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Introduction: The aim of this study was to estimate the annual incidence of various severe injuries, case fatality rates, and case disability rates for patients in Korea.Materials and Methods: This community-based observational study involved all residents in Korea between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2018. Nationwide data were retrieved from the patient care report of the National Fire Agency and hospital medical records review of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Severe injury was defined as any injury that resulted in emergency medical service (EMS) use and any field-based physiologic abnormality: systolic blood pressure ≤90 mm Hg, respiratory rate <10 or >29 per min, or AVPU scale nonalert. Crude and adjusted incidence rates were calculated without any exclusion. Outcomes including the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at hospital discharge were assessed according to a medical review. Case-fatality and case-disability rates were calculated after excluding patients with unknown vital status.Results: During the one-year period, 36,363 severe injuries occurred, yielding a crude annual incidence rate of 70.9 per 100,000 population; 57.8% were traumatic injuries, and 42.2% were nontraumatic injuries. The adjusted annual incidence rates were 61.7/100,000 for all severe injuries, 35.3/100,000 for traumatic injuries, and 26.4/100,000 for nontraumatic injuries. The case-fatality rate was 24.3% for all severe injuries, 27.0% for traumatic injuries, and 21.0% for nontraumatic injuries. The case-disability rate of GOS 3,4 was 6.0%, and the case-disability rate of GOS 2-4 was 16.4% for all severe injury patients.Conclusions: This nationwide community-based study revealed incidence rates and outcomes of severe injury patients in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Background: Serum albumin has been known as a strong predictive value of mortality in various disease conditions, severe burns, major surgeries, stroke, myocardial infarction, etc. But little is known for the effect of serum albumin level on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of serum albumin level on the outcome of out of hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: This study was a prospective hospital-based patient cohort study, conducted during January to December 2014 at 27 emergency departments in Cardiac Arrest Pursuit Trial with Unique Registration and Epidemiologic Surveillance project. The albumin was measured immediately after arrival to the emergency department during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and albumin was categorized into two groups, group < 3.5 g/dL group and ⩾ 3.5 g/dL group. The primary outcome was a good neurological recovery at discharge (cerebral performance category scale 1 or 2). Multivariable logistic regression was used for adjusting for confounders. Results: During the study period, 1616 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with presumed cardiac etiology were enrolled, and the total of 1013 patients were analyzed in this study. A total 452 (44.6%) patients had serum albumin level less than 3.5 g/dL. The serum albumin ⩾ 3.5 g/dL group showed better neurological outcomes than the serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL group: 18.5% versus 4.0%, and ⩾ 3.5 g/dL group had higher survival discharge rates than the < 3.5 g/dL group: 23.9% versus 9.1% (p < 0.01). After adjusting for potential covariates, patients with serum albumin ⩾ 3.5 g/dL had a higher odds of good neurological recovery (adjusted odds ratio: 2.94 (95% confidence interval: [1.57, 5.49])), and higher survival to discharge (adjusted odds ratio: 1.74 (95% confidence interval: [1.10, 2.76])). Conclusion: Low serum albumin levels are associated with a worse neurologic outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The evidence supporting delivery of quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation is growing and significant attention has been focused on improving bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation education for laypeople. The aim of this randomized trial was to assess the effectiveness of instructor's real-time objective feedback during cardiopulmonary resuscitation training compared to conventional feedback in terms of trainee's cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality. Methods: We performed a cluster-randomized trial of community cardiopulmonary resuscitation training classes at Nowon District Health Community Center in Seoul. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training classes were randomized into either intervention (instructor's objective real-time feedback based on the QCPR Classroom device) or control (conventional, instructor's judgment-based feedback) group. The primary outcome was total cardiopulmonary resuscitation score, which is an overall measure of chest compression quality. Secondary outcomes were individual cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance parameters, including compression rate, depth, and release. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the outcome data, accounting for both random and fixed effects. Results: A total of 149 training sessions (2613 trainees) were randomized into 70 intervention (1262 trainees) and 79 control (1351 trainees) groups. Trainees in the QCPR feedback group significantly increased overall cardiopulmonary resuscitation score performance compared with those in the conventional feedback group (model-based mean Δ increment from baseline to session 5: 11.2 (95% confidence interval 9.2–13.2) and 8.0 (6.0–9.9), respectively; p = 0.02). Individual parameters of compression depth and release also showed higher improvement among trainees in QCPR group with positive trends (p < 0.08 for both). Conclusion: This randomized trial suggests beneficial effect of instructor's real-time objective feedback on the quality of layperson's cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although emergency medical service- (EMS-) witnessed out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a high survival rate and potential for prevention of progression to cardiac arrest, its characteristics and prodromal symptoms are not well known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics and outcome of EMS-witnessed OHCA by focusing on its prodromal symptoms.Methods: Population-based observational study was conducted for resuscitation-attempted EMS-witnessed adult OHCAs between 2012 and 2017. The prodromal symptoms were categorized according to the patients' chief complaints, which were checked in the EMS run sheets: no prodromal, respiratory, cardiac, neurologic, gastrointestinal (GI), or other symptom. If multiple complaints were checked, the patient was assigned to multiple groups. The OHCA characteristics and time from EMS scene arrival to cardiac arrest were investigated by symptom groups and presumed etiology of OHCA. The age- and sex-standardized survival rate and good neurological outcome rate were calculated for each symptom group.Results: Of 12,969 eligible OHCAs, 5246 (40.5%) had prodromal symptoms, 1410 (10.9%) had respiratory symptoms, 505 (3.9%) had cardiac symptoms, 1987 (15.3%) had neurologic symptoms, and 541 (4.2%) had GI symptoms. Of 9361 patients with cardiac etiology, 3522 (37.6%) had prodromal symptoms, and patients with cardiac symptoms had the best rate of survival to discharge and good neurological outcome (42.7% and 38.2%, respectively). Of 3424 patients with non-cardiac etiology, 1651 (48.2%) had prodromal symptoms, and patients with respiratory symptoms had the best survival outcomes (19.0%). The age- and sex-standardized rates of good neurological outcome were better in patients with prodromal symptoms than in patients with cardiac etiology and no prodromal symptoms (cardiac, 30.4%; neurologic, 9.8%; respiratory, 8.9%; GI 7.3%; and no prodromal symptoms, 6.8%). EMS-witnessed OHCA occurred earlier in patients with no prodromal symptoms (5-9 min from EMS arrival) than in those with prodromal symptoms (10-14 min).Conclusion: About 