Capturing the non-technical skills of a technical skills trainer (NTS-TeST) during simulation.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an assessment instrument that can be used as a comprehensive feedback record to convey to a trainer the non-technical aspects of skill acquisition and training. METHODS: The instrument was developed across three rounds. In Round 1, 6 endourological consultants undertook a modified Delphi process. Round 2 included 10 trainers who assessed each question's relevance and practicability. Round 3 involved a pilot study with fifteen urology residents who participated in a technical skills simulation session with the incorporation of the instrument. We report the content, face, and construct validity, and the internal consistency of an NTS instrument for trainers. RESULTS: The instrument had a consistent and a high positive average for each of the 4 sections of the instrument, regardless of the type of user. Positive Spearman's correlation coefficients (0.02 to .64) for content validity and Cronbach's alpha (a = 0.70) indicated good validity and moderate reliability of the instrument. CONCLUSION: We propose a novel NTS instrument for trainers during a simulation. This instrument can be used for benchmarking the quality of technical skills simulation training.

COSCA (Core Outcome Set for Cardiac Arrest) in Adults: An Advisory Statement From the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation.

Cardiac arrest effectiveness trials have traditionally reported outcomes that focus on survival. A lack of consistency in outcome reporting between trials limits the opportunities to pool results for meta-analysis. The COSCA initiative (Core Outcome Set for Cardiac Arrest), a partnership between patients, their partners, clinicians, research scientists, and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, sought to develop a consensus core outcome set for cardiac arrest for effectiveness trials. Core outcome sets are primarily intended for large, randomised clinical effectiveness trials (sometimes referred to as pragmatic trials or phase III/IV trials) rather than for pilot or efficacy studies. A systematic review of the literature combined with qualitative interviews among cardiac arrest survivors was used to generate a list of potential outcome domains. This list was prioritised through a Delphi process, which involved clinicians, patients, and their relatives/partners. An international advisory panel narrowed these down to 3 core domains by debate that led to consensus. The writing group refined recommendations for when these outcomes should be measured and further characterised relevant measurement tools. Consensus emerged that a core outcome set for reporting on effectiveness studies of cardiac arrest (COSCA) in adults should include survival, neurological function, and health-related quality of life. This should be reported as survival status and modified Rankin scale score at hospital discharge, at 30 days, or both. Health-related quality of life should be measured with ≥1 tools from Health Utilities Index version 3, Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey, and EuroQol 5D-5L at 90 days and at periodic intervals up to 1 year after cardiac arrest, if resources allow. © 2018 European Resuscitation Council and American Heart Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COSCA (Core Outcome Set for Cardiac Arrest) in Adults: An Advisory Statement From the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation.

Cardiac arrest effectiveness trials have traditionally reported outcomes that focus on survival. A lack of consistency in outcome reporting between trials limits the opportunities to pool results for meta-analysis. The COSCA initiative (Core Outcome Set for Cardiac Arrest), a partnership between patients, their partners, clinicians, research scientists, and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, sought to develop a consensus core outcome set for cardiac arrest for effectiveness trials. Core outcome sets are primarily intended for large, randomized clinical effectiveness trials (sometimes referred to as pragmatic trials or phase III/IV trials) rather than for pilot or efficacy studies. A systematic review of the literature combined with qualitative interviews among cardiac arrest survivors was used to generate a list of potential outcome domains. This list was prioritized through a Delphi process, which involved clinicians, patients, and their relatives/partners. An international advisory panel narrowed these down to 3 core domains by debate that led to consensus. The writing group refined recommendations for when these outcomes should be measured and further characterized relevant measurement tools. Consensus emerged that a core outcome set for reporting on effectiveness studies of cardiac arrest (COSCA) in adults should include survival, neurological function, and health-related quality of life. This should be reported as survival status and modified Rankin scale score at hospital discharge, at 30 days, or both. Health-related quality of life should be measured with ≥1 tools from Health Utilities Index version 3, Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey, and EuroQol 5D-5L at 90 days and at periodic intervals up to 1 year after cardiac arrest, if resources allow.

