Effects of weights applied to the apex of a bag-valve-mask and pinch strength on tidal volume: a prospective simulation study.

A bag-valve-mask (BVM) is a first aid tool that can easily and quickly provide positive-pressure ventilation in patients with breathing difficulties. The most important aspect of BVM bagging is how closely the mask adheres to the patient's face when the E-C technique is used. In particular, the greater the adhesion force at the apex of the mask, the greater the tidal volume. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various weights applied to the mask's apex and the pinch strength needed to perform the E-C technique, on tidal volume. In this prospective simulation study, quasi-experimental and equivalent time-series designs were used. A total of 72 undergraduate paramedic student from three universities were recruited using convenience sampling. The tidal volumes according to the weights (0 g, 100 g, 200 g, 300 g) applied to the apical area of the mask, handgrip strength, and pinch strength (tip pinch strength, key pinch strength, and tripod pinch strength) were measured. A linear mixed model analysis was performed. Linear mixed model analyses showed that tidal volume was significantly higher at 200 g (B = 43.38, p = 0.022) and 300 g (B = 38.74, p = 0.017) than at 0 g. Tripod pinch strength (B = 12.88, p = 0.007) had a significant effect on mask adhesion for effective BVM ventilation. Adding weight to the apical area of the mask can help maintain the E-C technique and enable effective ventilation. Future studies are required to develop specific strategies to improve the ventilation skills, which can be an important first-aid activity.

Delayed arrival of advanced life support adversely affects the neurological outcome in a multi-tier emergency response system.

AIM: Prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is based on basic life support, with the addition of advanced life support (ALS) if possible. This study aimed to investigate the effect of delayed arrival of ALS on neurological outcomes of patients with OHCA at hospital discharge. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of a registry of patients with OHCA. A multi-tier emergency response system was established in the study area. ALS was initiated when the second-arrival team arrived at the scene. A restricted cubic spline curve was used to investigate the relationship between the response time interval of the second-arrival team and neurological outcomes at hospital discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the independent association between the response time interval of the second-arrival team and neurological outcomes of patients at hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of 3186 adult OHCA patients who received ALS at the scene were included in the final analysis. A restricted cubic spline curve showed that a long response time interval of the second-arrival team was correlated with a high likelihood of poor neurological outcomes. Meanwhile, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that a long response time interval of the second-arrival team was independently associated with poor neurological outcomes (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.17). CONCLUSION: In a multi-tiered prehospital emergency response system, the delayed arrival of ALS was associated with poor neurological outcomes at hospital discharge.

Lower limb muscle matters in patients with hypoxic brain injury following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting results regarding the association between body mass index and the prognosis of cardiac arrest patients. We investigated the association of the composition and distribution of muscle and fat with neurologic outcomes at hospital discharge in successfully resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. METHODS: This prospective, single-centre, observational study involved adult OHCA patients, conducted between April 2019 and June 2021. The ratio of total skeletal muscle, upper limb muscle, lower limb muscle, and total fat to body weight was measured using InBody S10, a bioimpedance analyser, after achieving the return of spontaneous circulation. Restricted cubic spline curves with four knots were used to examine the relationship between total skeletal muscle, upper limb muscle, and lower limb muscle relative to total body weight and neurologic outcome at discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess an independent association. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients were enrolled in the study. The proportion of total muscle and lower limb muscle positively correlated with the possibility of having a good neurologic outcome. The proportion of lower limb muscle showed an independent association in the multivariable analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 2.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-13.98), and its optimal cut-off value calculated through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was 23.1%, which can predict a good neurological outcome. CONCLUSIONS: A higher proportion of lower limb muscle to body weight was independently associated with the probability of having a good neurologic outcome in OHCA patients.