40% of EMS-witnessed OHCA patients had prodromal symptom before cardiac arrest. In cardiac etiology, patients with cardiac symptoms had the best rate of survival to discharge and good neurological outcome. Promoting public awareness of prodromal symptoms is needed to earn time for preparedness and prevention of progression to cardiac arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study compared the real-world effects of audio-instructed dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) and video-instructed DA-CPR on resuscitation outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among adult OHCA patients in whom resuscitation was attempted in 2017 in Seoul, Korea. The dispatch center of Seoul introduced video-instructed DA-CPR in 2017, whereas audio-instructed DA-CPR was first implemented in 2010. When more than two bystanders were at the scene and could handle a video-call, the dispatcher call back a video-call and provided CPR instructions. In other situations, standard audio-instructed DA-CPR was provided. The primary outcome was survival to discharge. The secondary outcome was good neurological outcome at hospital discharge. The tertiary outcome was early instruction time interval (ITI, time from call to the initiation of CPR instruction ≤90 s). The study outcomes of audio-instructed DA-CPR (audio group) and video-instructed DA-CPR (video group) were compared. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to increase the comparability of the two groups and the logistic regression was performed for the PSM cohort.Results: A total of 1720 eligible OHCA patients (1489 and 231 in the audio and video groups, respectively) were evaluated. The median ITI was 136 s in the audio group and 122 s in the video group (p = 0.12). The survival to discharge rates were 8.9% in the audio group and 14.3% in the video groups (p < 0.01). Good neurological outcome occurred in 5.8% and 10.4% in the audio and video groups, respectively (p < 0.01). Compared to the audio group, the AORs (95% CIs) for survival to discharge, good neurological outcome and early ITI of the video group were 1.20 (0.74-1.94), 1.28 (0.73-2.26) and 1.00 (0.70-1.43), respectively. The PSM population showed similar results as those of the original cohort.Conclusion: Compared to audio-instructed DA-CPR, video-instructed DA-CPR was not associated with survival improvement in this observational study conducted in one metropolitan city. Randomized controlled trials are needed to compare the effects of video- and audio-instructed DA-CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The association between the time from arrest to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and survival from out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether time to ECPR is associated with survival in OHCA. Methods: We analysed the Korean national OHCA registry from 2013 to 2016. We included adult witnessed OHCA patients with presumed cardiac aetiology who underwent ECPR. Patients were excluded if their arrest times or outcomes were unknown. The primary outcome was survival to discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis controlling for potential confounders was conducted and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between time to ECPR and survival. Results: There were 40 352 witnessed OHCAs with presumed cardiac aetiology. One hundred and forty patients had ECPR applied on arriving at their ED, 13 of these patients survived to discharge and seven were neurologically intact. Median time from arrest to ECPR was 74 min (IQR 61–90). Time from arrest to ECPR was significantly and inversely associated with survival to discharge for every 10 min increase in time (AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53–1.00) in 10 min intervals. AOR for time from arrest to ECPR ≤60 min was independently associated with improved survival (AOR 6.48, 95% CI 1.54–27.20). Conclusion: Early initiation of ECPR is associated with improved survival after OHCA. Because we analysed a nationwide OHCA registry, which lacks uniform selection criteria for ECPR, further prospective study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Associations between neighbourhood environments and survival outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) have been proposed. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between county-level cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training rates and improvements in survival outcomes after OHCA over 5 years.Methods: Emergency medical service (EMS)-treated OHCAs with cardiac etiology between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed, excluding cases witnessed by EMS providers. The main exposure of interest was county-level CPR training rate defined as the proportions of residents having received CPR training, which was measured in 2016. The endpoint was survival with good neurological recovery. We compared the differences between outcomes from 2012 and 2016 according to quartile groups of counties by the CPR training rates using a difference-in-differences design.Results: A total of 81,250 OHCAs in 254 counties were analyzed. The risk-adjusted good neurological recovery rates increased from 5.4% in 2012 to 7.1% in 2016 (adjusted rates difference: 1.6% (1.2-2.1)). The OHCAs that occurred in counties with the highest county-level CPR training rates were more likely to survive with good neurological recovery (adjusted rates: 5.2% in 2012 and 7.4% in 2016, difference: 2.2% (1.5-2.9)) than were those occurring in the lowest county-level CPR training counties (adjusted rates: 5.9% in 2012 and 6.0% in 2016, difference: 0.1% (-1.1 to 1.2)). The difference-in-differences was 2.1% (0.8-3.5).Conclusions: There were moderate associations between county-level CPR training and improvements in good neurological recovery rates over 5 years in the counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated the effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) with dispatcher assistance (DA) on neurological outcomes based on the response time interval (RTI) of the pre-hospital emergency medical service (EMS) among paediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: This retrospective registry study was conducted on paediatric patients (<19 years old) with OHCA who were assessed by EMS providers between 2012 and 2016. The primary outcome was good neurological recovery based on BCPR with or without DA and the EMS RTI. Differential effects of BCPR with DA based on the EMS RTI were analysed by multivariable logistic regression analysis with interaction terms.Results: Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for good neurological recovery were 2.22 (1.27-3.88) for BCPR with DA and 1.51 (0.77-2.97) for BCPR without DA compared to no BCPR. The faster EMS RTI group (<5 min) had better neurological recovery than the later EMS RTI group (≥5 min) (AOR: 1.87 [1.04-3.29]). The AORs for good neurological recovery following BCPR with DA based on the EMS RTI were 2.52 (0.91-6.97) in the faster EMS RTI group and 2.17 (1.13-4.19) in the later EMS RTI group compared to the no BCPR group.Conclusion: BCPR with DA and a faster EMS RTI were significantly associated with good neurological recovery in paediatric patients with OHCA. When the EMS RTI was delayed, the association of BCPR with DA with good neurological recovery was preserved in paediatric patients with OHCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the temporal trends in good neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) between communities with different socioeconomic status (SES).Methods: A nationwide, population-based observational study was conducted in adult patients with OHCA of cardiac etiology from 2006 to 2015. Community SES was defined using the Carstairs index categorized into 5 groups, from Q1 (the least deprived) to Q5 (the most deprived). Outcomes included good neurologic outcome, survival to hospital discharge and rate of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined temporal trends in risk-adjusted outcome rates according to community SES and estimated a difference-in-differences model