHODS

Forty-two physicians, emergency physicians and general practitioners, regularly participating in the medical dispatching of the SAMU-Center 15 in Seine-Seine-Denis were interviewed. We asked them how a patient with a pacemaker could be informed of a malfunction of it without being symptomatic.

RESULTS

No physician interviewed mentioned an audible alarm. All of them confirmed their ignorance of its existence. One physician had already been asked for a similar reason and had referred the patient to the emergency department without knowing it was an alarm.

CONCLUSION

Patients and physicians seem insufficiently aware of the existence of the existence of pacemakers' sound alarm. An effort must be made regarding the information on the existence of such an alarm and the way to managed it.

Gender as a risk factor for pulmonary embolism after air travel

It was the objective of this study to confirm the hypothesis that women experience an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or thromboembolic events after long-distance air travel. We systematically reviewed the records of all patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism after arrival at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) Airport (Paris, France) during a 13-year period.The incidence of PE was calculated as a function of distance travelled and gender using Bayesian conditional probabilities obtained in part from a control population of long-distance travellers arriving in French Polynesia (Tahiti). A total of 287.6 million passengers landed at CDG airport during the study period. The proportion of male to female long-distance travellers was estimated to be 50.5% to 49.5%. Overall, 116 patients experienced PE after landing [90 females (78%), 26 males (22%)]. The estimated incidence of PE was 0.61 (0.61–0.61) cases per million passengers in females and 0.2 (0.20–0.20) in males, and reached 7.24 (7.17–7.31) and 2.35 (2.33–2.38) cases, respectively, in passengers travelling over 10,000 km. Our study strongly suggests that there is a relationship between risk of PE after air travel and gender.This relationship needs to be confirmed in order to develop the best strategy for prophylaxis.