Compliance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines in witnessed in-hospital cardiac arrest events and patient outcome on monitored versus non-monitored wards.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines in treatment of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) have been associated with favourable patient outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate if compliance with initial CPR guidelines and patient outcome of witnessed IHCA events were associated with the place of arrest defined as monitored versus non-monitored ward. METHODS: A total of 956 witnessed IHCA events in adult patients at six hospitals during 2018 to 2019, were extracted from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Initial CPR guidelines were: ≤1 min from collapse to alert of the rapid response team, ≤1 min from collapse to start of CPR, ≤3 min from collapse to defibrillation of shockable rhythm. RESULTS: The odds of compliance with guidelines was higher on monitored wards vs non-monitored wards, even after adjustment for factors that could affect staffing and resources. The place of arrest was not a significant factor for sustained return of spontaneous circulation, survival at 30 days, or neurological status at discharge, when adjusting for clinically relevant confounders. Compliance with initial CPR guidelines remained a significant factor for survival to 30 days and favourable neurological outcome at discharge regardless of other confounders. CONCLUSION: Compliance with initial CPR guidelines was higher in witnessed IHCA events on monitored wards than on non-monitored wards, which indicates that healthcare professionals in monitored wards are quicker to recognize a cardiac arrest and initiate treatment. When initial CPR guidelines are followed, the place of arrest does not influence patient outcome.

Incidence and case ascertainment of treated in-hospital cardiac arrest events in a national quality registry - A comparison of reported and non-reported events.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 2500 in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) events are reported annually to the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR) with an estimated incidence of 1.7/1000 hospital admissions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the compliance in reporting IHCA events to the SRCR and to compare reported IHCA events with possible non-reported events, and to estimate IHCA incidence. METHODS: Fifteen diagnose codes, eight Classification of Care Measure codes, and two perioperative complication codes were used to find all treated IHCAs in 2018-2019 at six hospitals of varying sizes and resources. All identified IHCA events were cross-checked against the SRCR using personal identity numbers. All non-reported IHCA events were retrospectively reported and compared with the prospectively reported events. RESULTS: A total of 3638 hospital medical records were reviewed and 1109 IHCA events in 999 patients were identified, with 254 of the events not found in the SRCR. The case completeness was 77% (range 55-94%). IHCA incidence was 2.9/1000 hospital admissions and 12.4/1000 admissions to intensive care units. The retrospectively reported events were more often found on monitored wards, involved patients who were younger, had less comorbidity, were often found in shockable rhythm and more often achieved sustained spontaneous circulation, compared with in prospectively reported events. CONCLUSION: IHCA case completeness in the SRCR was 77% and IHCA incidence was 2.9/1000 hospital admissions. The retrospectively reported IHCA events were found in monitored areas where the rapid response team was not alerted, which might have affected regular reporting procedures.

Midwife Educators' perceptions of the efficacy of the Objective Structured clinical assessment of life-saving interventions - a qualitative interview study in Bangladesh.

INTRODUCTION: Objective Structured Clinical Assessment (OSCA) is a way of evaluating students or clinicians in how they are carrying out their duties. The aim of this study was to examine how midwifery educators in Bangladesh perceived using OSCA as an assessment device in midwifery education for student performance in life-saving midwifery interventions. METHOD: Individual interviews were conducted with 47 academic midwives and clinical midwives using purposive sampling at 38 education institutions in Bangladesh. Content analysis inspired by Elo and Kyngas was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The ability of students to perform effectively in the OSCA-evaluated simulation of life-saving skills was related to the educators' understanding of the concept of midwifery. The overarching main category of this study showed that for midwifery educators to be able to effectually teach professional, evidence-based midwifery, they need to be able to synthesize the delivery of practical and theoretical skills with pedagogical skills and knowledge. To implement the OSCA tool more effectively, midwifery educators need to understand the underpinning principles of midwifery values and philosophy including leadership, ownership, responsibility, and personal engagement. CONCLUSION: There is potential to improve the efficacy of using OSCA to deliver the teaching of life-saving skills. Team sessions with midwives and physicians aiming to practice teamwork and role divisions in life-saving interventions are recommended.

Trends in survival after cardiac arrest: a Swedish nationwide study over 30 years.

