Resuscitation
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Patient volume as a surrogate for institutional experience has been associated with quality of care indicators for a variety of illnesses. We evaluated the association between hospital experience with comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients and important care processes. ⋯ Patients arriving at hospitals with more experience treating comatose post cardiac arrest patients are more likely to have TTM initiated and to successfully reach target temperature. Our findings have implications for regional systems of care and knowledge translation efforts aiming to improve quality of care for this patient population.
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Comorbid conditions have been associated with morbidity, functional status and quality of life for patients with a wide range of diseases. Previous studies have attempted to elucidate the influence of pre-arrest comorbidities on survival and neurological recovery following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), however the findings are conflicting. ⋯ Consideration of a patient's baseline comorbidity may assist prognostication decisions for cardiac arrest patients. Exploration of the effect of additional rehabilitation on HR-QOL and long-term survival outcomes for OHCA patients with a high baseline comorbidity burden may be warranted.
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Observational Study
Medical versus non medical etiology in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - changes in outcome in relation to the revised Utstein template.
The Utstein-style recommendations for reporting etiology and outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from 2004 have recently been revised. Among other etiologies a medical category is now introduced, replacing the cardiac category from Utstein template 2004. ⋯ Based on Utstein 2014 categories of etiology, overall survival after OHCA with a medical etiology has more than doubled in a 20-year period and tripled for non-medical cases. Patients with a medical etiology found in a shockable rhythm have the highest chance of survival. There is great variability in characteristics among non-medical cases.
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Most successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest patients do not survive to hospital discharge. Many have withdrawal of life sustaining therapy (WLST) as a result of the perception of poor neurologic prognosis. The characteristics of these patients and differences in their post-arrest care are largely unknown. ⋯ Patients with WLST differ in terms of demographic, arrest, and post-arrest characteristics and treatments from those who did not have WLST. Failure to account for this variability could affect both clinical practice and the interpretation of research.
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Observational Study
Airway pressure and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A prospective observational study.
To assess the usefulness of airway pressure as predictor of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), as well as to investigate the optimized ventilation compression strategy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ⋯ Mean airway pressure was higher in survivors. A value of 42.5mbar was associated with ROSC.