Health inequalities in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of automated electrical defibrillators in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes can be improved by strengthening the chain of survival, namely prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED). However, provision of bystander CPR and AED use remains low due to individual patient factors ranging from lack of education to socioeconomic barriers and due to lack of resources such as limited availability of AEDs in the community. Although the impact of health inequalities on survival from OHCA is documented, it is imperative that we identify and implement strategies to improve public health and outcomes from OHCA overall but with a simultaneous emphasis on making care more equitable. Disparities in CPR delivery and AED use in OHCA exist based on factors including sex, education level, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, all of which we discuss in this review. Most importantly, we discuss the barriers to AED use, and strategies on how these may be overcome.

Investigating the impact of brief training in decision-making on treatment escalation to intensive care using objective structured clinical examination-style scenarios.

Background: The decision to admit patients to the intensive care unit (ICU) is complex. Structuring the decision-making process may be beneficial to patients and decision-makers alike. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and impact of a brief training intervention on ICU treatment escalation decisions using the Warwick model- a structured decision-making framework for treatment escalation decisions. Methods: Treatment escalation decisions were assessed using Objective Structured Clinical Examination-style scenarios. Participants were ICU and anaesthetic registrars with experience of making ICU admission decisions. Participants completed one scenario, followed by training with the decision-making framework and subsequently a second scenario. Decision-making data was collected using checklists, note entries and post-scenario questionnaires. Results: Twelve participants were enrolled. Brief decision-making training was successfully delivered during the normal ICU working day. Following training participants demonstrated greater evidence of balancing the burdens and benefits of treatment escalation. On visual analogue scales of 0-10, participants felt better trained to make treatment escalation decisions (4.9 vs 6.8, p = 0.017) and felt their decision-making was more structured (4.7 vs 8.1, p = 0.017).Overall, participants provided positive feedback and reported feeling more prepared for the task of making treatment escalation decisions. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a brief training intervention is a feasible way to improve the decision-making process by improving decision-making structure, reasoning and documentation. Training was implemented successfully, acceptable to participants and participants were able to apply their learning. Further studies of regional and national cohorts are needed to determine if training benefit is sustained and generalisable.

Intensive care unit visiting and family communication during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK survey.

Background: Frequent visiting and communication with patients' families are embedded within normal ICU practice, however the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged this, and it is unclear how ICUs are managing. We aimed to investigate how NHS ICUs are approaching family communications and visiting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An electronic snapshot survey was delivered between 16th April and 4th May 2020 and was open to NHS ICUs. Replies from 134 individual ICUs with COVID patients were included. Results: All reported that visiting was more restricted than normal with 29 (22%) not allowing any visitors, 71 (53%) allowing visitors at the end of a patient's life (EOL) only, and 30 (22%) allowing visitors for vulnerable patients or EOL. Nearly all (n = 130, 97%) were updating families daily, with most initiating the update (n = 120, 92%). Daily telephone calls were routinely made by the medical (n = 75, 55%) or nursing team (n = 50, 37%). Video calling was used by 63 (47%), and 39 (29%) ICUs had developed a dedicated family communication team. Resuscitation and EOL discussions were most frequently via telephone (n = 129, 96%), with 24 (18%) having used video calling, and 15 (11%) reporting discussions had occurred in person. Clinicians expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation and raised concerns about the detrimental effect on patients, families, and staff. Conclusions: COVID-19 has resulted in significant changes across NHS ICUs in how they interact with families. Many units are adapting and moving toward distant and technology-assisted communication. Despite innovative solutions, challenges remain and there may be a role for local and national guidance.

Health inequities in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a time-critical emergency in which a rapid response following the chain of survival is crucial to save life. Disparities in care can occur at each link in this pathway and hence produce health inequities. This review summarises the health inequities that exist for OHCA patients and suggests how they may be addressed. RECENT FINDINGS: There is international evidence that the incidence of OHCA is increased with increasing deprivation and in ethnic minorities. These groups have lower rates of bystander CPR and bystander-initiated defibrillation, which may be due to barriers in accessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, provision of public access defibrillators, and language barriers with emergency call handlers. There are also disparities in the ambulance response and in-hospital care following resuscitation. These disadvantaged communities have poorer survival following OHCA. SUMMARY: OHCA disproportionately affects deprived communities and ethnic minorities. These groups experience disparities in care throughout the chain of survival and this appears to translate into poorer outcomes. Addressing these inequities will require coordinated action that engages with disadvantaged communities.