AIMS: Trends in characteristics, management, and survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) were studied in the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Registry (SCRR). METHODS AND RESULTS: The SCRR was used to study 106 296 cases of OHCA (1990-2020) and 30 032 cases of IHCA (2004-20) in whom resuscitation was attempted. In OHCA, survival increased from 5.7% in 1990 to 10.1% in 2011 and remained unchanged thereafter. Odds ratios [ORs, 95% confidence interval (CI)] for survival in 2017-20 vs. 1990-93 were 2.17 (1.93-2.43) overall, 2.36 (2.07-2.71) for men, and 1.67 (1.34-2.10) for women. Survival increased for all aetiologies, except trauma, suffocation, and drowning. OR for cardiac aetiology in 2017-20 vs. 1990-93 was 0.45 (0.42-0.48). Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation increased from 30.9% to 82.2%. Shockable rhythm decreased from 39.5% in 1990 to 17.4% in 2020. Use of targeted temperature management decreased from 42.1% (2010) to 18.2% (2020). In IHCA, OR for survival in 2017-20 vs. 2004-07 was 1.18 (1.06-1.31), showing a non-linear trend with probability of survival increasing by 46.6% during 2011-20. Myocardial ischaemia or infarction as aetiology decreased during 2004-20 from 67.4% to 28.3% [OR 0.30 (0.27-0.34)]. Shockable rhythm decreased from 37.4% to 23.0% [OR 0.57 (0.51-0.64)]. Approximately 90% of survivors (IHCA and OHCA) had no or mild neurological sequelae. CONCLUSION: Survival increased 2.2-fold in OHCA during 1990-2020 but without any improvement in the final decade, and 1.2-fold in IHCA during 2004-20, with rapid improvement the last decade. Cardiac aetiology and shockable rhythms were halved. Neurological outcome has not improved.

Attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation situations and associations with potential influencing factors-A survey among in-hospital healthcare professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among in-hospital healthcare professionals (HCPs) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate attitudes towards CPR situations among in-hospital HCPs and assess associations with potential influencing factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to 3,085 HCPs in 2009 and 2,970 HCPs in 2015-2016. The associations of influencing factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: In the event of a possible cardiac arrest situation, 61% of the HCPs would feel confident in their CPR knowledge, 86% would know what to do, and 60% would be able to take command if necessary. In the latest real-life CPR situation, 30% had been worried about making mistakes or causing complications, 57% had been stressed, and 27% had been anxious. A short time since the latest real-life CPR performance and a high number of previous real-life CPR performances were associated with lower odds of worrying about making mistakes/causing complications, lower odds of feeling stressed or anxious, and higher odds of feeling calm. Regardless of previous real-life CPR experience, there were differences in attitudes between groups of professions, where physicians showed increased odds of worrying about making mistakes/causing complications and nurses showed increased odds of stress. Working on a non-monitored ward meant increased odds of stress and worrying about making mistakes/causing complications. Twelve months or more having passed since the latest CPR training course was associated with increased odds of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Despite HCPs' generally positive attitudes towards performing CPR in the event of a possible cardiac arrest situation, feelings of stress and anxiety were common in real-life CPR situations. Regular CPR training among all HCPs is a key factor to maintain competence and reduce anxiety. The possible effects of attitudes on performing CPR need to be studied further.

Association between type of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A machine learning study.

Aim: In the event of an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) it is recommended for a sole untrained bystander to perform compression only CPR (CO-CPR). However, it remains unknown if CO-CPR is inferior to standard CPR (S-CPR), including both compressions and ventilation, in terms of survival. One could speculate that due to the current pandemic, bystanders may be more hesitant performing mouth-to-mouth ventilation. The aim of this study is to assess the association between type of bystander CPR and survival in OHCA. Methods: This study included all patients with a bystander treated OHCA between year 2015-2019 in ages 18-100 using The Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR). We compared CO-CPR to S-CPR in terms of 30-day survival using a propensity score approach based on machine learning adjusting for a large number of covariates. Results: A total of 13,481 patients were included (5,293 with S-CPR and 8,188 with CO-CPR). The matched subgroup consisted of 2994 cases in each group.Gradient boosting were the best models with regards to predictive accuracy (for type of bystander CPR) and covariate balance. The difference between S-CPR and CO-CPR in all 30 models computed on covariate adjustment and 1-to-1 matching were non-significant. In the 30 weighted models, three comparisons (S-CPR vs. CO-CPR) were significant in terms of improved survival; odds ratio for men was 1.21 (99% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.43; Average treatment effect (ATE)); for patients ≥73 years 1.57 (99% CI 1.17-2.12) for Average treatment effect on treated (ATT) and 1.63 (99% CI 1.18-2.25) for ATE. Remaining 27 models showed no differences. No significances remain after adjustment for multiple testing. Conclusion: We found no significant differences between S-CPR and CO-CPR in terms of survival, supporting current recommendations for untrained bystanders regarding CO-CPR.

