Judith Finn

Part 11: Neonatal Resuscitation 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations

2010;126;e1319-e1344; originally published online Oct 18, 2010; Pediatrics COLLABORATORS CHAPTER Sithembiso Velaphi and on behalf of the NEONATAL RESUSCITATION Sam Richmond, Wendy M. Simon, Nalini Singhal, Edgardo Szyld, Masanori Tamura, Chameides, Jay P. Goldsmith, Ruth Guinsburg, Mary Fran Hazinski, Colin Morley, Jeffrey M. Perlman, Jonathan Wyllie, John Kattwinkel, Dianne L. Atkins, Leon Recommendations Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Neonatal Resuscitation: 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/126/5/e1319 located on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0031-4005. Online ISSN: 1098-4275. Grove Village, Illinois, 60007. Copyright

Effect of adrenaline on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND There is little evidence from clinical trials that the use of adrenaline (epinephrine) in treating cardiac arrest improves survival, despite adrenaline being considered standard of care for many decades. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of adrenaline on patient survival to hospital discharge in out of hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS We conducted a double blind randomised placebo-controlled trial of adrenaline in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Identical study vials containing either adrenaline 1:1000 or placebo (sodium chloride 0.9%) were prepared. Patients were randomly allocated to receive 1 ml aliquots of the trial drug according to current advanced life support guidelines. Outcomes assessed included survival to hospital discharge (primary outcome), pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category Score - CPC). RESULTS A total of 4103 cardiac arrests were screened during the study period of which 601 underwent randomisation. Documentation was available for a total of 534 patients: 262 in the placebo group and 272 in the adrenaline group. Groups were well matched for baseline characteristics including age, gender and receiving bystander CPR. ROSC occurred in 22 (8.4%) of patients receiving placebo and 64 (23.5%) who received adrenaline (OR=3.4; 95% CI 2.0-5.6). Survival to hospital discharge occurred in 5 (1.9%) and 11 (4.0%) patients receiving placebo or adrenaline respectively (OR=2.2; 95% CI 0.7-6.3). All but two patients (both in the adrenaline group) had a CPC score of 1-2. CONCLUSION Patients receiving adrenaline during cardiac arrest had no statistically significant improvement in the primary outcome of survival to hospital discharge although there was a significantly improved likelihood of achieving ROSC.

Part 4: Advanced life support: 2015 International consensus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care science with treatment recommendations

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Task Force performed detailed systematic reviews based on the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies1 and using the methodological approach proposed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group.2 Questions to be addressed (using the PICO [population, intervention, comparator, outcome] format)3 were prioritized by ALS Task Force members (by voting). Prioritization criteria included awareness of significant new data and new controversies or questions about practice. Questions about topics no longer relevant to contemporary practice or where little new research has occurred were given lower priority. The ALS Task Force prioritized 42 PICO questions for review. With the assistance of information specialists, a detailed search for relevant articles was performed in each of 3 online databases (PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library). By using detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles were screened for further evaluation. The reviewers for each question created a reconciled risk of bias assessment for each of the included studies, using state-of-the-art tools: Cochrane for randomized controlled trials (RCTs),4 Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS)-2 for studies of diagnostic accuracy,5 and GRADE for observational studies that inform both therapy and prognosis questions.6 GRADE evidence profile tables7 were then created to facilitate an evaluation of the evidence in support of each of the critical and important outcomes. The quality of the evidence (or confidence in the estimate of the effect) was categorized as high, moderate, low, or very low,8 based on the study methodologies and the 5 core GRADE domains of risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and other considerations (including publication bias).9 These evidence profile tables were then used to create a …

Part 12: Education, Implementation, and Teams 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations

Cardiac arrest occurs in a wide variety of settings, from the unanticipated event in the out-of-hospital setting to anticipated arrests in the intensive care unit. Outcome from cardiac arrest is a function of many factors including the willingness of bystanders to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the ability of rescuers to integrate knowledge and psychomotor skills, the quality of performance delivered by individual rescuers and teams, and the efficiency and effectiveness of post–cardiac arrest care. The Chain of Survival is a metaphor used to organize and describe the integrated set of time-sensitive, coordinated actions necessary to maximize survival from cardiac arrest. The use of evidence-based education and implementation strategies can optimize the links of that chain. Strengthening the Chain of Survival in the prehospital setting requires focus on prevention and immediate recognition of cardiac arrest, increasing the likelihood of high-quality bystander CPR and early defibrillation, and improving regional systems of care. In the hospital setting, organized efforts targeting early identification and prevention of deterioration in patients at risk can decrease the incidence of cardiac arrest. The challenge for resuscitation programs is twofold: to ensure that providers acquire and maintain the necessary knowledge, skills, and team behavior to maximize resuscitation outcome; and to assist response systems in developing, implementing, and sustaining an evidence-based Chain of Survival. Maximizing survival from cardiac arrest requires improvement in resuscitation education and the implementation of systems that support the delivery of high-quality resuscitation and postarrest care, including mechanisms to systematically evaluate resuscitation performance. Well-designed resuscitation education can encourage the delivery of high-quality CPR. In addition continuous quality improvement processes should close the feedback loop and narrow the gap between ideal and actual performance. Community- and hospital-based resuscitation programs should systematically monitor cardiac arrests, the level of resuscitation care provided, and outcomes. The cycle of measurement, benchmarking, feedback, …

CPR before defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A randomized trial

Objective:  Current resuscitation guidelines recommend that defibrillation be undertaken as soon as possible in patients suffering a cardiac arrest where the cardiac rhythm is either ventricular fibrillation (VF) or ventricular tachycardia (VT). Evidence from animal and clinical studies suggests that outcomes may be improved if a period of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is given prior to defibrillation. The objective of this study was to determine if 90 seconds of CPR before defibrillation improved survival.

Determinants of long-term survival after intensive care

Objective:To identify prognostic determinants of long-term survival for patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) who survived to hospital discharge. Design:An ICU clinical cohort linked to state-wide hospital records and death registers. Setting and Patients:Adult patients admitted to a 22-bed ICU at a major teaching hospital in Perth, Western Australia, between 1987 and 2002 who survived to hospital discharge (n = 19,921) were followed-up until December 31, 2003. Measurements:The main outcome measures are crude and adjusted survival. Main Results:The risk of death in the first year after hospital discharge was high for patients who survived the ICU compared with the general population (standardized mortality rate [SMR] at 1 yr = 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.73–3.08) and remained higher than the general population for every year during 15 yrs of follow up (SMR at 15 yrs = 2.01, 95% CI 1.64–2.46). Factors that were independently associated with survival during the first year were older age (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.09; 95% CI 3.20–5.23), severe comorbidity (HR = 5.23; 95% CI 4.25–6.43), ICU diagnostic group (HR range 2.20 to 8.95), new malignancy (HR = 4.60; 95% CI 3.68–5.76), high acute physiology score on admission (HR = 1.55; 95% CI 1.23–1.96), and peak number of organ failures (HR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.11–2.04). All of these factors were independently associated with subsequent survival for those patients who were alive 1 yr after discharge from the hospital with the addition of male gender (HR = 1.17; 95% CI 1.10–1.25) and prolonged length of stay in ICU (HR = 1.42; 95% CI 1.29–1.55). Conclusions:Patients who survived an admission to the ICU have worse survival than the general population for at least 15 yrs. The factors that determine long-term survival include age, comorbidity, and primary diagnosis. Severity of illness was also associated with long-term survival and this suggests that an episode of critical illness, or its treatment, may shorten life-expectancy.

Erectile dysfunction as a predictor for subsequent atherosclerotic cardiovascular events: Findings from a linked-data study