between 2006 and 2015 to compare the changes over time in communities with different SES.Results: A total of 120,365 OHCAs met inclusion criteria. Risk-adjusted rates increased from 2006 to 2015 for bystander CPR (1.2%-23.2%), survival to discharge (3.0%-8.0%), and good neurological outcome (0.9%-5.8%). However, the degree of improvement in each risk-adjusted rate among SES groups were different. The communities with highest SES showed much greater improvement (bystander CPR 1.6%-34.6%; survival to discharge 3.5%-9.9%; and good neurological outcome 1.6%-7.4%) while less improvement in lower SES communities (1.6%-15.5%; 2.3%-6.2%; and 0.5%-4.2%, respectively). For rates of bystander CPR, the adjusted difference-in-differences value was statistically significant in highest SES communities, showing gradient from 11.48% increase in the lowest SES to 22.39% increase in the highest SES.Conclusion: In Korea, both survival to hospital discharge and good neurologic outcomes after OHCA have improved during the past decade. However, disparity in outcomes was observed based on community socioeconomic status. Outcome improvements were greatest in communities with higher SES but relatively less in lower SES communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis and intervention by visiting the emergency department (ED) are important for traumatic brain injury (TBI). We evaluate the factors associated with delayed ED visits in patients with intracranial TBI. A retrospective multicenter observational study using the ED-based injury in-depth surveillance database (EDIIS) was designed. Patients with intracranial TBI with an alert mentality at ED presentation from 2014 to 2019 were enrolled. Patients were categorized into four groups according to ED visit time after injury (<1 h, 1–3 h, 3–12 h, and >12 h). ED visits after 12 h were defined as delayed ED visits. The factors associated with delayed ED visits were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Among 15,620 patients with TBI enrolled in the final analysis, 2,190 (14.0%) visited the ED 12 h after injury. Multivariable analysis identified the following factors as independent predictors for delayed ED visit such as unintentionally struck by or against an object or unintentional fall as a trauma mechanism, injury during ordinary activities, indoor injury, injury during nighttime, winter season, combined subdural hemorrhage and epidural hemorrhage. In patients with intracranial TBI with an alert mentality, multiple factors related to patient demographics and injury characteristics were associated with the time interval from injury to ED visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The goal of this study was to determine the effects of dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) on outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: All EMS in a metropolitan city with a population of 10 million are dispatched by a single, centralized, and physician-supervised center. Data on patients with adult OHCA with cardiac etiology were collected from the dispatch center registry and from EMS run sheets and hospital medical record review from 2009 to 2011. A standardized DA-CPR protocol (aligned with the 2010 AHA guidelines) we implemented as an intervention in January 2011. The end points were survival to discharge, good neurological outcome, and bystander CPR rate. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to compare between intervention group (2011) and historical control group (2009-2010).Results: Of 8.144 eligible patients, bystander CPR was performed for the patients in 5.7% (148/2600) of cases in 2009, 6.7% (190/2857) in 2010, and 12.4% (334/2686) in 2011 (p<0.001). The survival to discharge rates was 7.1% (2009), 7.1% (2010), and 9.4% (2011) (p=0.001). Good neurological outcomes occurred in 2.1% (2009), 2.0% (2010), and 3.6% (2011) of cases (p<0.001). The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for survival to discharge compared with 2009 were 1.33 (1.07-1.66) in 2011 and 1.12 (0.89-1.41) in 2010. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for good neurological outcomes were 1.67 (1.13-2.45) in 2011 and 1.13 (0.74-1.72) in 2010.Conclusions: An EMS intervention using the DA-CPR protocol was associated with a significant increase in bystander CPR and an improved survival and neurologic outcome after OHCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The goal of this study was to determine the effects of dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) on outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: All EMS in a metropolitan city with a population of 10 million are dispatched by a single, centralized, and physician-supervised center. Data on patients with adult OHCA with cardiac etiology were collected from the dispatch center registry and from EMS run sheets and hospital medical record review from 2009 to 2011. A standardized DA-CPR protocol (aligned with the 2010 AHA guidelines) we implemented as an intervention in January 2011. The end points were survival to discharge, good neurological outcome, and bystander CPR rate. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to compare between intervention group (2011) and historical control group (2009–2010). Results: Of 8.144 eligible patients, bystander CPR was performed for the patients in 5.7% (148/2600) of cases in 2009, 6.7% (190/2857) in 2010, and 12.4% (334/2686) in 2011 (p <0.001). The survival to discharge rates was 7.1% (2009), 7.1% (2010), and 9.4% (2011) (p =0.001). Good neurological outcomes occurred in 2.1% (2009), 2.0% (2010), and 3.6% (2011) of cases (p <0.001). The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for survival to discharge compared with 2009 were 1.33 (1.07–1.66) in 2011 and 1.12 (0.89–1.41) in 2010. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for good neurological outcomes were 1.67 (1.13–2.45) in 2011 and 1.13 (0.74–1.72) in 2010. Conclusions: An EMS intervention using the DA-CPR protocol was associated with a significant increase in bystander CPR and an improved survival and neurologic outcome after OHCA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We evaluated a real-time, prehospital ultrasound image transmission system for use in focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST). The wireless, real-time ultrasound image transmission system comprised an ultrasound scanner with a convex abdominal transducer and a notebook computer connected to a 3 G wireless network for video data transmission. In our simulation experiment, ultrasonography was performed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on a human body phantom with simulated haemoperitoneum. Transmitted ultrasound video clips were randomly rearranged and presented to emergency physicians to make a diagnosis of haemoperitoneum. A total of 21 ultrasound video clips was used and 13 emergency physicians participated in the study. The sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% (95% Confidence Interval, CI, 83.5–94.6) and 85.3% (95% CI 78.4–90.7) respectively, and the accuracy of detecting abnormal ultrasound results was 87.7% (95% CI 83.8–91.6). Diagnosis of hemoperitonuem in trauma patients by an emergency physician based on the transmitted video images of FAST performed by an EMT is feasible, and has an accuracy of about 88%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Continuous and non-invasive measurement of intracranial pressure (ICP) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is important to recognize increased ICP (IICP), which can reduce treatment delays. The purpose of this study was to develop an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based prediction model for IICP in a porcine TBI model. Thirty swine were anaesthetized and underwent IICP by inflating a Foley catheter in the intracranial space. Single-channel EEG data were collected every 6 min in 10 mmHg increments in the ICP from baseline to 50 mmHg. We developed EEG-based models to predict the IICP (equal or over 25 mmHg) using four algorithms: logistic regression (LR), naive Bayes (NB), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF). We