Articles: out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest.
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Appropriate dispatch of critical care teams to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been identified as a research priority emergency care in the UK. The study aimed to understand the criteria informing the decision to dispatch a critical care physician-paramedic prehospital team to OHCA in one UK region. ⋯ The only 100% agreement in dispatch criteria was 'witnessed arrest'. Otherwise, variation existed and additional information, like identification of frailty, was gathered to support nuanced decision-making. Wider research across the UK would help identify factors and commonalities in OHCA physician-paramedic dispatch to target improved survival rates.
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Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) impacts 15,000-25,000 children annually in the U.S. The objective of this study was to determine if specific Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency factors such as pediatric volume and preparedness factors, including hours of required pediatric training, pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC), or pediatric informational resources are associated with improved quality of care or adverse events for pediatric OHCA. ⋯ In this large medical record review of EMS-treated pediatric OHCA cases, pediatric training, pediatric care coordination, and conducting pediatric quality reviews were not associated with reduced ASEs. Additional research is needed to understand how EMS agencies can improve the quality of care for pediatric OHCA, especially for infants.
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Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a global health burden with low survival rates. The termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule, widely adopted internationally, aims to preserve dignity, optimize resources, and protect healthcare providers. However, prehospital TOR is not implemented in Japan, presenting legal and practical challenges. This study analyzes temporal trends in prehospital and in-hospital interventions for OHCA patients with poor predicted outcomes. ⋯ OHCA patients who met TOR rule showed a decrease in in-hospital interventions. Further efforts are warranted to avoid futile medical treatments and promote patient-centered care.
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For out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with refractory arrest, transport to hospital with ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)-"intra-arrest transport (IAT)"-is a treatment option, however it may reduce resuscitation quality. Unfortunately, international registries do not measure IAT directly, but other variables may be used to estimate IAT. We compared three indirect definitions to a direct measurement of IAT. ⋯ Compared to a direct measurement of IAT, the indirect definition using "Any ROSC" demonstrated the lowest sensitivity; however, the definition using "Sustained ROSC" showed the highest sensitivity and specificity. These indirect definitions may support estimation of IAT within future research and quality initiatives.