Prehospital identification of acute ischaemic stroke with large vessel occlusion: a retrospective study from western Norway.

BACKGROUND: In 2019, the emergency medical services (EMS) covering the western Norway Regional Health Authority area implemented its version of the prehospital clinical criteria G-FAST (Gaze deviation, Facial palsy, Arm weakness, Visual loss, Speech disturbance) to detect acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO). For patients with gaze deviation and at least one other G-FAST symptom, a primary stroke centre (PSC) may be bypassed and the patient taken directly to a comprehensive stroke centre (CSC) for rapid endovascular treatment (EVT) evaluation. The study aim was to investigate the efficacy of the G-FAST criteria for LVO patient selection and direct transfer to a CSC. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with code-red emergency medical communication centre (EMCC) stroke suspicion ambulance dispatch between August to December 2020. Stroke suspicion was defined as having at least one G-FAST symptom at EMS arrival. We obtained patient data from dispatches from EMCCs, EMS records and local EVT registries. Clinical features, CT images, and reperfusion treatment were recorded. The test characteristics for gaze deviation plus one other G-FAST symptom in detecting LVO were determined. RESULTS: Among 643 patients, 59 were diagnosed with LVO at hospital arrival. In this group, seven fulfilled the G-FAST criteria for direct transport to a CSC at EMS arrival on scene, resulting in a sensitivity of 12% (95% CI 5% to 23%). The specificity was 99.66% (95% CI 98.77% to 99.96%), the positive predictive value 78%, and the negative predictive value 92%. EVT was performed in 64% (38/59) of LVO cases. Median time from PSC arrival to start of EVT at a CSC was 163 min. CONCLUSION: The use of local G-FAST prehospital criteria by EMS personnel to identify patients with AIS with LVO is not suitable for selection of patients with LVO for direct transfer to a CSC.

In situ simulation-based team training and its significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice-A qualitative focus group interview study of anaesthesia personnel.

BACKGROUND: Anaesthesia personnel are an integral part of an interprofessional operating room-team; hence, team-based training in non-technical skills (NTS) are important in preventing adverse events. Quite a few studies have been done on interprofessional in situ simulation-based team training (SBTT). However, research on anaesthesia personnel's experiences and the significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice is limited. The aim of this study is to explore anaesthesia personnel's experience from interprofessional in situ SBTT in NTS and its significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice. METHODS: Follow-up focus group interviews with anaesthesia personnel, who had taken part in interprofessional in situ SBTT were conducted. A qualitative inductive content analysis was performed. RESULTS: Anaesthesia personnel experienced that interprofessional in situ SBTT motivated transfer of learning and provided the opportunity to be aware of own practice regarding NTS and teamwork. One main category, 'interprofessional in situ SBTT as a contributor to enhance anaesthesia practice' and three generic categories, 'interprofessional in situ SBTT motivates learning and improves NTS', 'realism in SBTT is important for learning outcome', and 'SBTT increases the awareness of teamwork' illustrated their experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Participants in the interprofessional in situ SBTT gained experiences in coping with emotions and demanding situations, which could be significant for transfer of learning essential for clinical practice. Herein communication and decision-making were highlighted as important learning objectives. Furthermore, participants emphasized the importance of realism and fidelity and debriefing in the learning design.

Public knowledge and expectations about dispatcher assistance in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