Development and Validation of Simple Age-Adjusted Objectified Korean Triage and Acuity Scale for Adult Patients Visiting the Emergency Department.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to develop an objectified Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (OTAS) that can objectively and quickly classify severity, as well as a simple age-adjusted OTAS (S-OTAS) that reflects age and evaluate its usefulness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of all adult patients who had visited the emergency department at three teaching hospitals. Sex, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, O2 saturation, and consciousness level were collected from medical records. The OTAS was developed with objective criterion and minimal OTAS level, and S-OTAS was developed by adding the age variable. For usefulness evaluation, the 30-day mortality, the rates of computed tomography scan and emergency procedures were compared between Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) and OTAS. RESULTS: A total of 44402 patients were analyzed. For 30-day mortality, S-OTAS showed a higher area under the curve (AUC) compared to KTAS (0.751 vs. 0.812 for KTAS and S-OTAS, respectively, p<0.001). Regarding the rates of emergency procedures, AUC was significantly higher in S-OTAS, compared to KTAS (0.807 vs. 0.830, for KTAS and S-OTAS, respectively, p=0.013). CONCLUSION: S-OTAS showed comparative usefulness for adult patients visiting the emergency department as a triage tool compared to KTAS.

Association of the duration of on-scene advanced life support with good neurological recovery in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: As advanced life support (ALS) provided by emergency medical services (EMS) on scene becomes more common, the scene time interval (STI) for which EMS providers stay on scene tends to lengthen. We investigated the relationship between the STI and neurological outcome of patients at hospital discharge when ALS was provided by EMS on scene. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data between August 2015 and December 2018. A restricted cubic spline curve was used to investigate the relationship between the STI and neurologic outcome, and patients were divided into two groups based on the cut-off value obtained through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Comparisons of outcomes between the two groups were performed before and after propensity score matching. RESULTS: 4548 patients were included in the analysis. In ROC analysis, the optimal cut-off value for STI was 19 min. For the group with an STI <19 min, survival admission, survival discharge, and good neurologic outcome at hospital discharge were all higher than for the group with STI ≥19 min before and after propensity score matching. The multivariable model also showed that the STI ≥19 min was significantly associated with poor neurologic outcome at hospital discharge compared with the STI <19 min (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.40-2.88). CONCLUSIONS: A duration of on-scene ALS more than 19 min was associated with a poor neurologic outcome of patients at hospital discharge in OHCA.

Association between the initial serum phosphate level and 30-day mortality in blunt trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies on patients with cardiac arrest or sepsis have reported that high initial phosphate levels are associated with poor outcomes. However, no previous study has investigated the association between initial phosphate levels and outcomes in blunt trauma patients. METHODS: This study was a retrospective observational study conducted on blunt trauma patients who had been treated at the single regional trauma center between January 2016 and December 2017. Patients' demographic data, initial vital signs, trauma scores, and laboratory parameters including phosphate levels were collected from the trauma registry. The primary outcome was set to 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were the total volume of blood transfused, 30-day hospital-free days, and 30-day intensive care unit-free days. RESULTS: Of the 1,907 included patients, 1,836 were in the survival group, and 71 were in the nonsurvival group. The nonsurvival group had a significantly higher phosphate level than the survival group. Patients in the hyperphosphatemia group had a higher 30-day mortality, fewer 30-day intensive care unit-free days, and higher transfusion volume than those in the other groups. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, hyperphosphatemia was independently associated with 30-day mortality. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve with the inclusion of phosphate in addition to Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score, and age was 0.911. Area under the curve was also increased when phosphate was simply added to Injury Severity Score and Revised Trauma Score. CONCLUSION: In blunt trauma patients, hyperphosphatemia was associated with an increased 30-day mortality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, level III.

Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation Treated with Double Simultaneous Defibrillation: Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Refractory shockable rhythm has a high mortality rate and poor neurological outcome. Treatments for refractory shockable rhythm presenting after defibrillation and medical treatment are not definite. We conducted research on the application of double simultaneous defibrillation (DSiD) for refractory shockable rhythms. METHODS: This is a retrospective pilot study performed using medical records from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017. The prephase was from January to December 2016. The post-phase was from January to December 2017. During the prephase, we conducted conventional defibrillation with one defibrillator, and during the post-phase, we conducted DSiD using two defibrillators. Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included survival to hospital admission and good neurological outcome at 12 months. Statistical analysis was conducted using Fisher's exact test. Data were regarded statistically significant when p < 0.05. RESULT: A total of 38 patients were included. Twenty-one patients underwent conventional defibrillation, and 17 underwent DSiD. The DSiD group had a higher survival to admission rate (14/17 (82.4%) vs. 6/21 (28.6%), p=0.001) and showed a trend for higher survival to discharge (7/17 (41.2%) vs. 3/21 (14.3%), p=0.078). Good neurological outcome at 12 months of the DSiD group was higher than that of the conventional defibrillation group, but the difference was not statistically significant (5/17 (29.4%) vs 2/21 (9.5%), p=0.207). CONCLUSION: In patients with refractory shockable rhythms, DSiD has increased survival to hospital admission and a trend of increased survival to hospital discharge. However, DSiD did not improve neurological outcome at 12 months.

Oropharyngeal swallowing function in patients with presbyphagia.

[Purpose] This study investigated the characteristics of oropharyngeal swallowing function in patients with presbyphagia. [Participants and Methods] Data for 25 patients with presbyphagia were retrospectively analyzed. The oropharyngeal swallowing function was evaluated using VDS based on videofluoroscopic swallowing study. [Results] Lip closure, mastication, laryngeal elevation, and aspiration showed a relative decrease in function. [Conclusion] This study showed a reduction in oropharyngeal swallowing in patients with presbyphagia. Our results may help in the diagnosis and treatment of presbyphagia.

The association of alcohol consumption with patient survival after organophosphate poisoning: a multicenter retrospective study.

Organophosphate (OP) intoxication remains a serious worldwide health concern, and many patients with acute OP intoxication have also consumed alcohol. Therefore, we evaluated the association of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) with mortality among patients with OP intoxication. We retrospectively reviewed records from 135 patients who were admitted to an emergency department (ED) for OP intoxication between January 2000 and December 2012. Factors that were associated with patient survival were identified via receiver operating characteristic curve, multiple logistic regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Among 135 patients with acute OP poisoning, 112 patients survived (overall mortality rate: 17 %). The non-survivors also exhibited a significantly higher BAC, compared to the survivors [non-survivors: 192 mg/dL, interquartile range (IQR) 97-263 mg/dL vs. survivors: 80 mg/dL, IQR 0-166.75 mg/dL; p < 0.001]. A BAC cut-off value of 173 mg/dL provided an area under the curve of 0.744 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.661-0.815], a sensitivity of 65.2 %, and a specificity of 81.2 %. A BAC of >173 mg/dL was associated with a significantly increased risk of 6-month mortality in the multiple logistic regression model (odds ratio 4.92, 95 % CI 1.45-16.67, p = 0.001). The Cox proportional hazard model revealed that a BAC of >173 mg/dL provided a hazard ratio of 3.07 (95 % CI 1.19-7.96, p = 0.021). A BAC of >173 mg/dL is a risk factor for mortality among patients with OP intoxication.

Refractory ventricular fibrillation treated with esmolol.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of esmolol treatment for patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation (RVF) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: This single-centre retrospective pre-post study evaluated patients who were treated between January 2012 and December 2015. Some patients had received esmolol (loading dose: 500µg/kg, infusion: 0-100µg/kg/min) for RVF (≥3 defibrillation attempts), after obtaining consent from the patient's guardian. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients did not receive esmolol (the control group), and 16 patients received esmolol. Sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was significantly more common in the esmolol group, compared to the control group (56% vs. 16%, p=0.007). Survival and good neurological outcomes at 30 days, 3 months and at 6 months were >2-fold better in the esmolol group, compared to the control group, although these increases were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study suggest that administration of esmolol may increase the rate of sustained ROSC and ICU survival among patients with RVF in OHCA. Further larger-scale, prospective studies are necessary to determine the effect of esmolol for RVF in OHCA.