Cerebral Oximetry During Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter Study of Neurologic Outcomes and Survival.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac arrest is associated with morbidity and mortality because of cerebral ischemia. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that higher regional cerebral oxygenation during resuscitation is associated with improved return of spontaneous circulation, survival, and neurologic outcomes at hospital discharge. We further examined the validity of regional cerebral oxygenation as a test to predict these outcomes. DESIGN: Multicenter prospective study of in-hospital cardiac arrest. SETTING: Five medical centers in the United States and the United Kingdom. PATIENTS: Inclusion criteria are as follows: in-hospital cardiac arrest, age 18 years old or older, and prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation greater than or equal to 5 minutes. Patients were recruited consecutively during working hours between August 2011 and September 2014. Survival with a favorable neurologic outcome was defined as a cerebral performance category 1-2. INTERVENTIONS: Cerebral oximetry monitoring. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 504 in-hospital cardiac arrest events, 183 (36%) met inclusion criteria. Overall, 62 of 183 (33.9%) achieved return of spontaneous circulation, whereas 13 of 183 (7.1%) achieved cerebral performance category 1-2 at discharge. Higher mean ± SD regional cerebral oxygenation was associated with return of spontaneous circulation versus no return of spontaneous circulation (51.8% ± 11.2% vs 40.9% ± 12.3%) and cerebral performance category 1-2 versus cerebral performance category 3-5 (56.1% ± 10.0% vs 43.8% ± 12.8%) (both p < 0.001). Mean regional cerebral oxygenation during the last 5 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation best predicted the return of spontaneous circulation (area under the curve, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69-0.83); regional cerebral oxygenation greater than or equal to 25% provided 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 94-100) and 100% negative predictive value (95% CI, 79-100); regional cerebral oxygenation greater than or equal to 65% provided 99% specificity (95% CI, 95-100) and 93% positive predictive value (95% CI, 66-100) for return of spontaneous circulation. Time with regional cerebral oxygenation greater than 50% during cardiopulmonary resuscitation best predicted cerebral performance category 1-2 (area under the curve, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.88). Specifically, greater than or equal to 60% cardiopulmonary resuscitation time with regional cerebral oxygenation greater than 50% provided 77% sensitivity (95% CI,:46-95), 72% specificity (95% CI, 65-79), and 98% negative predictive value (95% CI, 93-100) for cerebral performance category 1-2. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral oximetry allows real-time, noninvasive cerebral oxygenation monitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Higher cerebral oxygenation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is associated with return of spontaneous circulation and neurologically favorable survival to hospital discharge. Achieving higher regional cerebral oxygenation during resuscitation may optimize the chances of cardiac arrest favorable outcomes.

Risk-adjusted survival for adults following in-hospital cardiac arrest by day of week and time of day: observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Internationally, hospital survival is lower for patients admitted at weekends and at night. Data from the UK National Cardiac Arrest Audit (NCAA) indicate that crude hospital survival was worse after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) at night versus day, and at weekends versus weekdays, despite similar frequency of events. OBJECTIVE: To describe IHCA demographics during three day/time periods-weekday daytime (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 19:59), weekend daytime (Saturday and Sunday, 08:00 to 19:59) and night-time (Monday to Sunday, 20:00 to 07:59)-and to compare the associated rates of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) for >20 min (ROSC>20 min) and survival to hospital discharge, adjusted for risk using previously developed NCAA risk models. To consider whether any observed difference could be attributed to differences in the case mix of patients resident in hospital and/or the administered care. METHODS: We performed a prospectively defined analysis of NCAA data from 27 700 patients aged ≥16 years receiving chest compressions and/or defibrillation and attended by a hospital-based resuscitation team in response to a resuscitation (2222) call in 146 UK acute hospitals. RESULTS: Risk-adjusted outcomes (OR (95% CI)) were worse (p<0.001) for both weekend daytime (ROSC>20 min 0.88 (0.81 to 0.95); hospital survival 0.72 (0.64 to 0.80)), and night-time (ROSC>20 min 0.72 (0.68 to 0.76); hospital survival 0.58 (0.54 to 0.63)) compared with weekday daytime. The effects were stronger for non-shockable than shockable rhythms, but there was no significant interaction between day/time of arrest and age, or day/time of arrest and arrest location. While many daytime IHCAs involved procedures, restricting the analyses to IHCAs in medical admissions with an arrest location of ward produced results that are broadly in line with the primary analyses. CONCLUSIONS: IHCAs attended by the hospital-based resuscitation team during nights and weekends have substantially worse outcomes than during weekday daytimes. Organisational or care differences at night and weekends, rather than patient case mix, appear to be responsible.

AWARE-AWAreness during REsuscitation-a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest (CA) survivors experience cognitive deficits including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is unclear whether these are related to cognitive/mental experiences and awareness during CPR. Despite anecdotal reports the broad range of cognitive/mental experiences and awareness associated with CPR has not been systematically studied. METHODS: The incidence and validity of awareness together with the range, characteristics and themes relating to memories/cognitive processes during CA was investigated through a 4 year multi-center observational study using a three stage quantitative and qualitative interview system. The feasibility of objectively testing the accuracy of claims of visual and auditory awareness was examined using specific tests. The outcome measures were (1) awareness/memories during CA and (2) objective verification of claims of awareness using specific tests. RESULTS: Among 2060 CA events, 140 survivors completed stage 1 interviews, while 101 of 140 patients completed stage 2 interviews. 46% had memories with 7 major cognitive themes: fear; animals/plants; bright light; violence/persecution; deja-vu; family; recalling events post-CA and 9% had NDEs, while 2% described awareness with explicit recall of 'seeing' and 'hearing' actual events related to their resuscitation. One had a verifiable period of conscious awareness during which time cerebral function was not expected. CONCLUSIONS: CA survivors commonly experience a broad range of cognitive themes, with 2% exhibiting full awareness. This supports other recent studies that have indicated consciousness may be present despite clinically undetectable consciousness. This together with fearful experiences may contribute to PTSD and other cognitive deficits post CA.

