Resuscitation
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Recent guidelines suggest that coronary angiography (CAG) should be considered for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors, including those without ST elevation (STE) and without shockable rhythms. However, there is no prospective data to support CAG for survivors with nonshockable rhythms and no STE post resuscitation. ⋯ OHCA survivors presenting with nonshockable rhythms and no STE post resuscitation had similar prevalence of culprit coronary lesions to those with shockable rhythms. CAG may be considered in patients with OHCA without STE regardless of initial presenting rhythm. There was no benefit of emergent CAG both in shockable and non-shockable rhythms.
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To determine the effectiveness of a multidimensional neonatal simulation-based medical education training programme on direct and indirect patient outcome parameters. ⋯ Although there was no significant effect on neonatal mortality, regular interdisciplinary simulation training decreased the number of administered chest compressions immediately after birth. Further studies are needed to test indirect outcome-related parameters, such as frequency of chest compressions as a measure of effectiveness and impact of medical training.
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Chest compressions during CPR induce oscillations in capnography (ETCO2) waveforms. Studies suggest ETCO2 oscillation characteristics are associated with intrathoracic airflow dependent on airway patency. Oscillations can be quantified by the Airway Opening Index (AOI). We sought to evaluate multiple methods of computing AOI and their association with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ⋯ We calculated AOI using four proposed methods resulting in significantly different AOI. Additionally, AOI and ΔETCO2 were larger in cases achieving ROSC. Further investigation is required to characterize AOI's ability to predict OHCA outcomes, and whether this information can improve resuscitation care.
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Telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) is a critical component of optimized out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) care. We assessed a pilot tool to capture American Heart Association (AHA) T-CPR measures and T-CPR coaching by telecommunicators using audio review. ⋯ Successful collection of data to calculate AHA T-CPR measures using a pilot tool for audio review revealed performance near AHA benchmarks, although coaching instructions did not occur in many instances. Application of this standardized tool may aid in T-CPR quality review.