Assertive community treatment for high-utilizing alcohol misuse patients: a before-and-after cohort study protocol.

BACKGROUND: The challenge posed by Alcohol-Related Frequent Attenders (ARFAs) in Emergency Departments (EDs) is growing in Singapore, marked by limited engagement with conventional addiction treatment pathways. Recognizing this gap, this study aims to explore the potential benefits of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) - an innovative, community-centered, harm-reduction strategy-in mitigating the frequency of ED visits, curbing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls, and uplifting health outcomes across a quartet of Singaporean healthcare institutions. METHODS: Employing a prospective before-and-after cohort design, this investigation targeted ARFAs aged 21 years and above, fluent in English or Mandarin. Eligibility was determined by a history of at least five ED visits in the preceding year, with no fewer than two due to alcohol-related issues. The study contrasted health outcomes of patients integrated into the ACT care model versus their experiences under the exclusive provision of standard emergency care across Hospitals A, B, C and D. Following participants for half a year post-initial assessment, the evaluation metrics encompassed socio-demographic factors, ED, and EMS engagement frequencies, along with validated health assessment tools, namely Christo Inventory for Substance-misuse Services (CISS) scores, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scores, and Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R-10) scores. DISCUSSION: Confronted with intricate socio-economic and medical challenges, the ARFA cohort often grapples with heightened vulnerabilities in relation to alcohol misuse. Pioneering the exploration of ACT's efficacy with ARFAs in a Singaporean context, our research is anchored in a patient-centered approach, designed to comprehensively address these multifaceted clinical profiles. While challenges, like potential high attrition rates and sporadic data collection, are anticipated, the model's prospective contribution towards enhancing patient well-being and driving healthcare efficiencies in Singapore is substantial. Our findings have the potential to reshape healthcare strategies and policy recommendations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04447079. Initiated on 25 June 2020.

One-year outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has led to adverse short-term outcomes for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). It is unknown if this translates to poorer long-term outcomes. In Singapore, the escalation of the outbreak response on February 7, 2020 demanded adaptation of STEMI care to stringent infection control measures. A total of 321 patients presenting with STEMI and undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention at a tertiary hospital were enrolled and followed up over 1-year. They were allocated into three groups based on admission date-(1) Before outbreak response (BOR): December 1, 2019-February 6, 2020, (2) During outbreak response (DOR): February 7-March 31, 2020, and (3) control group: November 1-December 31, 2018. The incidence of cardiac-related mortality, cardiac-related readmissions, and recurrent coronary events were examined. Although in-hospital outcomes were worse in BOR and DOR groups compared to the control group, there were no differences in the 1-year cardiac-related mortality (BOR 8.7%, DOR 7.1%, control 4.8%, p = 0.563), cardiac-related readmissions (BOR 15.1%, DOR 11.6%, control 12.0%, p = 0.693), and recurrent coronary events (BOR 3.2%, DOR 1.8%, control 1.2%, p = 0.596). There were higher rates of additional PCI during the index admission in DOR, compared to BOR and control groups (p = 0.027). While patients admitted for STEMI during the pandemic may have poorer in-hospital outcomes, their long-term outcomes remain comparable to the pre-pandemic era.

Evaluating the effectiveness of interprofessional advanced cardiac life support training: a sequential mixed-methods approach.

