Advanced vs. Basic Life Support in the Treatment of Out-of-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium.

BACKGROUND: Prior observational studies suggest no additional benefit from advanced life support (ALS) when compared with providing basic life support (BLS) for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We compared the association of ALS care with OHCA outcomes using prospective clinical data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC). METHODS: Included were consecutive adults OHCA treated by participating emergency medical services (EMS) agencies between June 1, 2011, and June 30, 2015. We defined BLS as receipt of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and/or automated defibrillation and ALS as receipt of an advanced airway, manual defibrillation, or intravenous drug therapy. We compared outcomes among patients receiving: 1) BLS-only; 2) BLS + late ALS; 3) BLS + early ALS; and 4) ALS-first care. Using multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated the associations between level of care and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival to hospital discharge, and survival with good functional status, adjusting for age, sex, witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, shockable initial rhythm, public location, EMS response time, CPR quality, and ROC site. RESULTS: Among 35,065 patients with OHCA, characteristics were median age 68 years (IQR 56-80), male 63.9%, witnessed arrest 43.8%, bystander CPR 50.6%, and shockable initial rhythm 24.2%. Care delivered was: 4.0% BLS-only, 31.5% BLS + late ALS, 17.2% BLS + early ALS, and 47.3% ALS-first. ALS care with or without initial BLS care was independently associated with increased adjusted ROSC and survival to hospital discharge unless delivered greater than 6 min after BLS arrival (BLS + late ALS). Regardless of when it was delivered, ALS care was not associated with significantly greater functional outcome. CONCLUSION: ALS care was associated with survival to hospital discharge when provided initially or within six minutes of BLS arrival. ALS care, with or without initial BLS care, was associated with increased ROSC, however it was not associated with functional outcome.

Trends in care processes and survival following prehospital resuscitation improvement initiatives for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in British Columbia, 2006-2016.

BACKGROUND: British Columbia (BC) Emergency Health Services implemented a strategy to improve outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), focusing on paramedic-led high-quality on-scene resuscitation. We measured changes in care metrics and survival trends. METHODS: This was a post-hoc study of prospectively identified consecutive non-traumatic ambulance-treated adult OHCAs from 2006 to 2016 within BC's four metropolitan areas. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge; we also described available favourable neurological outcomes (mRS ≤3). We tested the significance of year-by-year trends in baseline characteristics, and calculated risk-adjusted survival rates using multivariable Poisson regression. RESULTS: We included 15 145 patients. In univariate analyses there were significant increases in bystander CPR, chest compression fraction, advanced life support attendance, duration of resuscitation until advanced airway placement, duration of resuscitation until termination, and overall scene time. There was a significant decrease in initial shockable rhythms, bystander witnessed arrests, and transports initiated prior to ROSC. Survival and the proportion of survivors with favourable neurological outcomes increased significantly. In adjusted analyses, there was an improvement in return of spontaneous circulation (risk-adjusted rate 41% in 2006 to 51% in 2016; adjusted rate ratio per year 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.02, p < 0.01 for trend) and survival at hospital discharge (risk-adjusted rate 8.6% in 2006 to 16% in 2016; adjusted rate ratio per year 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.06, p < 0.01 for trend). CONCLUSION: From 2006 to 2016 BC's provincial ambulance system prioritized paramedic-led on-scene resuscitation, during which time there were significant improvements in patient outcomes. Our data may assist other systems, providing a model for prehospital resuscitation quality improvement.

Prehospital sodium bicarbonate use could worsen long term survival with favorable neurological recovery among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Sodium bicarbonate (SB) is widely used for resuscitation in out-of- hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); however, its effect on long term outcomes is unclear. METHODS: From 2005-2016, we prospectively conducted a province-wide population-based observational study including adult non-traumatic OHCA patients managed by paramedics. SB was administered by paramedics based on their clinical assessments. To examine the association of SB administration and survival and favorable neurological outcome to hospital discharge, defined as modified Rankin scale of 3 or less, we performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis: (1) within propensity score matched comparison groups, and; (2) within the full cohort with missing variables addressed by multiple imputation techniques. RESULTS: Of 15 601 OHCA patients, 13,865 were included in this study with 5165 (37.3%) managed with SB. In the SB treated group, 118 (2.3%) patients survived and 62 (1.2%) had favorable neurological outcomes to hospital discharge, compared to 1699 (19.8%) and 831 (10.6%) in the non-SB treated group, respectively. In the 1:1 propensity matched cohort including 5638 OHCA patients, SB was associated with decreased probability of outcomes (adjusted OR for survival: 0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.91, and adjusted OR for favorable neurological outcome: 0.59, 95% CI 0.39-0.88, respectively). The association remained consistent in the multiply imputed cohort (adjusted OR 0.48, 95 CI 0.36-0.64, and adjusted OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.38-0.76, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In OHCA patients, prehospital SB administration was associated with worse survival rate and neurological outcomes to hospital discharge.