Initial Defibrillator Pad Position and Outcomes for Shockable Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Importance: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pVT) are the most treatable causes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Yet, it remains unknown if defibrillator pad position, placement in the anterior-posterior (AP) or anterior-lateral (AL) locations, impacts patient outcomes in VF or pVT OHCA.

Objective: To determine the association between initial defibrillator pad placement position and OHCA outcomes for patients presenting with VF or pVT.

Gender Differences in Defibrillator Practices in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Objectives: Disparities remain in survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) for women compared to men. Our objective was to evaluate differences in automated external defibrillator (AED) use before Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrival and time from arrival to initial EMS defibrillation by EMS-assessed gender (women or men).

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of adult non-traumatic, EMS-treated OHCA cases in the Portland Cardiac Arrest Epidemiologic Registry from 2018 to 2021.

The association of early naloxone use with outcomes in non-shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Study Objective: Evaluate the association between early naloxone use and outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with initial non-shockable rhythms.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data collected in the Portland Cardiac Arrest Epidemiologic Registry, a database containing details of emergency medical services (EMS)-treated OHCA cases in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. Eligible patients had non-traumatic OHCA with an initial non-shockable rhythm and received naloxone by EMS or law enforcement prior to IV/IO access (exposure group).

Utility of end-tidal carbon dioxide to guide resuscitation termination in prolonged out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Study Objective: To evaluate if the change in end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) over time has improved discriminatory value for determining resuscitation futility compared to a single ETCO2 value in prolonged, refractory non-shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of adult refractory non-shockable, non-traumatic OHCA patients in the Portland Cardiac Arrest Epidemiologic Registry (PDX Epistry) from 2018 to 2021. We defined refractory non-shockable OHCA cases as patients with lack of a shockable rhythm at any time or return of spontaneous circulation at any time prior to 30-min of on-scene resuscitation.

Outcomes with Tibial and Humeral Intraosseous Access Compared to Peripheral Intravenous Access in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Background: The optimal initial vascular access strategy for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the association between peripheral intravenous (PIV), tibial intraosseous (TIO), or humeral intraosseous (HIO) as first vascular attempt strategies and outcomes for patients suffering OHCA.

Method: This was a secondary analysis of the Portland Cardiac Arrest Epidemiologic Registry, which included adult patients (≥18 years-old) with EMS-treated, non-traumatic OHCA from 2018-2021.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes when law enforcement arrives before emergency medical services.

Background: Law enforcement (LE) professionals are often dispatched to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) to provide early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) application with mixed evidence of a survival benefit. Our objective was to comprehensively evaluate LE care in OHCA.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of adults with non-traumatic OHCA not witnessed by EMS and without bystander AED use from 2018-2021.

Survival by time-to-administration of amiodarone, lidocaine, or placebo in shock-refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Amiodarone and lidocaine have not been shown to have a clear survival benefit compared to placebo for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, randomized trials may have been impacted by delayed administration of the study drugs. We sought to evaluate how timing from emergency medical services (EMS) arrival on scene to drug administration affects the efficacy of amiodarone and lidocaine compared to placebo.

Development of a clinical decision rule for the early prediction of Shock-Refractory Out-of-Hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Nearly half of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients receive three or more shocks, often referred to as refractory VF/VT. Our objective was to derive a clinical decision rule (CDR) for the early stratification of patients into risk categories for refractory VF/VT.

Methods: We included adults with non-traumatic OHCA in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Epistry (2011-2015) with ≥ 1 EMS shock.

Utilization and Effect of Direct Medical Oversight during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Study Objective: Direct medical oversight (DMO), where emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians contact a physician for real-time medical direction, is used by many EMS systems across the United States. Our objective was to characterize the recommendations made by DMO during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) and to determine their effect on EMS transport decisions and patient outcomes.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of DMO call recordings from OHCA cases in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area from January 1, 2018 to February 28, 2021.

Prehospital Airway Management: A Systematic Review.

To assess comparative benefits and harms across three airway management approaches (bag valve mask [BVM], supraglottic airway [SGA], and endotracheal intubation [ETI]) used by prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) to treat patients with trauma, cardiac arrest, or medical emergencies, and how they differ based on techniques and devices, EMS personnel and patient characteristics. We searched electronic citation databases (Ovid® MEDLINE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus) from 1990 to September 2020. We followed Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Effective Health Care Program Methods guidance.

Non-transport after Prehospital Naloxone Administration Is Associated with Higher Risk of Subsequent Non-fatal Overdose.

U.S. opioid overdoses increased nearly sixfold from 1999 to 2018, and greater than 1% of all emergency medical services (EMS) encounters now involve naloxone administration.

Fatal Sodium Nitrite Poisoning: Key Considerations for Prehospital Providers.

Sodium nitrite is a powerful oxidizing agent that causes hypotension and limits oxygen transport and delivery in the body through the formation of methemoglobin. Clinical manifestations can include cyanosis, hypoxia, altered consciousness, dysrhythmias, and death. The majority of reports on sodium nitrite poisonings have been the result of unintentional exposures.

Ventilation in Simulated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Rarely Meets Guidelines.

Objective: The American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care recommend ventilation rates of eight to ten breaths per minute or two ventilations every 30 compressions, and tidal volumes between 500-600 ml. However, compliance with these guidelines is mainly unknown. The objective of this study is to estimate the proportion of simulated adult OHCA cases that meet guideline-based ventilation targets.

A review of ventilation in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest continues to be a devastating condition despite advances in resuscitation care. Ensuring effective gas exchange must be weighed against the negative impact hyperventilation can have on cardiac physiology and survival. The goals of this narrative review are to evaluate the available evidence regarding the role of ventilation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation and to provide recommendations for future directions.

Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy in the Presence of an Intrauterine Device.

Ruptured ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of first trimester maternal mortality. The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy should always be suspected in patients with abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding or syncope. While the use of an intrauterine device (IUD) markedly reduces the incidence of intrauterine pregnancy, it does not confer equal protection from the risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Acute hand pain resulting in spontaneous thenar compartment syndrome.

Compartment syndrome is a potentially limb-threatening disease process, leading to decreased tissue perfusion and cellular death [1]. The following presentation is believed to be the first reported case of thenar compartment syndrome, which occurred without an identifiable cause. A 67-year-old male presented with 12 h of left-hand pain, located at the base of the thumb and worsened with movement.

Progressive anatomical closure of foramen ovale in normal neonatal mouse hearts.

In the prenatal heart, right-to-left atrial shunting of blood through the foramen ovale is essential for proper circulation. After birth, as the pulmonary circulation is established, the foramen ovale functionally closes as a result of changes in the relative pressure of the two atrial chambers, ensuring the separation of oxygen depleted venous blood in the right atrium from the oxygenated blood entering the left atrium. Little is known regarding the process of anatomical closure of the foramen ovale in the postnatal heart.