Interprofessional advanced cardiac life support (IP-ACLS) training is a holistic learning experience; thus, our research team incorporated this training into an undergraduate programme. Considering that IP-ACLS training is a new paradigm in nursing education, evaluating its effectiveness is essential. This research aimed to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of this training on improving the perceived level of interprofessional collaboration, self-efficacy and emotion regulation and (2) explore the learning experience of nursing students during training. The study design adopted a sequential mixed-method approach comprising a two-group pretest and posttest design amongst 120 students, followed by nine focus group discussions. Quantitative results demonstrated significant improvements in the perceived level of interprofessional collaboration, self-efficacy and emotion regulation at post-intervention and follow-up. Qualitative data were collected through video recording and field notes. Thematic analysis was performed following the method of Braun and Clarke. Qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts identified three themes: synergistic partnership, clinical readiness and improving further training. Quantitative and qualitative results were integrated in accordance with the mixed data analysis framework. These results complemented one another. The training provided an authentic learning experience and a good steppingstone to nursing students who are preparing to work interprofessionally in the future.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Door-to-Balloon Time for Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention　- Results From the Singapore Western STEMI Network.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the outbreak response measures on door-to-balloon time (D2B). This study examined both D2B and clinical outcomes of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).Methods and Results:This was a retrospective study of 303 STEMI patients who presented directly or were transferred to a tertiary hospital in Singapore for PPCI from October 2019 to March 2020. We compared the clinical outcomes of patients admitted before (BOR) and during (DOR) the COVID-19 outbreak response. The study outcomes were in-hospital death, D2B, cardiogenic shock and 30-day readmission. For direct presentations, fewer patients in the DOR group achieved D2B time <90 min compared with the BOR group (71.4% vs. 80.9%, P=0.042). This was more apparent after exclusion of non-system delay cases (DOR 81.6% vs. BOR 95.9%, P=0.006). Prevalence of both out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (9.5% vs. 1.9%, P=0.003) and acute mitral regurgitation (31.6% vs. 17.5%, P=0.006) was higher in the DOR group. Mortality was similar between groups. Multivariable regression showed that longer D2B time was an independent predictor of death (odds ratio 1.005, 95% confidence interval 1.000-1.011, P=0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak response have had an adverse effect on PPCI service efficiency. The study reinforces the need to focus efforts on shortening D2B time, while maintaining infection control measures.

myResponder Smartphone Application to Crowdsource Basic Life Support for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: The Singapore Experience.

OBJECTIVE: The Singapore myResponder is a novel smartphone application developed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) that notifies volunteer first responders of a suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) case and locations of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in the vicinity so that they can assist with resuscitation. We aimed to examine the performance of this application, challenges encountered, and future directions. Methods: We analyzed data from the myResponder app since its launch from April 2015 to July 2019. The number of installations, registered community first responders, suspected OHCA cases, notifications sent by the app, percentage of responders who accepted activation and arrived at scene were reviewed. A subgroup of taxi driving responders (within a 1.5-kilometer response radius) carrying an AED under a subsequent pilot program was also analyzed. Results: By July 2019, 46,689 responders were registered in the myResponder app. There were a total of 19,189 cases created for suspected OHCA, with a median of 358 cases per month (IQR 330-430), in which 10,073 responders accepted activation from myResponder and 4,955 arrived on-scene. A total of 135,599 notifications were sent for these cases, with a median of 7.1 notifications per case (IQR 4.3-8.7). In 2019, the percentages of responders who accepted notification and arrived on scene were 45.8% and 24.1%, respectively. 43% (1110/2581) of responders arrived before EMS crew. Conclusion: The myResponder mobile application is a feasible smart technology solution to improve community response to OHCA, and to increase bystander CPR and AED use. Future directions include increasing the number of active responders, improving response rates, app performance, and better data capture for quality improvement.

Improved Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival with a Comprehensive Dispatcher-Assisted CPR Program in a Developing Emergency Care System.

OBJECTIVE: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with poor survival. Studies have demonstrated improved survival with early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR). This study evaluated the impact of a dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) program on BCPR rate and outcomes of OHCA in a developing emergency medical services (EMS) system setting. METHODS: Data were extracted from the national cardiac arrest registry. A before-after analysis was performed between OHCA cases with cardiac etiology conveyed by EMS from April 2010-June 2012 (pre-intervention) and July 2012-December 2015 (post-intervention). Primary outcomes were survival-to-discharge/30 days post-arrest and favorable cerebral performance (Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance categories 1 and 2). RESULTS: 6365 OHCA cases were analyzed with 2129 in the pre-intervention and 4236 in the post-intervention group. In the post-intervention group, there was an increase in BCPR rates from 24.8% to 53.8% (p < 0.001), adjusted OR 3.67 (aOR; 95%CI: 3.26-4.13). OHCA outcomes also improved with survival-to-discharge rates increasing from 3.0%-4.5% (p < 0.01), aOR 2.10 (95%CI: 1.40-3.17) and favorable cerebral performance increasing from 1.6% to 2.7% (p < 0.05), aOR 2.82 (95%CI: 1.65-4.82). In patients with initial shockable rhythm, BCPR without dispatcher assistance was associated with significantly higher odds of survival-to-discharge (aOR 1.67, 95%CI: 1.06-2.64) and favorable cerebral performance (aOR 2.32, 95%CI: 1.26-4.27) compared to no BCPR. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that a simplified DA-CPR program can be successfully implemented in a developing EMS system and can contribute to higher BCPR rate and in turn, improve OHCA survival. Future studies can examine bystanders' characteristics and quality of the CPR performed to understand their impact on survival.