INTRODUCTION In spite of the mounting interest in the nexus between erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular (CV) diseases, there is little published information on the role of ED as a predictor for subsequent CV events. AIM This study aimed to investigate the role of ED as a predictor for atherosclerotic CV events subsequent to the manifestation of ED. Method. The investigation involved the retrospective study of data on a cohort of men with ED linked to hospital morbidity data and death registrations. By using the linked data, the incidence rates of atherosclerotic CV events subsequent to the manifestation of ED were estimated in men with ED and no atherosclerotic CV disease reported prior to the manifestation of ED. The risk of subsequent atherosclerotic CV events in men with ED was assessed by comparing these incidence rates with those in the general male population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Standardized incidence rate ratio (SIRR), comparing the incidence of atherosclerotic CV events subsequent to the manifestation of ED in a cohort of 1,660 men with ED to the incidence in the general male population. RESULTS On the basis of hospital admissions and death registrations, men with ED had a statistically significantly higher incidence of atherosclerotic CV events (SIRR 2.2; 95% confidence interval 1.9, 2.4). There were significantly increased incidence rate ratios in all age groups younger than 70 years, with a statistically highly significant downward trend with increase of age (P < 0.0001) across these age groups. Younger age at first manifestation of ED, cigarette smoking, presence of comorbidities and socioeconomic disadvantage were all associated with higher hazard ratios for subsequent atherosclerotic CV events. CONCLUSIONS The findings show that ED is not only significantly associated with but is also strongly predictive of subsequent atherosclerotic CV events. This is even more striking when ED presents at a younger age.

A randomized controlled equivalence trial of short‐term complications and efficacy of tension‐free vaginal tape and suprapubic urethral support sling for treating stress incontinence

To establish the equivalence between the tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) and the suprapubic urethral support sling (SPARC). Approximately 35% of women have stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and although TVT is now perceived as the standard treatment, the SPARC is a very similar procedure and is thought to have fewer peri‐operative complications.

Outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Perth, Western Australia, 1996-1999

STUDY OBJECTIVE To describe the epidemiology and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. DESIGN Longitudinal follow-up study from the time of paramedic attendance to 12 months later. SETTING Perth, Western Australia (WA), a metropolitan capital city with an adult population of approximately one million people. METHOD The St John Ambulance Australia (WA Ambulance Service Incorporated) cardiac arrest database was linked to the WA hospital morbidity and mortality data using probabilistic matching. INCIDENCE Of 3730 cardiorespiratory arrests in 1996-1999, the age standardised rate of arrests of presumed cardiac origin, where resuscitation was attempted (n=1293) was 32.9 per 100000 person-years and 7.1 per 100000 person-years for bystander-witnessed VF/VT arrests. SURVIVAL Survival to 28 days was 6.8% following all bystander-witnessed cardiac arrests; 10.6% following bystander-witnessed VF/VT arrests and 33% for paramedic-witnessed cardiac arrests. Logistic regression analysis showed an inverse association between ambulance response time interval and survival following all bystander-witnessed cardiac arrests (and VF/VT arrests). ONE YEAR SURVIVAL: 89% of bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest survivors and 92% of paramedic-witnessed cardiac arrests were still alive at 1 year post-arrest. CONCLUSION The trends in occurrence and survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Perth, WA, are similar to those found elsewhere. There is an opportunity to strengthen the chain of survival by reducing the response time interval and increasing the use of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). First-responder programs and public access defibrillation will need to be considered in the light of local demographics, location and the epidemiologic features of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Estimating long-term survival of critically ill patients: The PREDICT model

Background Long-term survival outcome of critically ill patients is important in assessing effectiveness of new treatments and making treatment decisions. We developed a prognostic model for estimation of long-term survival of critically ill patients. Methodology and Principal Findings This was a retrospective linked data cohort study involving 11,930 critically ill patients who survived more than 5 days in a university teaching hospital in Western Australia. Older age, male gender, co-morbidities, severe acute illness as measured by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II predicted mortality, and more days of vasopressor or inotropic support, mechanical ventilation, and hemofiltration within the first 5 days of intensive care unit admission were associated with a worse long-term survival up to 15 years after the onset of critical illness. Among these seven pre-selected predictors, age (explained 50% of the variability of the model, hazard ratio [HR] between 80 and 60 years old = 1.95) and co-morbidity (explained 27% of the variability, HR between Charlson co-morbidity index 5 and 0 = 2.15) were the most important determinants. A nomogram based on the pre-selected predictors is provided to allow estimation of the median survival time and also the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year survival probabilities for a patient. The discrimination (adjusted c-index = 0.757, 95% confidence interval 0.745–0.769) and calibration of this prognostic model were acceptable. Significance Age, gender, co-morbidities, severity of acute illness, and the intensity and duration of intensive care therapy can be used to estimate long-term survival of critically ill patients. Age and co-morbidity are the most important determinants of long-term prognosis of critically ill patients.