Cohort profile: the Swedish study of SUDden cardiac Death in the Young (SUDDY) 2000-2010: a complete nationwide cohort of SCDs.

PURPOSE: The rationale behind the SUDden cardiac Death in the Young (SUDDY) cohort was to provide a complete nationwide, high-quality platform with integrated multisource data, for clinical and genetic research on sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young, with the ultimate goal to predict and prevent SCD. PARTICIPANTS: The cohort contains all SCD victims <36 years, in Sweden during the period 2000-2010. We assigned five population-based controls per case, together with parents of cases and controls, in total 15 633 individuals. Data of all individuals were extracted from multiple mandatory registries; the National Patient Registry, the Medical Birth Registry, the Prescribed Drug registry, the Cause of Death registry, the Multigeneration Registry, combined with socioeconomic data from Statistics Sweden. From SCD victims, the autopsy report, medical records, ECGs, parental information and biological samples were gathered. FINDINGS TO DATE: We identified 903 individuals diagnosed with SCD (67% men, 33% women). The cases comprised 236 infants <1 year of age (26%), 90 individuals aged 1-15 years (10%), 186 individuals aged 15-25 years (21%) and 391 aged 25-35 years (43%). Hospitalisations and outpatient clinic visits due to syncope were significantly more common among cases than controls. DNA obtained from dried blood spots tests (DBS) stored from birth was equally suitable as venous blood samples for high-throughput genetic analysis of SCD cases. FUTURE PLANS: We will explore the SUDDY cohort for symptoms and healthcare consumption, socioeconomic variables and family history of SCD. Furthermore, we will perform whole exome sequencing analysis on DNA of cases obtained from DBS or postmortem samples together with parental blood samples in search for gene variants associated with cardiac disease. The genetic analysis together with data compiled in the nationwide cohort is expected to improve current knowledge on the incidence, aetiology, clinical characteristics and family history of SCD.

Better outcomes from exercise-related out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in males and in the young: findings from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is higher if the arrest is witnessed and occurs during exercise, however, there is contradicting data on prognosis with regards to sex and age. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes and circumstances of exercise-related OHCA in different age groups and between sexes in a large unselected population. METHODS: Data from exercise-related OHCAs reported to the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation from 2011 to 2014 and from 2016 to 2018 were analysed. All cases of exercise-related OHCA in which emergency medical services attempted resuscitation were included. The primary outcome was survival to 30 days. RESULTS: In total, 635 cases of exercise-related OHCA outside of the home were identified. The overall 30-day survival rate was 44.5% with highest survival rate in the age group 0-35 years, compared with 36-65 years and >65 years (59.6% vs 46.0% and 40.4%, p=0.01). A subgroup analysis of 0-25 years showed a survival rate of 68.8%. Exercise-related OHCA in females (9.1% of total) were witnessed to a lower extent (66.7% vs 79.6%, p=0.03) and median time to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was longer (2.0 vs 1.0 min, p=0.001) than in males. Females also had lower rates of ventricular fibrillation (43.4% vs 64.7%, p=0.003) and a lower 30-day survival rate (29.3% vs 46.0%, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: In exercise-related OHCA, younger victims have a higher survival rate. Exercise-related OHCA in females was rare, however, survival rates were lower compared with males and partly explained by a lower proportion of witnessed events, longer time to CPR and lower frequency of a shockable rhythm.

The Automated External Defibrillator: Heterogeneity of Legislation, Mapping and Use across Europe. New Insights from the ENSURE Study.