Emergency medical dispatch services across Pan-Asian countries: a web-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Dispatch services (DS's) form an integral part of emergency medical service (EMS) systems. The role of a dispatcher has also evolved into a crucial link in patient care delivery, particularly in dispatcher assisted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Yet, there has been a paucity of research into the emerging area of dispatch science in Asia. This paper compares the characteristics of DS's, and state of implementation of DACPR within the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes (PAROS) network. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey addressing population characteristics, DS structures and levels of service, state of DACPR implementation (including protocols and quality improvement programs) among PAROS DS's. RESULTS: 9 DS's responded, representing a total of 23 dispatch centres from 9 countries that serve over 80 million people. Most PAROS DS's operate a tiered dispatch response, have implemented medical oversight, and tend to be staffed by dispatchers with a predominantly medical background. Almost all PAROS DS's have begun tracking key EMS indicators. 77.8% (n = 7) of PAROS DS's have introduced DACPR. Of the DS's that have rolled out DACPR, 71.4% (n = 5) provided instructions in over one language. All DS's that implemented DACPR and provided feedback to dispatchers offered feedback on missed OHCA recognition. The majority of DS's (83.3%; n = 5) that offered DACPR and provided feedback to dispatchers also implemented corrective feedback, while 66.7% (n = 4) offered positive feedback. Compression-only CPR was the standard instruction for PAROS DS's. OHCA recognition sensitivity varied widely in PAROS DS's, ranging from 32.6% (95% CI: 29.9-35.5%) to 79.2% (95% CI: 72.9-84.4%). Median time to first compression ranged from 120 s to 220 s. CONCLUSIONS: We found notable variations in characteristics and state of DACPR implementation between PAROS DS's. These findings will lay the groundwork for future DS and DACPR studies in the PAROS network.

Comparison of Outcomes and Characteristics of Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-Witnessed, Bystander-Witnessed, and Unwitnessed Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Singapore.

Objectives: The objective was to compare the survival outcomes of emergency medical services (EMS)-witnessed to bystander-witnessed, and unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in Singapore. Secondary aims are to describe the 5-year trend in survival rates of EMS-witnessed arrests. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the Singapore's OHCA registry data from 2011 to 2015. Excluded from the analysis were patients younger than 18 years old, arrests of traumatic etiology, resuscitation not attempted, and cases not conveyed by EMS. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge or 30 days post-arrest. Secondary outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital admission. Results: 8,394 cases were analyzed, with 650 (7.7%) EMS-witnessed arrests, 4480 (53.4%) bystander-witnessed arrests, and 3264 (38.9%) unwitnessed arrests. Among EMS-witnessed arrests, the majority were presumed to be of cardiac etiology (62.8%) and the most common presenting rhythm was pulseless electrical activity (PEA; 57.2%). Survival to discharge or 30th day post-arrest was higher in EMS-witnessed arrests compared to bystander-witnessed and unwitnessed arrests (11.2% vs. 5.3% and 1.3%, p < 0.001). Survival to discharge for EMS-witnessed cases increased from 2011 (13.2%) to 2015 (18.9%). Conclusions: EMS-witnessed OHCAs were more likely to have favorable outcomes compared to bystander-witnessed and unwitnessed OHCAs. High PEA rates in EMS-witnessed arrests were associated with older patients with underlying preexisting medical conditions. Increasing public awareness on recognition of prodromal symptoms and early activation of EMS could improve post-arrest survival and neurological outcomes of OHCA.