Evaluation of elderly specific pre-hospital trauma triage criteria: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Pre-hospital identification of major trauma in elderly patients is key for delivery of optimal care, however triage of this group is challenging. Elderly-specific triage criteria may be valuable. This systematic review aimed to summarise the published pre-hospital elderly-specific trauma triage tools and evaluate their sensitivity and specificity and associated clinical outcomes. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched using predetermined criteria (PROSPERO: CRD42019140879). Two authors independently assessed search results, performed data extraction, risk of bias and quality assessments following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. RESULTS: 801 articles were screened and 11 studies met eligibility criteria, including 1,332,300 patients from exclusively USA populations. There were eight unique elderly-specific triage criteria reported. Most studies retrospectively applied criteria to trauma databases, with few reporting real-world application. The Ohio Geriatric Triage Criteria was reported in three studies. Age cut-off ranged from 55 to 70 years with ≥ 65 most frequently reported. All reported existing adult criteria with modified physiological parameters using higher thresholds for systolic blood pressure and Glasgow coma scale, although the values used varied. Three criteria added co-morbidity or anti-coagulant/anti-platelet use considerations. Modifications to anatomical or mechanism of injury factors were used by only one triage criteria. Criteria sensitivity ranged from 44 to 93%, with a median of 86.3%, whilst specificity was generally poor (median 54%). Scant real-world data showed an increase in patients meeting triage criteria, but minimal changes to patient transport destination and mortality. All studies were at risk of bias and assessed of "very low" or "low" quality. CONCLUSIONS: There are several published elderly-specific pre-hospital trauma triage tools in clinical practice, all developed and employed in the USA. Consensus exists for higher thresholds for physiological parameters, however there was variability in age-cut offs, triage criteria content, and tool sensitivity and specificity. Although sensitivity was improved over corresponding 'adult' criteria, specificity remained poor. There is a paucity of published real-world data examining the effect on patient care and clinical outcomes of elderly-specific triage criteria. There is uncertainty over the optimal elderly triage tool and further study is required to better inform practice and improve patient outcomes.

Oxygenation strategies prior to and during prehospital emergency anaesthesia in UK HEMS practice (PREOXY survey).

BACKGROUND: Maintaining effective oxygenation throughout the process of Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthesia (PHEA) is critical. There are multiple strategies available to clinicians to oxygenate patients both prior to and during PHEA. The optimal pre-oxygenation technique remains unclear, and it is unknown what techniques are being used by United Kingdom Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). This study aimed to determine the current pre- and peri-PHEA oxygenation strategies used by UK HEMS services. METHODS: An electronic questionnaire survey was delivered to all UK HEMS services between 05 July and 26 December 2019. Questions investigated service standard operating procedures (SOPs) and individual clinician practice regarding oxygenation strategies prior to airway instrumentation (pre-oxygenation) and oxygenation strategies during airway instrumentation (apnoeic oxygenation). Service SOPs were obtained to corroborate questionnaire replies. RESULTS: Replies were received from all UK HEMS services (n = 21) and 40 individual clinicians. All services specified oxygenation strategies within their PHEA/RSI SOP and most referred to pre-oxygenation as mandatory (81%), whilst apnoeic oxygenation was mandatory in eight (38%) SOPs. The most commonly identified pre-oxygenation strategies were bag-valve-mask without PEEP (95%), non-rebreathable face mask (81%), and nasal cannula at high flow (81%). Seven (33%) services used Mapleson C circuits, whilst there were eight services (38%) that did not carry bag-valve-masks with PEEP valve nor Mapleson C circuits. All clinicians frequently used pre-oxygenation, however there was variability in clinician use of apnoeic oxygenation by nasal cannula. Nearly all clinicians (95%) reported manually ventilating patients during the apnoeic phase, with over half (58%) stating this was their routine practice. Differences in clinician pre-hospital and in-hospital practice related to availability of humidified high flow nasal oxygenation and Mapleson C circuits. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-oxygenation is universal amongst UK HEMS services and is most frequently delivered by bag-valve-mask without PEEP or non-rebreathable face masks, whereas apnoeic oxygenation by nasal cannula is highly variable. Multiple services carry Mapleson C circuits, however many services are unable to deliver PEEP due to the equipment they carry. Clinicians are regularly manually ventilating patients during the apnoeic phase of PHEA. The identified variability in clinical practice may indicate uncertainty and further research is warranted to assess the impact of different strategies on clinical outcomes.