AIM: To assess the factors associated with the knowledge and expectations among the general public about dispatcher assistance in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents. BACKGROUND: In medical dispatch centres, emergency calls are frequently operated by specially trained nurses as dispatchers. In cardiac arrest incidents, efficient communication between the dispatcher and the caller is vital for prompt recognition and treatment of the cardiac arrest. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational survey containing six questions and seven demographic items. METHOD: From January-June 2017 we conducted standardized interviews among 500 members of the general public in Norway. In addition to explorative statistical methods, we used multivariate logistic analysis. RESULTS: Most participants expected cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions, while few expected "help in deciding what to do." More than half regarded the bystanders present to be responsible for the decision to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most participants were able to give the correct emergency medical telephone number. The majority knew that the emergency call would not be terminated until the ambulance arrived at the scene. However, only one-third knew that the emergency telephone number operator was a trained nurse. CONCLUSION: The public expect cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions from the emergency medical dispatcher. However, the majority assume it is the responsibility of the bystanders to make the decision to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation or not. Based on these findings, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training initiatives and public campaigns should focus more on the role of the emergency medical dispatcher as the team leader of the first resuscitation team in cardiac arrest incidents.

Saving lives together. / Sammen redder vi liv.

Training in first aid has a long tradition in Norway. We believe that survival after time-critical events outside hospital can be further improved through systematic training.

Effects of modifiable prehospital factors on survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in rural versus urban areas.

BACKGROUND: The modifiable prehospital system factors, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), emergency medical services (EMS), response time, and EMS physician attendance, may affect short- and long-term survival for both rural and urban out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. We studied how such factors influenced OHCA survival in a mixed urban/rural region with a high survival rate after OHCA. METHODS: We analyzed the association between modifiable prehospital factors and survival to different stages of care in 1138 medical OHCA patients from an Utstein template-based cardiac arrest registry, using Kaplan-Meier type survival curves, univariable and multivariable logistic regression and mortality hazard plots. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher probability for survival to hospital admission (OR: 1.84, 95% CI 1.43-2.36, p < 0.001), to hospital discharge (OR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.08-2.11, p = 0.017), and at 1 year (OR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.11-2.26, p = 0.012) in the urban group versus the rural group. In patients receiving bystander CPR before EMS arrival, the odds of survival to hospital discharge increased more than threefold (OR: 3.05, 95% CI 2.00-4.65, p < 0.001). However, bystander CPR was associated with increased patient survival to discharge only in urban areas (survival probability 0.26 with CPR vs. 0.08 without CPR, p < 0.001). EMS response time ≥ 10 min was associated with decreased survival (OR: 0.61, 95% CI 0.45-0.83, p = 0.002), however, only in urban areas (survival probability 0.15 ≥ 10 min vs. 0.25 < 10 min, p < 0.001). In patients with prehospital EMS physician attendance, no significant differences were found in survival to hospital discharge (OR: 1.37, 95% CI 0.87-2.16, p = 0.17). In rural areas, patients with EMS physician attendance had an overall better survival to hospital discharge (survival probability 0.17 with EMS physician vs. 0.05 without EMS physician, p = 0.019). Adjusted for modifiable factors, the survival differences remained. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, OHCA survival was higher in urban compared to rural areas, and the effect of bystander CPR, EMS response time and EMS physician attendance on survival differ between urban and rural areas. The effect of modifiable factors on survival was highest in the prehospital stage of care. In patients surviving to hospital admission, there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality or in 1 year mortality between OHCA in rural versus urban areas.

Semiprone position is superior to supine position for paediatric endotracheal intubation during massive regurgitation, a randomized crossover simulation trial.

BACKGROUND: Endotracheal intubation of patients with massive regurgitation represents a challenge in emergency airway management. Gastric contents tend to block suction catheters, and few treatment alternatives exist. Based on a technique that was successfully applied in our district, we wanted to examine if endotracheal intubation would be easier and quicker to perform when the patient is turned over to a semiprone position, as compared to the supine position. METHODS: In a randomized crossover simulation trial, a child manikin with on-going regurgitation was intubated both in the supine and semiprone positions. Endpoints were experienced difficulty with the procedure and time to intubation, as well as visually confirmed intubation and first-pass success rate. RESULTS: Intubation in the semiprone position was significantly easier and faster compared to the supine position; the median experienced difficulty on a visual analogue scale was 27 and 65, respectively (p = 0.004), and the median time to intubation was 26 and 45 s, respectively (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in frequency of visually confirmed intubation (16 and 18, p = 0.490) of first-pass success rate (17 and 18, p = 1.000). CONCLUSION: In this experiment, endotracheal intubation during massive regurgitation with the patient in the semiprone position was significantly easier and quicker to perform than in the supine position. Endotracheal intubation in the semiprone position can provide a quick rescue method in situations where airway management is hindered by massive regurgitation, and it represents a possible supplement to current airway management training.