Ethnic and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Differences In Incidence and Survival From Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest In Singapore.

Objective: We aimed to examine the association of ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) incidence and 30-day survival in Singapore. Methods: We analyzed the Singapore cohort of Pan-Asia Resuscitation Outcome Study (PAROS), a multi-center, prospective OHCA registry between 2010 and 2015. The Singapore Socioeconomic Disadvantage Index (SEDI) score, obtained according to zip code, was used as surrogate for neighborhood SES. Age-adjusted OHCA incidence and Utstein survival were calculated by ethnicity and SES. Utstein survival was defined as the number of cardiac OHCA cases with initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation witnessed by a bystander who survived 30-days or until hospital discharge. Logistic regression was used to investigate association of ethnicity with 30-day and Utstein survivals. Results: Our study population comprised 8,900 patients: 6,453 Chinese, 1,472 Malays, and 975 Indians. The overall age-adjusted incidence ratios (95% CI) for Malay/Chinese and Indian/Chinese were 1.93 (1.83-2.04) and 1.95 (1.83-2.08), respectively. The overall age-adjusted incidence ratios (95% CI) for average/low and high/low SEDI group were 1.12 (0.95-1.33) and 1.29 (1.08-1.53), respectively. Malay showed lesser Utstein survival of 8.1% compared to Chinese (14.6%) and Indian (20.4%) [p = 0.018]. Ethnicity did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.072) in forward selection model of Utstein survival, while SEDI score and category were not significant (p > 0.2 and p = 0.349). Conclusions: We found Malay and Indian communities to be at higher risks of OHCA compared to Chinese, and additionally, the Malay community is at higher risk of subsequent mortality than the Chinese and Indian communities. These disparities were not explained by neighborhood SES.

Termination of Resuscitation Rules to Predict Neurological Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest for an Intermediate Life Support Prehospital System.

AIM: Futile resuscitation can lead to unnecessary transports for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) termination of resuscitation (TOR) guidelines have been validated with good results in North America. This study aims to evaluate the performance of these two rules in predicting neurological outcomes of OHCA patients in Singapore, which has an intermediate life support Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out on Singapore OHCA data collected from April 2010 to May 2012 for the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS). The outcomes of each rule were compared to the actual neurological outcomes of the patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and predicted transport rates of each test were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 2,193 patients had cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac etiology. TOR was recommended for 1,411 patients with the BLS-TOR rule, with a specificity of 100% (91.9, 100.0) for predicting poor neurological outcomes, PPV 100% (99.7, 100.0), sensitivity 65.7% (63.6, 67.7), NPV 5.6% (4.1, 7.5), and transportation rate 35.6%. Using the ALS-TOR rule, TOR was recommended for 587 patients, specificity 100% (91.9, 100.0) for predicting poor neurological outcomes, PPV 100% (99.4, 100.0), sensitivity 27.3% (25.4, 29.3), NPV 2.7% (2.0, 3.7), and transportation rate 73.2%. BLS-TOR predicted survival (any neurological outcome) with specificity 93.4% (95% CI 85.3, 97.8) versus ALS-TOR 98.7% (95% CI 92.9, 99.8). CONCLUSION: Both the BLS and ALS-TOR rules had high specificities and PPV values in predicting neurological outcomes, the BLS-TOR rule had a lower predicted transport rate while the ALS-TOR rule was more accurate in predicting futility of resuscitation. Further research into unique local cultural issues would be useful to evaluate the feasibility of any system-wide implementation of TOR.