INTRODUCTION: The rapid use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) is crucial for increased survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Many factors could play a role in limiting the chance of an AED use. We aimed to verify the situation regarding AED legislation, the AED mapping system and first responders (FRs) equipped with an AED across European countries. METHODS: We performed a survey across Europe entitled "European Study about AED Use by Lay Rescuers" (ENSURE), asking the national coordinators of the European Registry of Cardiac Arrest (EuReCa) program to complete it. RESULTS: Nineteen European countries replied to the survey request for a population covering 128,297,955 inhabitants. The results revealed that every citizen can use an AED in 15 countries whereas a training certificate was required in three countries. In one country, only EMS personnel were allowed to use an AED. An AED mapping system and FRs equipped with an AED were available in only 11 countries. The AED use rate was 12-59% where AED mapping and FR systems were implemented, which was considerably higher than in other countries (0-7.9%), reflecting the difference in OHCA survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey highlighted a heterogeneity in AED legislation, AED mapping systems and AED use in Europe, which was reflected in different AED use and survival.

To ventilate or not to ventilate during bystander CPR - A EuReCa TWO analysis.

BACKGROUND: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is still low. For every minute without resuscitation the likelihood of survival decreases. One critical step is initiation of immediate, high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The aim of this subgroup analysis of data collected for the European Registry of Cardiac Arrest Study number 2 (EuReCa TWO) was to investigate the association between OHCA survival and two types of bystander CPR namely: chest compression only CPR (CConly) and CPR with chest compressions and ventilations (FullCPR). METHOD: In this subgroup analysis of EuReCa TWO, all patients who received bystander CPR were included. Outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation and survival to 30-days or hospital discharge. A multilevel binary logistic regression analysis with survival as the dependent variable was performed. RESULTS: A total of 5884 patients were included in the analysis, varying between countries from 21 to 1444. Survival was 320 (8%) in the CConly group and 174 (13%) in the FullCPR group. After adjustment for age, sex, location, rhythm, cause, time to scene, witnessed collapse and country, patients who received FullCPR had a significantly higher survival rate when compared to those who received CConly (adjusted odds ration 1.46, 95% confidence interval 1.17-1.83). CONCLUSION: In this analysis, FullCPR was associated with higher survival compared to CConly. Guidelines should continue to emphasise the importance of compressions and ventilations during resuscitation for patients who suffer OHCA and CPR courses should continue to teach both.

Cardiac arrest in COVID-19: characteristics and outcomes of in- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A report from the Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

AIM: To study the characteristics and outcome among cardiac arrest cases with COVID-19 and differences between the pre-pandemic and the pandemic period in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). METHOD AND RESULTS: We included all patients reported to the Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation from 1 January to 20 July 2020. We defined 16 March 2020 as the start of the pandemic. We assessed overall and 30-day mortality using Cox regression and logistic regression, respectively. We studied 1946 cases of OHCA and 1080 cases of IHCA during the entire period. During the pandemic, 88 (10.0%) of OHCAs and 72 (16.1%) of IHCAs had ongoing COVID-19. With regards to OHCA during the pandemic, the odds ratio for 30-day mortality in COVID-19-positive cases, compared with COVID-19-negative cases, was 3.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-11.64]; the corresponding hazard ratio was 1.45 (95% CI 1.13-1.85). Adjusted 30-day survival was 4.7% for patients with COVID-19, 9.8% for patients without COVID-19, and 7.6% in the pre-pandemic period. With regards to IHCA during the pandemic, the odds ratio for COVID-19-positive cases, compared with COVID-19-negative cases, was 2.27 (95% CI 1.27-4.24); the corresponding hazard ratio was 1.48 (95% CI 1.09-2.01). Adjusted 30-day survival was 23.1% in COVID-19-positive cases, 39.5% in patients without COVID-19, and 36.4% in the pre-pandemic period. CONCLUSION: During the pandemic phase, COVID-19 was involved in at least 10% of all OHCAs and 16% of IHCAs, and, among COVID-19 cases, 30-day mortality was increased 3.4-fold in OHCA and 2.3-fold in IHCA.