Improving Survival after Cardiac Arrest.

Each year, approximately half a million people suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) in Europe: The majority die. Survival after CA varies greatly between regions and countries. The authors give an overview of the important elements necessary to promote improved survival after CA as a function of the chain of survival and formula for survival concepts. The chain of survival incorporates bystanders (who identify warning symptoms, call the emergency dispatch center, initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR]), dispatchers (who identify CA, and instruct and reassure the caller), first responders (who provide high-quality CPR, early defibrillation), paramedics and other prehospital care providers (who continue high-quality CPR, and provide timely defibrillation and advanced life support, transport to CA center), and hospitals (targeted temperature management, percutaneous coronary intervention, delayed prognostication). The formula for survival concept consists of (1) medical science (international guidelines), (2) educational efficiency (e.g., low-dose, high-frequency training for lay people, first responders, and professionals; and (3) local implementation of all factors in the chain of survival and formula for survival. Survival rates after CA can be advanced through the improvement of the different factors in both the chain of survival and the formula for survival. Importantly, the neurologic outcome in the majority of CA survivors has continued to improve.

Assessment of Anaesthesia Teams' Non-Technical Skills in Clinical Practice before and after Simulation-Based Team Training: A Quasiexperimental Study.

Background: In situ simulation-based team training of non-technical skills is considered an important initiative for preventing adverse events caused by poor teamwork among healthcare personnel. This study aimed to assess the non-technical skills of anaesthesia personnel before and after in situ simulation-based team training in a clinical setting. Methods: The study was conducted from October 2020 to June 2021 using a quasiexperimental before and after design based on video-recorded observations and ratings of anaesthesia teams' non-technical skills during anaesthesia induction in the operating room before and shortly after in situ simulation-based team training. Anaesthesia personnel were divided into 20 teams and video recorded during anaesthesia induction. The Anaesthetists' Non-technical Skills (ANTS) system was used to score the teams' non-technical skills. A paired-sample t-test was used to assess the impact of the intervention on the anaesthesia teams' scores on the various ANTS categories. Interrater agreement between the two ANTS raters was assessed using weighted kappa. Results: At the category level, the overall scores had a statistically significant increase in performance after simulation-based team training (3.48 vs. 3.71; p < 0.001). Furthermore, scores of five of the 15 elements were significantly different. Interrater agreement revealed moderate agreement between the two raters (weighted kappa = 0.51, p value <0.001). Conclusion: The anaesthesia teams' increased non-technical skills after simulation-based team training may indicate the transfer of knowledge from training to clinical practice. The moderate agreement between the raters could be attributed to the subjective nature of the evaluation procedure. The ANTS was originally used as an individual assessment tool; however, this study has demonstrated its potential as a team assessment tool.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among first aid providers.

Background: Every year, large numbers of individuals are present or provide first aid in situations involving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, injuries, or suicides. Little is known about the impact of providing first aid or witnessing a first aid situation, but research indicates that many first aid providers (FAP) experience persistent psychological difficulties. Here we aimed to assess the level of psychological impact of being a FAP. Methods: In this retrospective study, FAP attending follow-up were asked to complete the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), which is a self-report diagnostic measure of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). We recorded endorsement of a symptom or functional impairment (score ≥ 2/4 on at least one of 18 items). Results: Of the 102 FAP in this study, 86 (84%) showed endorsement of a symptom or functional impairment. Common symptoms/functional impairments included being super-alert, watchful, or on guard; having powerful mental images; avoiding internal reminders or memories; and being affected in important parts of one's life. One-third had affected ability to work. Of the FAPs who attended follow-up more than one month after the incident (n = 32), 19% met the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD. Conclusions: The majority of FAPs have endorsement of a symptom or functional impairment. Some FAPs fulfil the criteria of PTSD. We suggest that follow-up should be offered by the EMS to all FAPs involved in incidents with an unconscious patient.