Fresh whole blood from walking blood banks for patients with traumatic hemorrhagic shock: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whole blood is optimal for resuscitation of traumatic hemorrhage. Walking Blood Banks provide fresh whole blood (FWB) where conventional blood components or stored, tested whole blood are not readily available. There is an increasing interest in this as an emergency resilience measure for isolated communities and during crises including the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence to inform practice. METHODS: Standard systematic review methodology was used to obtain studies that reported the delivery of FWB (PROSPERO registry CRD42019153849). Studies that only reported whole blood from conventional blood banking were excluded. For outcomes, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random-effects modeling because of high risk of heterogeneity. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies published from 2006 to 2020 reported >10,000 U of FWB for >3,000 patients (precise values not available for all studies). Evidence for studies was "low" or "very low" except for one study, which was "moderate" in quality. Fresh whole blood patients were more severely injured than non-FWB patients. Overall, survival was equivalent between FWB and non-FWB groups for eight studies that compared these (OR, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.65-1.55]; p = 0.61). However, the highest quality study (matched groups for physiological and injury characteristics) reported an adjusted OR of 0.27 (95% CI, 0.13-0.58) for mortality for the FWB group (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Thousands of units of FWB from Walking Blood Banks have been transfused in patients following life-threatening hemorrhage. Survival is equivalent for FWB resuscitation when compared with non-FWB, even when patients were more severely injured. Evidence is scarce and of relative low quality and may underestimate potential adverse events. Whereas Walking Blood Banks may be an attractive resilience measure, caution is still advised. Walking Blood Banks should be subject to prospective evaluation to optimize care and inform policy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic/therapeutic, level 3.

Advanced airway training in the UK: A national survey of senior anesthetic trainees.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: High-quality training in advanced airway skills is imperative to ensure safe anesthetic care and develop future airway specialists. Modern airway management skills are continually evolving in response to advancing technology and developing research. Therefore, it is of concern that training provisions and trainee competencies remain current and effective. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey questionnaire based on the airway competencies described in the Royal College of Anaesthetists' curriculum and Difficult Airway Society guidelines was posted to all United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service hospitals to be completed by the most senior anesthetic trainee (ST 5-7, resident). RESULTS: A total of 149 responses were analyzed from 237 hospitals with eligible anesthetic trainees (response rate 63%), including 53 (36%) and 39 (26%) respondents who had completed higher and advanced level airway training respectively. Although clinical experience with videolaryngoscopy was satisfactory, poor confidence and familiarity was identified with awake fiberoptic intubation, high frequency jet ventilation, at risk extubation techniques, and airway ultrasound assessment. Only 26 (17%) respondents had access to an airway skills room or had regular airway emergency training with multidisciplinary theater team participation. Reported barriers to training included lack of training lists, dedicated teaching time, experienced trainers, and availability of equipment. CONCLUSIONS: This national survey identified numerous deficiencies in airway competencies and training amongst senior anesthetic trainees (residents) in the UK. Restructuring of the airway training program and improvements in access to training facilities are essential to ensure effective airway training and the capability to produce future airway specialists.

Prehospital haemostatic dressings for trauma: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Haemorrhage is a major cause of mortality and morbidity following both military and civilian trauma. Haemostatic dressings may offer effective haemorrhage control as part of prehospital treatment. AIM: To conduct a systematic review of the clinical literature to assess the prehospital use of haemostatic dressings in controlling traumatic haemorrhage, and determine whether any haemostatic dressings are clinically superior. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched using predetermined criteria. The reference lists of all returned review articles were screened for eligible studies. Two authors independently undertook the search, performed data extraction, and risk of bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation quality assessments. Meta-analysis could not be undertaken due to study and clinical heterogeneity. RESULTS: Our search yielded 470 studies, of which 17 met eligibility criteria, and included 809 patients (469 military and 340 civilian). There were 15 observational studies, 1 case report and 1 randomised controlled trial. Indications for prehospital haemostatic dressing use, wound location, mechanism of injury, and source of bleeding were variable. Seven different haemostatic dressings were reported with QuikClot Combat Gauze being the most frequently applied (420 applications). Cessation of bleeding ranged from 67% to 100%, with a median of 90.5%. Adverse events were only reported with QuikClot granules, resulting in burns. No adverse events were reported with QuikClot Combat Gauze use in three studies. Seven of the 17 studies did not report safety data. All studies were at risk of bias and assessed of 'very low' to 'moderate' quality. CONCLUSIONS: Haemostatic dressings offer effective prehospital treatment for traumatic haemorrhage. QuikClot Combat Gauze may be justified as the optimal agent due to the volume of clinical data and its safety profile, but there is a lack of high-quality clinical evidence, and randomised controlled trials are warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic review, level IV.