Validation of the NULL-EASE Score for Predicting Survival in a Multiethnic Asian Cohort of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: NULL-PLEASE is a simple and accurate clinical scoring system developed in a Western cohort of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The need for blood test results limits its use in early stages of care. We adapted and validated the NULL-EASE score (without laboratory tests) in an independent, multiethnic Asian cohort of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the Singapore OHCA registry, we included consecutive adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who survived to hospital admission between April 2010 to December 2020. In-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. Logistic regression analyses were performed with STATA MP v18. Of 3274 patients (median age 64, interquartile range 54-75; 67.9% male) included in the study, 2476 (75.6%) had in-hospital mortality. NULL-EASE score was significantly lower in survivors compared with nonsurvivors (median [inter quartile range] 3 [1-4] versus 6 [4-7]; P<0.001) and strongly predictive of mortality (area under receiver operating characteristic, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.79-0.83]). Patients with a score of ≥3 had higher odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 8.11 [95% CI, 6.57-10.00]) when compared with those with lower scores, after adjusting for sex, residential arrest, diabetes, respiratory disease, and stroke. A cutoff value of ≥3 predicted mortality with 92.2% sensitivity, 84.1% positive predictive value, 46.1% specificity, and 65.5% negative predictive value. NULL-EASE score performed better in younger compared with older patients (area under receiver operating characteristic, 0.82 versus 0.77, P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The NULL-EASE score has good discriminative performance (sensitivity and accuracy) in our multiethnic Asian cohort, but the cutoff of ≥3 falls short of the desired level of specificity for therapeutic decision-making.

Variable importance analysis with interpretable machine learning for fair risk prediction.

Machine learning (ML) methods are increasingly used to assess variable importance, but such black box models lack stability when limited in sample sizes, and do not formally indicate non-important factors. The Shapley variable importance cloud (ShapleyVIC) addresses these limitations by assessing variable importance from an ensemble of regression models, which enhances robustness while maintaining interpretability, and estimates uncertainty of overall importance to formally test its significance. In a clinical study, ShapleyVIC reasonably identified important variables when the random forest and XGBoost failed to, and generally reproduced the findings from smaller subsamples (n = 2500 and 500) when statistical power of the logistic regression became attenuated. Moreover, ShapleyVIC reasonably estimated non-significant importance of race to justify its exclusion from the final prediction model, as opposed to the race-dependent model from the conventional stepwise model building. Hence, ShapleyVIC is robust and interpretable for variable importance assessment, with potential contribution to fairer clinical risk prediction.

Recommendations on ambulance cardiopulmonary resuscitation in basic life support systems.

AIM: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during ambulance transport can be a safety risk for providers and can affect CPR quality. In many Asian countries with basic life support (BLS) systems, patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are routinely transported in ambulances in which CPR is performed. This paper aims to make recommendations on best practices for CPR during ambulance transport in BLS systems. METHODS: A panel consisting of 20 experts (including 4 North Americans) in emergency medical services (EMS) and resuscitation science was selected, and met over two days. We performed a literature review and selected 33 candidate issues in five core areas. Using Delphi methodology, the issues were classified into dichotomous (yes/no), multiple choice, and ranking questions. Primary consensus between experts was reached when there was more than 70% agreement. Questions with 60-69% agreement were made more specific and were submitted for a second round of voting. RESULTS: The panel agreed upon 24 consensus statements with more than 70% agreement (2 rounds of voting). The recommendations cover the following: length of time on the scene; advanced airway at the scene; CPR prior to transport; rhythm analysis and defibrillation during transport; prehospital interventions; field termination of resuscitation (TOR); consent for TOR; destination hospital; transport protocol; number of staff members; restraint systems; mechanical CPR; turning off of the engine for rhythm analysis; alternative CPR; and feedback for CPR quality. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for CPR during ambulance transport were developed using the Delphi method. These recommendations should be validated in clinical settings.

Temporal trends in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial non-shockable rhythm in Singapore.

Aim: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with an initial non-shockable rhythm is the predominant form of OHCA in adults. We evaluated its 10-year trends in epidemiology and management in Singapore. Methods: Using the national OHCA registry we studied the trends of 20,844 Emergency Medical Services-attended adult OHCA from April 2010 to December 2019. Survival to hospital discharge was the primary outcome. Trends and outcomes were analyzed using linear and logistic regression, respectively. Results: Incidence rates of adult OHCAs increased during the study period, driven by non-shockable OHCA. Compared to shockable OHCA, non-shockable OHCAs were significantly older, had more co-morbidities, unwitnessed and residential arrests, longer no-flow time, and received less bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in-hospital interventions (p < 0.001). Amongst non-shockable OHCA, age, co-morbidities, residential arrests, no-flow time, time to patient, bystander CPR and epinephrine administration increased during the study period, while presumed cardiac etiology decreased (p < 0.05). Unlike shockable OHCA, survival for non-shockable OHCA did not improve (p < 0.001 for trend difference). The likelihood of survival for non-shockable OHCA significantly increased with witnessed arrest (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.02) and bystander CPR (aOR 3.25), but decreased with presumed cardiac etiology (aOR 0.65), epinephrine administration (aOR 0.66), time to patient (aOR 0.93) and age (aOR 0.98). Significant two-way interactions were observed for no-flow time and residential arrest with bystander CPR (aOR 0.96 and 0.40 respectively). Conclusion: The incidence of non-shockable OHCA increased between 2010 and 2019. Despite increased interventions, survival did not improve for non-shockable OHCA, in contrast to the improved survival for shockable OHCA.

