The Recognition Capability of Cardiac Arrest for Lay Person, Nurse and Dispatcher: A Comparison Study through the Video Question

PURPOSE: The rapid recognition of cardiac arrest is an important factor for survival in cardiac arrest patients, and gasping is a primary barrier to the recognition of a cardiac arrest. This study examined differences in capability of recognizing a cardiac arrest and gasping among lay people, hospital nurses, and medical dispatchers. METHODS: From January to July 2016, 193 participants (65 lay people 62 hospital nurses, and 66 medical dispatchers) watched video clips of a collapsed virtual patient with unresponsiveness, gasping or seizure and answered a questionnaire asking whether the patient was in cardiac arrest or not. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed and compared among the groups. RESULTS: The total score of the questionnaire on the determination of cardiac arrest among lay people, nurses, and medical dispatchers were significant (3.09±1.43 vs. 4.15±1.22 vs. 4.45±1.29 points, p < 0.01). In the questions regarding cardiac arrest with gasping, the correct answer rate was highest in the dispatchers, followed in order by nurses and lay people (82.5% vs. 54.8% vs. 29.7%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, lay people had the lowest recognition capability of a cardiac arrest and gasping among the groups. In addition, gasping is a meaningful barrier to cardiac arrest recognition for both lay people and healthcare providers.

Validation of the finger counting method using the Monte Carlo simulation

PURPOSE: The dose of drug and the size of instrument are determined based on children's weight. We aimed to validate the finger counting method (FCM) for weight estimation in Korean children using the Monte Carlo simulation. METHODS: We estimated the weight of Korean children aged 1 to 9 years by the FCM. These measurements were compared with the weight extracted by the Monte Carlo simulation applied to the “2007 Korean Children and Adolescents Growth Standard”. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were measured to assess the correlation between the weight extracted by the simulation and that estimated by FCM. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to assess the agreement between the weight extracted by the simulation and that estimated by FCM and 2 other well-known pediatric weight estimation formulas (the Advanced Pediatric Life Support and Luscombe formulas). RESULTS: Data regarding 9,000 children's weight selected by age and gender was randomly extracted using the simulation. We found a positive correlation between the weight estimated by the FCM and the weight extracted (in boys, r = 0.896, P < 0.001; in girls, r = 0.899, P < 0.001). The FCM tended to underestimate weight in the children aged 7 years or old. CONCLUSION: This article suggests the usefulness of FCM in weight estimation, particularly in children younger than 7 years. With appreciation of the limitation in older children, the FCM could be applied to emergency practice.