Effect of socioemotional stress on the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation during advanced life support in a randomized manikin study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether socioemotional stress affects the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation during advanced life support in a simulated manikin model. DESIGN: A randomized crossover trial with advanced life support performed in two different conditions, with and without exposure to socioemotional stress. SETTING: The study was conducted at the Stavanger Acute Medicine Foundation for Education and Research simulation center, Stavanger, Norway. SUBJECTS: Paramedic teams, each consisting of two paramedics and one assistant, employed at Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway. INTERVENTIONS: A total of 19 paramedic teams performed advanced life support twice in a randomized fashion, one control condition without socioemotional stress and one experimental condition with exposure to socioemotional stress. The socioemotional stress consisted of an upset friend of the simulated patient who was a physician, spoke a foreign language, was unfamiliar with current Norwegian resuscitation guidelines, supplied irrelevant clinical information, and repeatedly made doubts about the paramedics' resuscitation efforts. Aural distractions were supplied by television and cell telephone. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compression depth, chest compression rate, time without chest compressions (no-flow ratio), and ventilation rate after endotracheal intubation. As a secondary outcome, the socioemotional stress impact was evaluated through the paramedics' subjective workload, frustration, and feeling of realism. There were no significant differences in chest compression depth (39 vs. 38 mm, p = .214), compression rate (113 vs. 116 min⁻¹, p = .065), no-flow ratio (0.15 vs. 0.15, p = .618), or ventilation rate (8.2 vs. 7.7 min⁻¹, p = .120) between the two conditions. There was a significant increase in the subjective workload, frustration, and feeling of realism when the paramedics were exposed to socioemotional stress. CONCLUSION: In this advanced life support manikin study, the presence of socioemotional stress increased the subjective workload, frustration, and feeling of realism, without affecting the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Is simulation-based team training performed by personnel in accordance with the INACSL Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM?-a qualitative interview study.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia personnel was among the first to implement simulation and team training including non-technical skills (NTS) in the field of healthcare. Within anesthesia practice, NTS are critically important in preventing harmful undesirable events. To our best knowledge, there has been little documentation of the extent to which anesthesia personnel uses recommended frameworks like the Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM to guide simulation and thereby optimize learning. The aim of our study was to explore how anesthesia personnel in Norway conduct simulation-based team training (SBTT) with respect to outcomes and objectives, facilitation, debriefing, and participant evaluation. METHODS: Individual qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals, with experience and responsible for SBTT in anesthesia, from 51 Norwegian public hospitals were conducted from August 2016 to October 2017. A qualitative deductive content analysis was performed. RESULTS: The use of objectives and educated facilitators was common. All participants participated in debriefings, and almost all conducted evaluations, mainly formative. Preparedness, structure, and time available were pointed out as issues affecting SBTT. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesia personnel's SBTT in this study met the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standard of Best Practice: SimulationSM framework to a certain extent with regard to objectives, facilitators' education and skills, debriefing, and participant evaluation.