Shortening Ambulance Response Time Increases Survival in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Background The ambulance response time in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has doubled over the past 30 years in Sweden. At the same time, the chances of surviving an OHCA have increased substantially. A correct understanding of the effect of ambulance response time on the outcome after OHCA is fundamental for further advancement in cardiac arrest care. Methods and Results We used data from the SRCR (Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to determine the effect of ambulance response time on 30-day survival after OHCA. We included 20 420 cases of OHCA occurring in Sweden between 2008 and 2017. Survival to 30 days was our primary outcome. Stratification and multiple logistic regression were used to control for confounding variables. In a model adjusted for age, sex, calendar year, and place of collapse, survival to 30 days is presented for 4 different groups of emergency medical services (EMS)-crew response time: 0 to 6 minutes, 7 to 9 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes, and >15 minutes. Survival to 30 days after a witnessed OHCA decreased as ambulance response time increased. For EMS response times of >10 minutes, the overall survival among those receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation before EMS arrival was slightly higher than survival for the sub-group of patients treated with compressions-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Conclusions Survival to 30 days after a witnessed OHCA decreases as ambulance response times increase. This correlation was seen independently of initial rhythm and whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed before EMS-crew arrival. Shortening EMS response times is likely to be a fast and effective way of increasing survival in OHCA.

Theoretical knowledge and self-assessed ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a survey among 3044 healthcare professionals in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: Theoretical knowledge and ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are unknown with regard to provided training. The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital healthcare professionals' (HCPs) theoretical knowledge of CPR and their self-assessed ability to perform CPR and also to assess possible affecting factors. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to n = 5323 HCPs containing a nine-question knowledge test and a Likert scale measuring self-assessed ability. A factor score of self-assessed ability and a ratio scale of correct answers were dependent variables in multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Only 41% of the responding HCPs passed the knowledge test with seven or more correct answers. Nurses had the highest pass rate (50%) and the highest attendance rate at CPR training (56%). The ability to perform defibrillation was strongly agreed by 43% and the ability of leadership by only 7%. Working on a monitored ward, CPR training 0-6 months ago and being a nurse or physician were factors associated with more correct answers and higher ratings of abilities. CONCLUSION: The overall theoretical knowledge was poor and ratings of self-assessed abilities to perform CPR were low. Working on a monitored ward, recently attended CPR training and being a nurse or physician were factors associated with higher theoretical knowledge and higher ratings of self-assessed ability to perform CPR. These findings imply prioritisation of CPR training.

Identifying the relative importance of predictors of survival in out of hospital cardiac arrest: a machine learning study.

INTRODUCTION: Studies examining the factors linked to survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have either aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of OHCA in different parts of the world, or focused on certain factors and whether they were associated with survival. Unfortunately, this approach does not measure how strong each factor is in predicting survival after OHCA. AIM: To investigate the relative importance of 16 well-recognized factors in OHCA at the time point of ambulance arrival, and before any interventions or medications were given, by using a machine learning approach that implies building models directly from the data, and arranging those factors in order of importance in predicting survival. METHODS: Using a data-driven approach with a machine learning algorithm, we studied the relative importance of 16 factors assessed during the pre-hospital phase of OHCA. We examined 45,000 cases of OHCA between 2008 and 2016. RESULTS: Overall, the top five factors to predict survival in order of importance were: initial rhythm, age, early Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR, time to CPR and CPR before arrival of EMS), time from EMS dispatch until EMS arrival, and place of cardiac arrest. The largest difference in importance was noted between initial rhythm and the remaining predictors. A number of factors, including time of arrest and sex were of little importance. CONCLUSION: Using machine learning, we confirm that the most important predictor of survival in OHCA is initial rhythm, followed by age, time to start of CPR, EMS response time and place of OHCA. Several factors traditionally viewed as important, e.g. sex, were of little importance.

Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Europe - Results of the EuReCa TWO study.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology and outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) varies across Europe. Following on from EuReCa ONE, the aim of this study was to further explore the incidence of and outcomes from OHCA in Europe and to improve understanding of the role of the bystander. METHODS: This prospective, multicentre study involved the collection of registry-based data over a three-month period (1st October 2017 to 31st December 2017). The core study dataset complied with the Utstein-style. Primary outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital admission. Secondary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS: All 28 countries provided data, covering a total population of 178,879,118. A total of 37,054 OHCA were confirmed, with CPR being started in 25,171 cases. The bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rate ranged from 13% to 82% between countries (average: 58%). In one third of cases (33%) ROSC was achieved and 8% of patients were discharged from hospital alive. Survival to hospital discharge was higher in patients when a bystander performed CPR with ventilations, compared to compression-only CPR (14% vs. 8% respectively). CONCLUSION: In addition to increasing our understanding of the role of bystander CPR within Europe, EuReCa TWO has confirmed large variation in OHCA incidence, characteristics and outcome, and highlighted the extent to which OHCA is a public health burden across Europe. Unexplained variation remains and the EuReCa network has a continuing role to play in improving the quality management of resuscitation.