assessed the performance of each model based on the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values. The accuracy of each prediction model for IICP was 0.773 for SVM, 0.749 for NB, 0.746 for RF, and 0.706 for LR. The AUC of each model was 0.860 for SVM, 0.824 for NB, 0.802 for RF, and 0.748 for LR. We developed a machine learning prediction model for IICP using single-channel EEG signals in a swine TBI experimental model. The SVM model showed good predictive power with the highest AUC value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to know if the level of S100B protein at the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and immediately after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) can predict clinical outcome. Materials and methods: A prospective observational study from December 2004 to October 2006 was conducted in an urban tertiary hospital emergency department. Clinical demographics for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients were collected based on the Utstein style. Outcomes collected included ROSC for 20min, survival to admission, survival and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 1 month. S100B protein was measured twice before starting CPR (first S100B) and immediately after ROSC (second S100B). We investigated the association between S100B protein levels and clinical outcomes using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: A total of 151 patients were included (age: 60.2±16.8 years, male: 64.2%). Of these, 60 (39.7%) had ROSC and 46 (30.5%) survived to admission. After 1 month, 12 (8.0%) survived and only three patients showed good GOS (≥4 points). The S100B levels were not different for ROSC, survival to admission and 1-month survival between survivors and non-survivors (p >0.05, first and second S100 B level). For the witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) group (N =87), only the first S100B (1.22±0.85μgl−1 vs. 3.91±4.25μgl−1, p <0.001) showed significant difference for 1-month survival between survivors and non-survivors. The first S100B showed significant association with survival to emergency department (ED) but not 1-month survival (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.905, 95% confidence interval=0.821–0.998). Conclusion: Higher levels of S100B at start of CPR were significantly associated with lower survival to admission, and not for 1-month survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. The association between severity-based incidence of poisoning and socioeconomic status (SES) was investigated. Methods. SES was classified based on the premium level of the National Health Insurance cohort, which are medical aid (MA) population not requiring a premium, five self-employed insured (SEI) population groups, and five employed insured (EI) population groups. The poisoning data sets were obtained from the National Injury Database (2001–2003) of Korea. Severity-based standardized incidence rates (SIRs) were calculated using an excess mortality ratio-adjusted injury severity score (EMR-ISS) similar to the new ISS. EMR-ISS was used to categorize poisoning severity as mild (1 ≤ EMR-ISS ≤ 8), moderate (10 ≤ EMR-ISS ≤ 24), severe (25 ≤ EMR-ISS ≤ 74), or critical (EMR-ISS = 75 or death). The association of household-level SES and severity-based incidence was evaluated using a multiple Poisson regression model with adjustment for the urbanization level and seasonal variations. Results. The total number of poisoning patients was 83,378. The SIR was 1,584 per 1 million person-years. Critical, severe, moderate, and mild poisoning rates were 16.3, 56.7, 18.7, and 8.3%, respectively. SIRs and relative risks of moderate to critical injuries in the SEI group and of moderate (9 ≤ EMR-ISS < 25) injuries in the EI group were strongly and inversely associated with the SES level when compared with MA. When we used the multiple Poisson regression model using the MA group as a reference, adjusted rate ratios were 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.94–1.01) for greater than severe poisoning and 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.82) for critical poisoning in the highest SEI. A strong inverse association was found between adjusted incidence of critical poisoning and SEI and EI levels. Conclusion. A strong association between SES levels and severity-based incidence was found in a large nationwide cohort of poisonings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is insufficient evidence supporting the theory that mechanical ventilation can replace the manual ventilation method during CPR. Is using automatic mechanical ventilation (MV) feasible and comparable to the manual ventilation method during CPR? This pilot randomized controlled trial compared MV and manual bag ventilation (BV) during CPR after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Patients with medical OHCA arriving at the ED were randomly assigned to two groups: an MV group using a mechanical ventilator and a BV group using a bag valve mask. Primary outcome was any return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Secondary outcomes were changes of arterial blood gas analysis results during CPR. Tidal volume, minute volume, and peak airway pressure were also analyzed. A total of 60 patients were enrolled, and 30 patients were randomly assigned to each group. There were no statistically significant differences in basic characteristics of OHCA patients between the two groups. The rate of any return of spontaneous circulation was 56.7% in the MV group and 43.3% in the BV group, indicating no significant (P =.439) difference between the two groups. There were also no statistically significant differences in changes of PH, P co 2 , P o 2 , bicarbonate, or lactate levels during CPR between the two groups (P values =.798, 0.249,.515,.876, and.878, respectively). Significantly lower tidal volume (P <.001) and minute volume (P =.009) were observed in the MV group. In this pilot trial, the use of MV instead of BV during CPR was feasible and could serve as a viable alternative. A multicenter randomized controlled trial is needed to create sufficient evidence for ventilation guidelines during CPR. ClinicalTrials.gov ; No.: NCT05550454; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Differences in the classification results among triage nurses in the emergency room can be improved by training or applying an algorithm. This study aimed to confirm whether the agreement among triage nurses could be improved through learner-led problem-based learning. Methods: This study had a single-group time series design to investigate the effect of problem-based learning led by triage nurses on the agreement of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale classification results for patients who visited the emergency department. We extracted 300 patients each in May and August 2018 before learning began and 300 patients each in May and August 2019 after learning. Results: After problem-based learning was applied, the self-efficacy of triage nurses for emergency patient classification increased statistically significantly compared to before learning (7.88 ± 0.96, p <.001), and the weighted kappa coefficient was also found to be almost perfectly agreement (0.835, p <.001). Conclusions: In this study, problem-based learning improved the inter-rater agreement of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale classification results and self-efficacy of triage nurses. Therefore, problem-based learning can contribute to patient safety in the emergency department by enhancing the expertise of triage nurses and increasing the accuracy of triage classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an important prognostic factor for outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The dispatcher-assisted (DA) bystander CPR program has increased the rate of bystander CPR by targeting bystanders with a lower level of CPR training. We evaluated the effects of dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR and self-led bystander CPR.