Resuscitation
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In addition to the directly attributed mortality, COVID-19 is also likely to increase mortality indirectly. In this systematic review, we investigate the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. ⋯ Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests had worse short-term outcomes during the pandemic than a non-pandemic period suggesting direct effects of COVID-19 infection and indirect effects from lockdown and disruption of healthcare systems. Patients at high risk of deterioration should be identified outside the hospital to promptly initiate treatment and reduce fatalities. Study registration PROSPERO CRD42020195794.
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Observational Study
Cost-effectiveness of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A multi-centre prospective cohort study.
Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is an evolving resuscitative method for refractory cardiopulmonary arrests. However, considering the substantial healthcare costs and resources involved, there is an urgent need for a full economic evaluation. We therefore assessed the cost-effectiveness of ECPR for refractory ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/pVT). ⋯ ECPR was an economically acceptable resuscitative strategy, and the results of the present study were robust even when considering the uncertainty of all parameters.
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The immediate delivery room (DR) management of non-vigorous (NV) infants with meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) is controversial. A recent ILCOR suggestion is not to perform routine direct laryngoscopy (DL) with or without tracheal suctioning in NV infants. Our practice is to perform DL and endotracheal (ET) suctioning in targeted NV infants. The study objective was to describe the perinatal characteristics and DR Management of infants born through MSAF and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
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Observational Study
Testing the Effects of Checklists on Team Behaviour During Emergencies on General Wards: An Observational Study using High-Fidelity Simulation.
Clinical teams struggle on general wards with acute management of deteriorating patients. We hypothesized that the Crisis Checklist App, a mobile application containing checklists tailored to crisis-management, can improve teamwork and acute care management. ⋯ Implementation of a novel mobile crisis checklist application among clinical teams was associated in a simulated general ward setting with improved teamwork performance, and a higher and faster completion rate of predetermined safety-critical steps.
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To describe the frequency of neonatal resuscitation interventions implemented for newborn babies in the state of Queensland over a 10-year period and determine if these changes suggest adherence to changes in Australian guidelines. ⋯ Ten-year trends showed reduced use of oxygen or upper airway suctioning without assisted ventilation, reduced intubation to suction meconium, reduced use of narcotic antagonists and greater use of assisted ventilation suggesting appropriate practice change in response to Australian neonatal resuscitation guidelines. The increase in the use of chest compressions and adrenaline was unexpected and the reasons for it are unclear.