International variation in survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A validation study of the Utstein template.

INTRODUCTION: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival varies greatly between communities. The Utstein template was developed and promulgated to improve the comparability of OHCA outcome reports, but it has undergone limited empiric validation. We sought to assess how much of the variation in OHCA survival between emergency medical services (EMS) across the globe is explained by differences in the Utstein factors. We also assessed how accurately the Utstein factors predict OHCA survival. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patient-level prospectively collected data from 12 OHCA registries from 12 countries for the period 1 Jan 2006 through 31 Dec 2011. We used generalized linear mixed models to examine the variation in survival between EMS agencies (n=232). RESULTS: Twelve registries contributed 86,759 cases. Patient arrest characteristics, EMS treatment and patient outcomes varied across registries. Overall survival to hospital discharge was 10% (range, 6% to 22%). Overall survival with Cerebral Performance Category of 1 or 2 (available for 8/12 registries) was 8% (range, 2% to 20%). The area-under-the-curve for the Utstein model was 0.85 (Wald CI: 0.85-0.85). The Utstein factors explained 51% of the EMS agency variation in OHCA survival. CONCLUSIONS: The Utstein factors explained 51% of the variation in survival to hospital discharge among multiple large geographically separate EMS agencies. This suggests that quality improvement and public health efforts should continue to target modifiable Utstein factors to improve OHCA survival. Further study is required to identify the reasons for the variation that is incompletely understood.

Outcome of exercise-related out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is dependent on location: Sports arenas vs outside of arenas.

BACKGROUND: The chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) seems to be increased if the cardiac arrests occurs in relation to exercise. Hypothetically, an exercise-related OHCA at a sports arena would have an even better prognosis, because of an increased likelihood of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and higher availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The purpose of the study was to compare survival rates between exercise-related OHCA at sports arenas versus outside of sports arenas. METHODS: Data from all treated exercise-related OHCA outside home reported to the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR) from 2011 to 2014 in 10 counties of Sweden was analyzed (population 6 million). The registry has in those counties a coverage of almost 100% of all OHCAs. RESULTS: 3714 cases of OHCA outside of home were found. Amongst them, 268(7%) were exercise-related and 164 (61.2%) of those occurred at sports arenas. The 30-day survival rate was higher for exercise-related OHCA at sports arenas compared to outside (55.7% vs 30.0%, p<0.0001). OHCA-victims at sports arenas were younger (mean age±SD 57.6±16.3 years compared to 60.9±17.0 years, p = 0.05), less likely female (4.3% vs 12.2%, p = 0.02) and had a higher frequency of shockable rhythm (73.0% vs 54.3%, p = 0.004). OHCAs at arenas were more often witnessed (83.9% vs 68.9%, p = 0.007), received bystander CPR to a higher extent (90.0% vs 56.8%, p<0.0001) and the AED-use before EMS-arrival was also higher in this group (29.8% vs 11.1%, p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The prognosis is markedly better for exercise-related OHCA occurring at sports arenas compared to outside. Victims of exercise-related OHCA at sports arenas are more likely to receive bystander CPR and to be connected to a public AED. These findings support an increased use of public AEDs and implementation of Medical Action Plans (MAP), to possibly increase survival of exercise-related OHCA even further.