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using a nationwide OHCA database from 2014 to 2018. Adult EMS-treated OHCA patients with presumed cardiac origin were enrolled. OHCAs were classified into 3 groups according to the type of bystander CPR (DA bystander CPR vs. self-led bystander CPR vs. no bystander CPR) provided. The primary outcome was good neurologic recovery at hospital discharge. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between the type of bystander CPR and outcomes.Results: A total of 91,557 eligible OHCA patients was enrolled in the final analysis. The proportion of patients with favorable neurologic outcomes was highest with self-led bystander CPR (9.0% for self-led bystander CPR, 5.2% for DA bystander CPR and 3.2% for no bystander CPR, p < 0.01). Self-led bystander CPR was associated with better neurological recovery than DA bystander CPR (aOR with 95% CI (DA-CPR as reference): 0.63 (0.58-0.69) for no bystander CPR, 1.28 (1.17-1.40) for self-led bystander CPR).Conclusion: Although DA CPR was associated with better neurologic outcomes than no bystander CPR, good neurologic outcomes were most strongly associated with self-led bystander CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Awareness of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is critically important for bystanders to receive early instruction of dispatch-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) as well as to call for ambulance services. This study aimed to determine the association between awareness time interval and outcomes.Methods: EMS-treated, witnessed, adult (≥18 years old) OCHAs with presumed cardiac etiology between 2012 and 2017 were analyzed, excluding patients with unknown awareness time factors and outcomes. The main exposure was awareness time interval (ATI), defined as the time from the witnessed event to calling for ambulance. Patients were categorized into five groups according to ATI: Group 1 (0-1 min), Group 2 (2-3 min), Group 3 (4-5 min), Group 4 (6-30 min) and Group 5 (31-60 min). The primary outcome was good neurological recovery defined as cerebral performance category 1 or 2 (good CPC). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for outcomes by ATI group (reference = Group 1) and by one-minute delay. We compared the effect size of ATI on outcomes across three witness groups (Layperson, Family, and Unknown).Results: A total of 36,809 OHCAs were analyzed. The AOR (95% CI) by one-minute ATI delay was 0.91 (0.90-0.92) for good CPC. The AORs (95% CIs) for outcomes compared with Group 1 were 0.98 (0.88-1.09) for Group 2, 0.64 (0.56-0.74) for Group 3, 0.30 (0.26-0.35) for Group 4, and 0.10 (0.05-0.20) for Group 5. In the Family bystander group, AORs (95% CIs) compared with Group 1 were significantly decreased by delay of ATI; 1.04 (0.88-1.11) for Group 2, 0.63 (0.81-0.83) for Group 3, and 0.31 (0.31-0.40) for Group 4 and 5. In Layperson-witnessed OHCAs, however, the AORs were significantly higher in the delayed awareness groups (Group 2 and Group 3).Conclusion: A longer ATI in witnessed adult OHCAs was associated with poor neurological recovery. A one-minute delay in ATI was associated with a 9% decrease of good neurological recovery, and the effect was significantly increased in Family-witnessed OHCAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to train, validate and compare predictive models that use machine learning analysis for good neurological recovery in OHCA patients.Methods: Adult OHCA patients who had a presumed cardiac etiology and a sustained return of spontaneous circulation between 2013 and 2016 were analyzed; 80% of the individuals were analyzed for training and 20% were analyzed for validation. We developed using six machine learning algorithms: logistic regression (LR), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), support vector machine, random forest, elastic net (EN), and neural network. Variables that could be obtained within 24 hours of the emergency department visit were used. The area under the receiver operation curve (AUROC) was calculated to assess the discrimination. Calibration was assessed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Reclassification was assessed by using the continuous net reclassification index (NRI).Results: A total of 19,860 OHCA patients were included in the analysis. Of the 15,888 patients in the training group, 2228 (14.0%) had a good neurological recovery; of the 3972 patients in the validation group, 577 (14.5%) had a good neurological recovery. The LR, XGB, and EN models showed the highest discrimination powers (AUROC (95% CI)) of 0.949 (0.941-0.957) for all), and all three models were well calibrated (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: p >0.05). The XGB model reclassified patients according to their true risk better than the LR model (NRI: 0.110), but the EN model reclassified patients worse than the LR model (NRI: -1.239).Conclusion: The best performing machine learning algorithm was the XGB and LR algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia and depression have been known to be risk factors of several diseases, including coronary heart disease. We hypothesized that insomnia affects the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidence, and these effects may vary depending on whether it is accompanied by depression. This study aimed to determine the association between insomnia and OHCA incidence and whether the effect of insomnia is influenced by depression. Methods: This prospective multicenter case-control study was performed using Phase II Cardiac Arrest Pursuit Trial with Unique Registration and Epidemiology Surveillance (CAPTURES-II) project database for OHCA cases and community-based controls in Korea. The main exposure was history of insomnia. We conducted conditional logistic regression analysis to estimate the effect of insomnia on the risk of OHCA incidence and performed interaction analysis between insomnia and depression. Finally, subgroup analysis was conducted in the patients with insomnia. Results: Insomnia was not associated with increased OHCA risk (0.95 [0.64–1.40]). In the interaction analysis, insomnia interacted with depression on OHCA incidence in the young population. Insomnia was associated with significantly higher odds of OHCA incidence (3.65 [1.29–10.33]) in patients with depression than in those without depression (0.84 [0.59–1.17]). In the subgroup analysis, depression increased OHCA incidence only in patients who were not taking insomnia medication (3.66 [1.15–11.66]). Conclusion: Insomnia with depression is a risk factor for OHCA in the young population. This trend was maintained only in the population not consuming insomnia medication. Early and active medical intervention for patients with insomnia may contribute to lowering the risk of OHCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant healthcare concern in several countries, accounting for a major burden of morbidity, mortality, disability, and socioeconomic losses. Although conventional prognostic models for patients with TBI have been validated, their performance has been limited. Therefore, we aimed to construct machine learning (ML) models to predict the clinical outcomes in adult patients with isolated TBI in Asian countries. The Pan-Asian Trauma Outcome Study registry was used in this study, and the data were prospectively collected from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020. Among a total of 6540 patients (≥ 15 years) with isolated moderate and severe TBI, 3276 (50.1%) patients were randomly included with stratification by outcomes and subgrouping variables for model evaluation, and 3264 (49.9%) patients were included for model training and validation. Logistic regression was considered as a baseline, and ML models were constructed and evaluated using the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) as the primary outcome metric, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and precision at fixed levels of recall. The contribution of the variables to the model prediction was measured using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The ML models outperformed logistic regression in predicting