Impact of time-to-compression on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival outcomes: A national registry study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify the association of no-flow interval in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) with the odds of neurologically favorable survival and survival to hospital discharge/ 30th day. Our secondary aim was to explore futility thresholds to guide clinical decisions, such as prehospital termination of resuscitation. METHODS: All OHCAs from 2012 to 2017 in Singapore were extracted. We examined the association between no-flow interval (continuous variable) and survival outcomes using univariate and multivariable logistic regressions. The primary outcome was survival with favorable cerebral performance (Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Categories 1/2), the secondary outcome was survival to hospital discharge/ 30th day if not discharged. To determine futility thresholds, we plotted the adjusted probability of good neurological outcomes to no-flow interval. RESULTS: 12,771 OHCAs were analyzed. The per-minute adjusted OR when no-flow interval was incorporated as a continuous variable in the multivariable model was: good neurological function- aOR 0.98 (95%CI: 0.97-0.98); survival to discharge- aOR 0.98 (95%CI: 0.98-0.99). Taking the 1% futility of survival line gave a no-flow interval cutoff of 12 mins (NPV 99%, sensitivity 85% and specificity 42%) overall and 7.5 mins for witnessed arrests. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that prolonged no-flow interval had a significant effect on lower odds of favorable neurological outcomes, with medical futility occurring when no-flow interval was >12 mins (>7.5 mins for witnessed arrest). Our study adds to the literature of the importance of early CPR and EMS response and provided a threshold beyond traditional 'down-times', which could aid clinical decisions in TOR or OHCA management.

Incidence, characteristics and complications of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation initiated in patients not in cardiac arrest.

AIM: Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) can increase bystander CPR rates and improve outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Despite the use of protocols, dispatchers may falsely recognise some cases to be in cardiac arrest. Hence, this study aimed to find the incidence of DA-CPR initiated for non-OHCA cases, its characteristics and clinical outcomes in the Singapore population. METHODS: This was a multi-centre, observational study of all dispatcher-recognised cardiac arrests cases between January to December 2017 involving three tertiary hospitals in Singapore. Data was obtained from the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study cohort. Audio review of dispatch calls from the national emergency ambulance service were conducted and information about patients' clinical outcomes were prospectively collected from health records. Univariate analysis was performed to determine factors associated with in-hospital mortality among non-OHCA patients who received DA-CPR. RESULTS: Of the 821 patients recognised as having OHCA 328 (40.0%) were not in cardiac arrest and 173 (52.7%) of these received DA-CPR. No complications from chest compressions were found from hospital records. The top diagnoses of non-OHCA patients were cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), syncope and infection. Only final diagnoses of CVA (aOR 20.68), infection (aOR 17.34) and myocardial infarction (aOR 32.19) were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: In this study, chest compressions initiated on patients not in cardiac arrest by dispatchers did not result in any reported complications and was not associated with in-hospital mortality. This provides reassurance for the continued implementation of DA-CPR.

Management of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest during COVID-19: A Tale of Two Cities.