Adverse events in prehospital emergency care: a trigger tool study.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital emergency care has developed rapidly during the past decades. The care is given in a complex context which makes prehospital care a potential high-risk activity when it comes to patient safety. Patient safety in the prehospital setting has been only sparsely investigated. The aims of the present study were 1) To investigate the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in prehospital care and 2) To investigate the factors contributing to AEs in prehospital care. METHODS: We used a retrospective study design where 30 randomly selected prehospital medical records were screened for AEs each month in three prehospital organizations in Sweden during a period of one year. A total of 1080 prehospital medical records were included. The record review was based on the use of 11 screening criteria. RESULTS: The reviewers identified 46 AEs in 46 of 1080 (4.3%) prehospital medical records. Of the 46 AEs, 43 were classified as potential for harm (AE1) (4.0, 95% CI = 2.9-5.4) and three as harm identified (AE2) (0.3, 95% CI = 0.1-0.9). However, among patients with a life-threatening condition (priority 1), the risk of AE was higher (16.5%). The most common factors contributing to AEs were deviations from standard of care and missing, incomplete, or unclear documentation. The most common cause of AEs was the result of action(s) or inaction(s) by the emergency medical service (EMS) crew. CONCLUSIONS: There were 4.3 AEs per 100 ambulance missions in Swedish prehospital care. The majority of AEs originated from deviations from standard of care and incomplete documentation. There was an increase in the risk of AE among patients who the EMS team assessed as having a life-threatening condition. Most AEs were possible to avoid.

The final assessment and its association with field assessment in patients who were transported by the emergency medical service.

BACKGROUND: In patients who call for the emergency medical service (EMS), there is a knowledge gap with regard to the final assessment after arriving at hospital and its association with field assessment. AIM: In a representative population of patients who call for the EMS, to describe a) the final assessment at hospital discharge and b) the association between the assessment in the field and the assessment at hospital discharge. METHODS: Thirty randomly selected patients reached by a dispatched ambulance each month between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2016 in one urban, one rural and one mixed ambulance organisation in Sweden took part in the study. The exclusion criteria were age < 18 years, dead on arrival, transport between health-care facilities and secondary missions. Each patient received a unique code based on the ICD code at hospital discharge and field assessment. RESULTS: In all, 1080 patients took part in the study, of which 1076 (99.6%) had a field assessment code. A total of 894 patients (83%) were brought to a hospital and an ICD code (ICD-10-SE) was available in 814 patients (91% of these cases and 76% of all cases included in the study). According to these ICD codes, the most frequent conditions were infection (15%), trauma (15%) and vascular disease (9%). The most frequent body localisation of the condition was the thorax (24%), head (16%) and abdomen (13%). In 118 patients (14% of all ICD codes), the condition according to the ICD code was judged as time critical. Among these cases, field assessment was assessed as potentially appropriate in 75% and potentially inappropriate in 12%. CONCLUSION: Among patients reached by ambulance in Sweden, 83% were transported to hospital and, among them, 14% had a time-critical condition. In these cases, the majority were assessed in the field as potentially appropriate, but 12% had a potentially inappropriate field assessment. The consequences of these findings need to be further explored.

Apples to apples: can differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidence and outcomes between Sweden and Ireland be explained by core Utstein variables?

BACKGROUND: Variation in reported incidence and outcome based on aggregated data is a persistent feature of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) epidemiology. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which patient-level analysis using core 'Utstein' variables explains inter-country variation between Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional comparative study was performed, including all Swedish and Irish OHCA cases attended by Emergency Medical Services (EMS-attended OHCA) where resuscitation was attempted from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2014. Incidence rates per 100,000 population were adjusted for age and gender. Two subgroups were extracted: (1) Utstein - adult patients, bystander-witnessed collapse, presumed medical aetiology, initial shockable rhythm and (2) Emergency Medical Service (EMS)-witnessed events. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of survival following multiple imputations of data. RESULTS: Five thousand eight hundred eighty six Irish and 15,303 Swedish patients were included. Swedish patients were older than Irish patients (median age 71 vs. 66 years respectively). Adjusted incidence was significantly higher in Sweden compared to the Republic of Ireland (52.9 vs. 43.1 per 100,000 population per year). Proportionate survival in Sweden was greater for both subgroups and all age categories. Regression analysis of the Utstein subgroup predicted approximately 17% of variation in outcome, but there was a large unexplained 'country effect' for survival in favour of Sweden (OR 4.40 (95% CI 2.55-7.56)). CONCLUSIONS: Using patient level data, a proportion of inter-country variation was explained, but substantial variation was not explained by the core Utstein variables. Researchers and policy makers should be aware of the potential for unmeasured differences when comparing OHCA incidence and outcomes between countries.