Benchmarking is key to prevention of cardiac arrest.

The automatic triggering of a critical incident review for all unexpected cardiac arrests, as proposed by the National Patient Safety Agency (news August 25), should enable organisations to identify readily the remedial factors that may contribute towards a 'failure to rescue'.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation standards for clinical practice and training in the UK.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Physicians, the Intensive Care Society and the Resuscitation Council (UK) have published new resuscitation standards. The document provides advice to UK healthcare organisations, resuscitation committees and resuscitation officers on all aspects of the resuscitation service. It includes sections on resuscitation training, resuscitation equipment, the cardiac arrest team, cardiac arrest prevention, patient transfer, post-resuscitation care, audit and research. The document makes several recommendations. Healthcare institutions should have, or be represented on, a resuscitation committee that is responsible for all resuscitation issues. Every institution should have at least one resuscitation officer responsible for teaching and conducting training in resuscitation techniques. Staff with patient contact should be given regular resuscitation training appropriate to their expected abilities and roles. Clinical staff should receive regular training in the recognition of patients at risk of cardiopulmonary arrest and the measures required for the prevention of cardiopulmonary arrest. Healthcare institutions admitting acutely ill patients should have a resuscitation team, or its equivalent, available at all times. Clear guidelines should be available indicating how and when to call for the resuscitation team. Cardiopulmonary arrest should be managed according to current national guidelines. Resuscitation equipment should be available throughout the institution for clinical use and for training. The practice of resuscitation should be audited to maintain and improve standards of care. A do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) policy should be compiled, communicated to relevant members of staff, used and audited regularly. Funding must be provided to support an effective resuscitation service.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation standards for clinical practice and training in the UK.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Physicians, the Intensive Care Society and the Resuscitation Council (UK) have published new resuscitation standards. The document provides advice to UK healthcare organisations, resuscitation committees and resuscitation officers on all aspects of the resuscitation service. It includes sections on resuscitation training, resuscitation equipment, the cardiac arrest team, cardiac arrest prevention, patient transfer, post resuscitation care, audit and research. The document makes several recommendations. Healthcare institutions should have, or be represented on, a resuscitation committee that is responsible for all resuscitation issues. Every institution should have at least one resuscitation officer responsible for teaching and conducting training in resuscitation techniques. Staff with patient contact should be given regular resuscitation training appropriate to their expected abilities and roles. Clinical staff should receive regular training in the recognition of patients at risk of cardiopulmonary arrest and the measures required for the prevention of cardiopulmonary arrest. Healthcare institutions admitting acutely ill patients should have a resuscitation team, or its equivalent, available at all times. Clear guidelines should be available indicating how and when to call for the resuscitation team. Cardiopulmonary arrest should be managed according to current national guidelines. Resuscitation equipment should be available throughout the institution for clinical use and for training. The practice of resuscitation should be audited to maintain and improve standards of care. A do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) policy should be compiled, communicated to relevant members of staff, used and audited regularly. Funding must be provided to support an effective resuscitation service.

Survival from in-hospital cardiac arrest: the potential impact of infection.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between outcome from cardiac arrest and infection status at the time of in-hospital cardiac arrest. DESIGN: This was a retrospective database review from a single resuscitation service supporting two major hospitals. SETTING: Two urban University Hospitals in London. PATIENTS: Data from 1436 in-patient cardiac arrest were available for analysis. INTERVENTIONS: Nil. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Patients were classified into infected or non-infected groups by the resuscitation audit process and the hospitals diagnostic coding unit. Survival was followed according to the in-hospital Utstein timepoints. In addition, the data were examined by presenting the cardiac rhythm. Age and length of prior hospitalisation were recorded. Infection associated diagnoses appear to be increasing in prevalence. Initial survival from cardiac arrest was not affected by infection status, but this did have a substantial impact on chance of leaving the initial hospital (odds ratio 0.52, confidence intervals 0.3-0.8), or being discharged to home (odds ratio 0.48, confidence intervals 0.4-0.8). The outcome from ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia was worse for infected patients (odds ratio for home discharge 0.37, confidence intervals 0.2-0.9), although initial survival was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Infection may be becoming an increasingly important association with cardiac arrest in the hospitalised population. Initial survival from cardiac arrest is the same as for non-infected patients, but longer term survival is much poorer. Long-term survival from ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia is relatively poor, in spite of similar initial success.