Impact of perceived inappropiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation on emergency clinicians' intention to leave the job: Results from a cross-sectional survey in 288 centres across 24 countries.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with a poor prognosis increases the risk of perception of inappropriate care leading to moral distress in clinicians. We evaluated whether perception of inappropriate CPR is associated with intention to leave the job among emergency clinicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional multi-centre survey was conducted in 24 countries. Factors associated with intention to leave the job were analysed by conditional logistic regression models. Results are expressed as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of 5099 surveyed emergency clinicians, 1836 (36.0%) were physicians, 1313 (25.7%) nurses, 1950 (38.2%) emergency medical technicians. Intention to leave the job was expressed by 1721 (33.8%) clinicians, 3403 (66.7%) often wondered about the appropriateness of a resuscitation attempt, 2955 (58.0%) reported moral distress caused by inappropriate CPR. After adjustment for other covariates, the risk of intention to leave the job was higher in clinicians often wondering about the appropriateness of a resuscitation attempt (1.43 [1.23-1.67]), experiencing associated moral distress (1.44 [1.24-1.66]) and who were between 30-44 years old (1.53 [1.21-1.92] compared to <30 years). The risk was lower when the clinician felt valued by the team (0.53 [0.42-0.66]), when the team leader acknowledged the efforts delivered by the team (0.61 [0.49-0.75]) and in teams that took time for debriefing (0.70 [0.60-0.80]). CONCLUSION: Resuscitation attempts perceived as inappropriate by clinicians, and the accompanying moral distress, were associated with an increased likelihood of intention to leave the job. Interprofessional collaboration, teamwork, and regular interdisciplinary debriefing were associated with a lower risk of intention to leave the job. ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02356029.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Adults Over 80: Outcome and the Perception of Appropriateness by Clinicians.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of clinician perception of inappropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) regarding the last out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) encountered in an adult 80 years or older and its relationship to patient outcome. DESIGN: Subanalysis of an international multicenter cross-sectional survey (REAPPROPRIATE). SETTING: Out-of-hospital CPR attempts registered in Europe, Israel, Japan, and the United States in adults 80 years or older. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 611 clinicians of whom 176 (28.8%) were doctors, 123 (20.1%) were nurses, and 312 (51.1%) were emergency medical technicians/paramedics. RESULTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The last CPR attempt among patients 80 years or older was perceived as appropriate by 320 (52.4%) of the clinicians; 178 (29.1%) were uncertain about the appropriateness, and 113 (18.5%) perceived the CPR attempt as inappropriate. The survival to hospital discharge for the "appropriate" subgroup was 8 of 265 (3.0%), 1 of 164 (.6%) in the "uncertain" subgroup, and 2 of 107 (1.9%) in the "inappropriate" subgroup (P = .23); 503 of 564 (89.2%) CPR attempts involved non-shockable rhythms. CPR attempts in nursing homes accounted for 124 of 590 (21.0%) of the patients and were perceived as appropriate by 44 (35.5%) of the clinicians; 45 (36.3%) were uncertain about the appropriateness; and 35 (28.2%) perceived the CPR attempt as inappropriate. The survival to hospital discharge for the nursing home patients was 0 of 107 (0%); 104 of 111 (93.7%) CPR attempts involved non-shockable rhythms. Overall, 36 of 543 (6.6%) CPR attempts were undertaken despite a known written do not attempt resuscitation decision; 14 of 36 (38.9%) clinicians considered this appropriate, 9 of 36 (25.0%) were uncertain about its appropriateness, and 13 of 36 (36.1%) considered this inappropriate. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that despite generally poor outcomes for older patients undergoing CPR, many emergency clinicians do not consider these attempts at resuscitation to be inappropriate. A professional and societal debate is urgently needed to ensure that first we do not harm older patients by futile CPR attempts. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:39-45, 2019.

Combined Interscalene Brachial Plexus and Superficial Cervical Plexus Nerve Block for Midshaft Clavicle Surgery: A Case Series.

Clavicle fractures are common, and there has been a recent increase in surgical fixation of displaced fractures. General anesthesia is traditionally preferred for these operations because regional anesthesia can be challenging. This is partly due to a complex nerve innervation in this region, which makes the correct choice of nerve block difficult. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a combined interscalene brachial plexus block and superficial cervical plexus peripheral nerve block as anesthesia for clavicle surgical procedures. Ten midshaft clavicle fractures were surgically repaired using a combination of an ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block and a superficial cervical plexus block as the primary anesthetic. All patients underwent surgery successfully using regional anesthesia with light sedation, without the need for rescue opioids or rescue local anesthesia. No adverse events were recorded. This case series describes a successful peripheral nerve block combination that can be used for clavicle surgery.