Variations in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been reported. We aimed to, using population-based registries, compare community response, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) interventions and outcomes of adult, EMS-treated, non-traumatic OHCA in Singapore and metropolitan Atlanta, before and during the pandemic. Associations of OHCA characteristics, pre-hospital interventions and pandemic with survival to hospital discharge were analyzed using logistic regression. There were 2084 cases during the pandemic (17 weeks from the first confirmed COVID-19 case) and 1900 in the pre-pandemic period (corresponding weeks in 2019). Compared to Atlanta, OHCAs in Singapore were older, received more bystander interventions (cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): 65.0% vs. 41.4%; automated external defibrillator application: 28.6% vs. 10.1%), yet had lower survival (5.6% vs. 8.1%). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, OHCAs in Singapore and Atlanta occurred more at home (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.05 and 2.03, respectively) and were transported less to hospitals (aOR 0.59 and 0.36, respectively) during the pandemic. Singapore reported more witnessed OHCAs (aOR 1.96) yet less bystander CPR (aOR 0.81) during pandemic, but not Atlanta (p < 0.05). The impact of COVID-19 on OHCA outcomes did not differ between cities. Changes in OHCA characteristics and management during the pandemic, and differences between Singapore and Atlanta were likely the result of systemic and sociocultural factors.

Inter-hospital trends of post-resuscitation interventions and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital-based resuscitation interventions, such as therapeutic temperature management (TTM), emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can improve outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We investigated post-resuscitation interventions and hospital characteristics on OHCA outcomes across public hospitals in Singapore over a 9-year period. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of all OHCA cases that presented to 6 hospitals in Singapore from 2010 to 2018. Data were extracted from the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study Clinical Research Network (PAROS CRN) registry. We excluded patients younger than 18 years or were dead on arrival at the emergency department. The outcomes were 30-day survival post-arrest, survival to admission, and neurological outcome. RESULTS: The study analysed 17,735 cases. There was an increasing rate of provision of TTM, emergency PCI and ECMO (P<0.001) in hospitals, and a positive trend of survival outcomes (P<0.001). Relative to hospital F, hospitals B and C had lower provision rates of TTM (≤5.2%). ECMO rate was consistently <1% in all hospitals except hospital F. Hospitals A, B, C, E had <6.5% rates of provision of emergency PCI. Relative to hospital F, OHCA cases from hospitals A, B and C had lower odds of 30-day survival (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]<1; P<0.05 for hospitals A-C) and lower odds of good neurological outcomes (aOR<1; P<0.05 for hospitals A-C). OHCA cases from academic hospitals had higher odds ratio (OR) of 30-day survival (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5) than cases from hospitals without an academic status. CONCLUSION: Post-resuscitation interventions for OHCA increased across all hospitals in Singapore from 2010 to 2018, correlating with survival rates. The academic status of hospitals was associated with improved survival.

Singapore Basic Cardiac Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation Guidelines 2021.

Basic Cardiac Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation (BCLS+AED) refers to the skills required in resuscitating cardiac arrest casualties. On recognising cardiac arrest, the rescuer should call for '995' for Emergency Ambulance and immediately initiate chest compressions. Good-quality chest compressions are performed with arms extended, elbows locked, shoulders directly perpendicular over the casualty's chest, and the heel of the palm placed on the lower half of the sternum. The rescuer compresses hard and fast at 4-6 cm depth for adults at a compression rate of 100-120 per minute, with complete chest recoil after each compression. Two quick ventilations of 400-600 mL each can be delivered via a bag-valve-mask after every 30 chest compressions. Alternatively, a trained, able and willing rescuer can provide mouth-to-mouth ventilation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be stopped only when the casualty wakes up, the emergency team takes over care, or when an automated external defibrillator prompts for heart rhythm analysis or delivery of a shock.

Beyond return of spontaneous circulation: update on post-cardiac arrest management in the intensive care unit.

A well-functioning chain of survival is critical for good outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, a major public health concern in Singapore. While the percentage of survivors to hospital admission has increased over the years, the percentage of survivors to hospital discharge and the number of patients with good neurological recovery can be greatly improved. This underscores the urgent need to focus on 'post-cardiac arrest care', the fifth link in the chain of survival, to improve the outcomes of patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after return of spontaneous circulation. This review builds on earlier recommendations of the Singapore National Targeted Temperature Management Workgroup in 2017 to provide a focused update on post-cardiac arrest management and a practical guide for physicians managing resuscitated patients with cardiac arrest in the ICU.