Quality of chest compressions during 10min of single-rescuer basic life support with different compression: ventilation ratios in a manikin model.

INTRODUCTION: Good quality basic life support (BLS) improves outcome during cardiac arrest. As fatigue may reduce BLS performance over time we wanted to examine the quality of chest compressions in a single-rescuer scenario during prolonged BLS with different compression:ventilation ratios (C:V ratios). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Professional paramedics were asked to perform single-rescuer BLS with C:V ratios of 15:2, 30:2 and 50:2 for 10 min each in random order. A Laerdal Medical Resusci Anne Simulator with PC Skillreporting System was used for BLS quality analysis. Total number of chest compressions, compression depth and compression rate were measured and the differences between the C:V ratios were analysed with repeated measures ANOVA. For analysis of fatigue, chest compression variables for each 2-min period were analysed and compared with the first 2-min period using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Altogether 50 paramedics completed the study. The mean number of chest compressions increased significantly from 604 to 770 and 862 with C:V ratios of 15:2, 30:2 and 50:2, respectively. Chest compression rate was significantly higher with C:V ratio of 15:2 compared to 30:2 and 50:2 but was above 100 per minute for all three ratios. However, the mean chest compression depth did not change significantly between the different C:V ratios. The number of chest compressions did not change significantly with time for any of the three C:V ratios. Compression depth did decline after the first 2-min period for 30:2 and 50:2 as did compression rate for all three ratios. However all were above the guideline limits for the entire test period. CONCLUSION: Increasing the C:V ratio increases the number of chest compressions during 10 min of BLS. Compression depth and compression rate were within guideline recommendations for all three ratios. We found no decline in chest compression quality below guideline recommendations during 10 min of BLS with any of the three different C:V ratios.

Perception of inappropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation by clinicians working in emergency departments and ambulance services: The REAPPROPRIATE international, multi-centre, cross sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is often started irrespective of comorbidity or cause of arrest. We aimed to determine the prevalence of perception of inappropriate CPR of the last cardiac arrest encountered by clinicians working in emergency departments and out-of-hospital, factors associated with perception, and its relation to patient outcome. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 288 centres in 24 countries. Factors associated with perception of CPR and outcome were analyzed by Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests and conditional logistic models. RESULTS: Of the 4018 participating clinicians, 3150 (78.4%) perceived their last CPR attempt as appropriate, 548 (13.6%) were uncertain about its appropriateness and 320 (8.0%) perceived inappropriateness; survival to hospital discharge was 370/2412 (15.3%), 8/481 (1.7%) and 8/294 (2.7%) respectively. After adjusting for country, team and clinician's characteristics, the prevalence of perception of inappropriate CPR was higher for a non-shockable initial rhythm (OR 3.76 [2.13-6.64]; P < .0001), a non-witnessed arrest (2.68 [1.89-3.79]; P < .0001), in older patients (2.94 [2.18-3.96]; P < .0001, for patients >79 years) and in case of a "poor" first physical impression of the patient (3.45 [2.36-5.05]; P < .0001). In accordance, non-shockable and non-witnessed arrests were both associated with lower survival to hospital discharge (0.33 [0.26-0.41]; P < 0.0001 and 0.25 [0.15-0.41]; P < 0.0001, respectively), as were older patient age (0.25 [0.14-0.44]; P < 0.0001 for patients >79 years) and a "poor" first physical impression (0.26 [0.19-0.35]; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The perception of inappropriate CPR increased when objective indicators of poor prognosis were present and was associated with a low survival to hospital discharge. Factoring clinical judgment into the decision to (not) attempt CPR may reduce harm inflicted by excessive resuscitation attempts.