the in-hospital mortality. Among the tested models, the gradient-boosted decision tree showed the best performance (AUPRC, 0.746 [0.700–0.789]; AUROC, 0.940 [0.929–0.952]). The most powerful contributors to model prediction were the Glasgow Coma Scale, O2 saturation, transfusion, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, and age. Our study suggests that ML techniques might perform better than conventional multi-variate models in predicting the outcomes among adult patients with isolated moderate and severe TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cooling method used for target temperature management (TTM) was associated with neurological recovery after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: From January 2008 to December 2016, adult OHCA patients who survived to hospitalization without any traumatic etiology and who received TTM were included. Patients who did not have information about neurological status at hospital discharge or who did not have information on target temperature management were excluded. Cooling methods were classified into four groups: (1) external device cooling (EDC) using a pad with cooling device, (2) external conventional cooling (ECC) such as ice water, fans, and simple blankets, (3) Intravascular cooling (IVC) using an intravascular cooling catheter, and (4) intracavitary cooling (ICC) using ice water for washing cavitary organ. The outcomes were good cerebral performance scale (CPC) score 1 or 2 and survival to discharge. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated (reference = ECC). Finally, we used a GLIMMIX procedure with group-level variables (hospitals) to create a multilevel model for adjusting the clustering factor of patients being treated in the same hospital.Results: The final analysis included a total of 4246 eligible patients (ECC 1386, EDC 2107, IVC 376, ICC 377). Good neurologic recovery was 20.7% for all (ECC 17.4, EDC 23.1%, IVC 26.9%, and ICC 13.3%, p < .001). The survival rate was 46.4% for all (ECC 45.4%, EDC 48.5%, IVC 50.5%, ICC 34.2%, p < .001). There were no significant differences (AOR and 95% CI) in the multi-level analysis for good neurological recovery between cooling methods compared with ECC; EDC 1.20 (0.95-1.52), IVC 1.43 (0.90-2.27), and ICC 0.71 (0.46-1.10). The ICC group had a lower survival to discharge rate compared with ECC; EDC 0.97 (0.83-1.15), IVC 0.96 (0.78-1.19), and ICC 0.63 (0.43-0.85).Conclusion: The cooling methods for TTM did not show any significant difference in neurological recovery in multi-level logistic regression analysis. Only intracavitary cooling resulted in a lower survival to discharge than external surface cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Regular physical activity is recommended to prevent cardiovascular disease including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, it is uncertain whether the intensity during physical activity is associated with better outcomes. We studied the effect of exercise at the time of arrest and the association between metabolic equivalent of task (MET) score and survival of OHCA patients of young and middle age.Methods: All OHCAs of presumed cardiac etiology who were 18-65 years of age and were witnessed by a layperson between 2013 and 2015 were analyzed. The main exposure of interest was physical activity at the time of, or immediately prior to, the arrest and the MET score groups (0-3 for light, 3-6 for moderate, and ≥6 for vigorous). The endpoint was survival with good neurological recovery. For the sensitivity analysis, we created a matched dataset by matching for age, gender, residential area, and comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for patient and arrest-environmental factors.Results: A total of 6,273 patients in the original dataset were included, and 762 (12.1%) patients had a cardiac arrest during exercise. The exercise-related OHCAs were more likely to have a good neurological recovery rate (25.9%) than the non-exercise-related OHCA (12.9%) in the original dataset (AOR (95% CI): 1.36 (1.08-1.70)) but not in the matched dataset (1.37 (0.92-1.97)). Using MET score groups, the moderate-intensity group compared with the non-exercise group was associated with better neurological outcome (1.70 (1.11-2.63)), but neither light-intensity (0.77 (0.40-1.49)) nor vigorous-intensity (1.44 (0.91-2.28)) groups were associated with better outcomes.Conclusions: Patients who had an OHCA during exercise were more likely to have neurologically intact survival compared to patients who had an OHCA during periods of non-exercise; however, only the moderate-intensity group was associated with a better neurological outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: It is unknown whether patient position is associated with the optimal cerebral (CePP) and coronary (CoPP) perfusion pressure.Methods: This study utilized a randomized experimental design and anesthetized, intubated and paralyzed female pigs (n=12) (mean 42, SD 3kg). After 6min of untreated ventricular fibrillation, mechanical CPR with was performed for 3min in 0° supine position. The CPR was then performed for 5min in a position randomly assigned to either 1) head-up tilt (HUT) by three angles (30°, 45°, or 60°) or 2) head-down tilt (HDT) by three angles (30°, 45°, or 60°) and at 3) supine position between HUT and HDT positions. 4 Pigs were assigned to each angle of HUT or HDT position and 12 pigs were assigned to supine position. CePPs and CoPPs were measured and compared using MIXED procedure with pig as a random effect among angles and compared between angles with Tukey post-hoc analysis.Results: With 60°, 45°, 30° head-down, 0° (supine), and 30°, 45°, 60° head-up positioning, mean(SD) CePPs increased consistently as follows: 2.4(0.4), 9.3(1.6), 16.5(1.6), 27.0(1.5), 35.1(0.4), 39.4(0.6), and 39.9(0.3) mmHg, respectively. CoPPs were followings according to same angle: 12.9(2.5), 13.3(2.5), 12.8(0.4), 18.1(0.7), 30.3(0.4), 24.1(0.6), and 26.5(0.9) mmHg, respectively. The CePPs were peak at HUT(45°) and HUT(60°), but CoPP was peak in HUT(30°) and higher than HUT(45°) and HUT(60°).Conclusion: Cerebral perfusion pressure during mechanical CPR were similar and highest in the HUT(45° and 60°) positions whereas the peak coronary perfusion pressure was observed with HUT(30°). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We studied the effect of a dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) program on paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes by age groups.Methods: All emergency medical services (EMS)-treated paediatric OHCAs in Korea were enrolled between 2012 and 2014, excluding cases witnessed by EMS providers and those with unknown outcomes. The cases were divided into three groups: bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance, bystander CPR without dispatcher assistance, and no-bystander CPR. The endpoint was survival until discharge from hospital. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. The final model with an interaction term was evaluated to compare the effects across age groups.Results: A total of 1529 patients (32.8% bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance, 17.3% without dispatcher assistance, and 54.6% no-bystander CPR) were included. Both bystander CPR groups were more likely to have higher rate of survival to discharge (8.8% and 12.1%) compared to no-bystander CPR (3.9%). The adjusted OR (95% CI) for survival to discharge were 1.77 (1.04-3.00) in bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance and 2.86 (1.61-5.08) in without dispatcher assistance compared with no-bystander CPR. By age groups, the adjusted OR (95% CI) in bystander CPR with and without dispatcher assistance were 2.18 (1.07-4.42) and 2.27 (1.01-5.14) for the group aged 9-18 years; 2.32 (0.64-8.44) and 6.21 (1.83-21.01) for the group aged 1-8 years; 1.06 (0.41-2.77) and 2.00 (0.64-6.18) for the group aged 0-12 months, respectively.Conclusions: Bystander CPR, regardless of dispatcher assistance, was associated with improved survival outcomes after OHCA in the paediatric population. However, the associations between dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR and survival outcomes varied by age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation is performed from scene arrival to hospital arrival. The diverse prehospital resuscitation phases can affect the quality of chest compressions. This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic changes in chest compression quality during prehospital resuscitation.Methods: Adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation were included in Seoul between July 2020 and September 2021. The chest compressions quality was assessed using a real-time chest compression feedback device. The prehospital phase was divided by key events during the prehospital resuscitation timeline (phase 1: first 2 min after initiation of chest compression, phase 2: from the end of phase 1 to 1 min prior to ambulance departure; phase 3: from 1 min before to 1 min after ambulance departure; phase 4: from the end of phase 3 to hospital arrival). The main outcome was no-flow fraction. The no-flow fraction between prehospital phases was compared using repeated-measure analysis of variance.Results: In total, 788 patients were included. Mean no-flow fraction was the highest in phase 3 (phase 1: 11.3% ± 13.8, phase 2: 19.3% ± 12.3, phase 3: 33.0% ± 34.9, phase 4: 18.7% ± 23.7, p < 0.001). The mean number of total no-flow events per minute was also the highest in phase 3. The minute-by-minute analysis showed that the no-flow fraction rapidly increased before ambulance departure and decreased during ambulance transport.Conclusion: Dynamic changes in chest compression quality were observed during prehospital resuscitation phase. The no-flow fraction was the highest from 1 min before to 1 min after ambulance departure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People older than 65 years tend to have traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) more frequently and have a higher mortality rate after TBI than younger individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of age on in-hospital mortality among patients who had fall-related TBIs at home, emphasizing the effect of specific locations in the house on the outcome.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-Depth Surveillance (EDIIS) database in South Korea. Patients aged 65 years or older with a slip or fall injury, accidental injury at home, and no major diagnosis other than TBI were included. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analysis was conducted to determine the effect of locations on the relationship between age and in-hospital mortality.Results: Of the 2,571,442 patients in the EDIIS database, 9,747 were included in this study. The most common injury location was room or bedroom (29.1%), followed by living room or kitchen (23.0%), bathroom (20.2%), stairs (15.8%), and outdoor spaces of the house (11.9%). There was a significant association between increased in-hospital mortality and oldest old age. The stairs or outdoor spaces of the house was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality compared to rooms inside the house. The oldest age group showed a higher association with in-hospital mortality than the young-old group, especially in the bathroom, stairs, and outdoor spaces of the house.Conclusions: Elderly individuals over the age of 85 are the most vulnerable to fall-related TBI mortality at home. A fall prevention strategy for the oldest-old is needed, especially for the bathroom, stairs, and the ancillary space outside the house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to test the association between capacity of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at community level and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: Emergency medical service (EMS)-treated OHCAs with cardiac etiology in Korea between 2012 and 2013 were analyzed, excluding cases witnessed by EMS providers. Exposure variables were five indexes of community CPR capacity: awareness of CPR (CPR-Awareness), any training experience of CPR (CPR-Any-Training), recent CPR training within the last 2 years (CPR-Recent-Training), CPR training with a manikin (CPR-Manikin-Training), and CPR self-efficacy (CPR-Self-Efficacy). All measures of capacity were calculated as aggregated values for each county level using the national Korean Community Health Survey database of 228,921 responders sampled representatively from 253 counties in 2012. Endpoints were bystander CPR (BCPR) and survival to discharge. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) per 10% increment in community CPR capacity using multi-level logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders at individual levels.Results: Of 29,052 eligible OHCAs, 11,079 (38.1%) received BCPR. Patients were more likely to receive BCPR in communities with higher proportions of residents with CPR-Awareness, CPR-Any-Training, CPR-Recent-Training, CPR-Manikin-Training, and CPR-Self-Efficacy (all p<0.01). AORs for BCPR were 1.06 (1.03-1.10) per 10% increment in CPR-Awareness, 1.10 (1.04-1.15) for CPR-Any-Training, and 1.08 (1.03-1.13) for CPR-Self-Efficacy. For survival to discharge, AORs (95% CIs) were 1.34 (1.23-1.47) per 10% increment in CPR-Awareness, 1.36 (1.20-1.54) for CPR-Any-Training, and 1.29 (1.15-1.45) for CPR-Self-Efficacy.Conclusion: Higher CPR capacity at community level was associated with higher bystander CPR and survival to discharge rates after OHCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to determine the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) on incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and to investigate whether difference in effects of DM between therapeutic methods was observed. Methods: This study was a case-control study using the Cardiac Arrest Pursuit Trial with Unique Registration and Epidemiologic Surveillance (CAPTURES) project database and 2013 Korean Community Health Survey (CHS). Cases were defined as EMS-treated adult (18 year old and older) OHCA patients with presumed cardiac etiology collected at 27 emergency departments from January to December 2014. OHCA patients whose arrest occurred at nursing homes or clinics and cases with unknown information on DM were excluded. Four controls were matched to one case with strata including age, gender, and county from the Korean CHS database. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the risk of DM and treatment modality on incidence of OHCA. Results: Total 1,386 OHCA patients and 5,544 community-based controls were analyzed. A total of 370 (26.7%) among cases and 860 (15.5%) among controls were diagnosed with DM. DM was associated with increasing risk of OHCA (AOR: 1.92 (1.65–2.24)). By DM treatment modality comparing with non-DM group, AOR (95% CI) was the highest in non-pharmacotherapy only group (4.65 (2.00–10.84)), followed by no treatment group (4.17 (2.91–5.96)), insulin group (2.69 (1.82–3.96)), and oral hypoglycemic agent group (1.55 (1.31–1.85)). Conclusion: DM increased the risk of OHCA, which was the highest in the non-pharmacotherapy group and decreased in magnitude with pharmacotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between patient age and guideline adherence for prehospital care in emergency medical services (EMS) for moderate to severe trauma. This was a retrospective observational study that used a nationwide EMS-based trauma database from 2016 to 2019. Adult trauma patients whose injury severity score was greater than or equal to nine were screened, and those with cardiac arrest or without outcome data were excluded. The enrolled patients were categorized into four groups according to patient age: young (<45 years), middle-aged (45–64 years), old (65–84 years), and very old (>84 years). The primary outcome was guideline adherence, which was defined as following all prehospital care components: airway management for level of consciousness below verbal response, oxygen supply for pulse oximetry under 94 %, intravenous fluid administration for systolic blood pressure under 90 mmHg, scene resuscitation time within 10 min, and transport to the trauma center or level 1 emergency department. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs). Among the 430,365 EMS-treated trauma patients, 38,580 patients were analyzed—9,573 (24.8 %) in the young group, 15,296 (39.7 %) in the middle-aged group, 9,562 (24.8 %) in the old group, and 4,149 (10.8 %) in the very old group. The main analysis revealed a lower probability of guideline adherence in the old group (aOR 95 % CI = 0.84 (0.76–0.94)) and very old group (aOR 95 % CI = 0.68 (0.58–0.81)) than in the young group. We found disparities in guideline adherence for prehospital care according to patient age at the time of EMS assessment of moderate to severe trauma. Considering this disparity, the prehospital trauma triage and management for older patients needs to be improved and educated to EMS providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, speech and video information recognition technology (SVRT) has developed rapidly. Introducing SVRT into the emergency medical practice process may lead to improvements in health care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of acceptance of SVRT among patients, caregivers and emergency medical staff. Methods: Structured questionnaires were developed for the patient or caregiver group and the emergency medical staff group. The survey was performed in one tertiary academic hospital emergency department. Questions were optimized for each specific group, and responses were provided mostly using Likert 5-scales. Additional multivariable logistic regression analyses for the whole cohort and subgroups were conducted to calculate odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) to examine the association between individual characteristics and SVRT acceptance. Results: Of 264 participants, respondents demonstrated a positive attitude and acceptance toward SVRT and artificial intelligence (AI) in future; 179 (67.8%) for video recordings, and 190 (72.0%) for speech recordings. A multivariable logistic regression model revealed that several factors were associated with acceptance of SVRT in emergency medical practice: belief in health care improvement by signal analysis technology (OR, 95% CIs: 2.48 (1.15–5.42)) and AI (OR, 95% CIs: 1.70 (0.91–3.17)), reliability of AI application in emergency medicine (OR, 95% CIs: 2.36 (1.28–4.35)) and the security of personal information (OR, 95% CIs: 1.98 (1.10–3.63)). Conclusion: A high level of acceptance toward SVRT has been shown in patients or caregivers, and it also appears to be associated with positive attitudes toward new technology, AI and security of personal information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Termination-of-resuscitation rules (TORRs) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients have been applied in western countries; in Asia, two TORRs were developed and have not been externally validated widely. We aimed to externally validate the TORRs using the registry of Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS). Methods: PAROS enrolled 66,780 OHCA patients in seven Asian countries from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2012. The American Heart Association-Basic Life Support and AHA-ALS (AHA-BLS), AHA-Advanced Life Support (AHA-ALS), Goto, and Shibahashi TORRs were selected. The diagnostic test characteristics and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. We further determined the most suitable TORR in Asia and analysed the variable differences between subgroups. Results: We included 55,064 patients in the final analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and AUC, respectively, for AHA-BLS, AHA-ALS, Goto, Shibashi TORRs were 79.0%, 80.0%, 19.6%, 98.5%, and 0.80; 48.6%, 88.3%, 9.8%, 98.5%, and 0.60; 53.8%, 91.4%, 11.2%, 99.0%, and 0.73; and 35.0%, 94.2%, 8.4%, 99.0%, and 0.65. In countries using the Goto TORR with PPV<99%, OHCA patients were younger, had more males, a higher rate of shockable rhythm, witnessed collapse, pre-hospital defibrillation, and survival to discharge, compared with countries using the Goto TORR with PPV ≥99%. Conclusions: There was no single TORR fit for all Asian countries. The Goto TORR can be considered the most suitable; however, a high predictive performance with PPV ≥99% was not achieved in three countries using it (Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The present study aimed to determine the relationship between the triage-based resource allocation and clinical treatment ( TRACT) protocol and mortality and length of stay ( LOS) in ED. Methods This before-and-after study was conducted in an adult, tertiary, teaching hospital ED from August 2008 to July 2012. Patients who were younger than 18 years of age, who were dead on arrival and whose triage information was not available were excluded. TRACT was implemented in August 2010, and the Emergency Severity Index ( ESI) was used for triage. Primary and secondary outcomes were ED mortality and ED LOS. Multivariate logistic regression models for ED mortality and multivariable general linear models on the ED LOS were used to compare the before- and after-intervention periods. Results For the 155 563 visits over study period, the ED mortality rate was 0.2%, and the ED LOS was 4.6 h (median). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of the TRACT protocol on ED mortality were 0.69 (0.54-0.88) for total patients, 0.42 (0.30-0.59) for ESI 1, 1.04 (0.66-1.65) for ESI 2 and 1.45 (0.76-2.75) for ESI 3 group. The adjusted coefficients (95% CIs) of the TRACT on the ED LOS were −88.1 (−96.9 ∼ −79.2) min for all patients, −44.9 (−72.0 ∼ −17.9) min for ESI level 2 and −104.3 (−114.7 ∼ −94.0) min for ESI level 3. Conclusions The TRACT protocol decreased the ED mortality in ESI 1 group and reduced the ED LOS in ESI levels 2 and 3 groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) is the core hospital intervention to enhance neurological outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been known to be a harmful risk factor on survival after OHCA. This study aimed to investigate whether the effect of MTH on brain recovery after OHCA differed between patients with or without DM. Methods We used a Korean national OHCA database composed of hospital and ambulance data. We included adult OHCA patients who survived to admission with presumed cardiac etiology during the study period from 2009 to 2013. We excluded cases without hospital outcome data. The primary exposure was MTH, which included all kinds of cooling methods that had been initiated within 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation. DM was coded positive when the patient had a clinical history diagnosed by a physician before an OHCA event. The endpoints were discharge with good neurological recovery (cerebral performance category 1 or 2) and survival to discharge. We compared outcomes between MTH vs. non-MTH groups using multivariable logistic regression with an interaction term between MTH and DM for calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjusting for potential confounders. Results Among 9735 patients following OHCA survived to hospital admission with cardiac etiology, MTH was performed in 16.5%. History of DM was observed in 25.4% among MTH group and 27.4% in non-MTH group ( p = 0.09). MTH group showed better outcomes than non-MTH group; 23.6% vs. 15.7% for good neurological recovery ( p < 0.01). AOR (95% CI) of MTH for good neurological recovery for all study groups was 1.23 (1.03–1.47). In the interaction model, AOR (95% CI) of MTH for good neurological recovery was 1.40 (1.16–1.70) in patients without DM vs. 0.69 (0.46–1.04) in patients with DM. For survival to discharge, the effects of MTH were different in patients without DM (1.97 (1.70–2.29)) and patients with DM (1.23 (0.96–1.57)). Conclusion DM modified the effect of MTH on survival and neurological outcomes for OHCA survivors. MTH is significantly associated with good neurological recovery in patients without DM, but not in patients with DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We investigated the impact of healthy lifestyle factors and cardiovascular comorbidities for sudden cardiac arrest.Methods: A case-control study, including patients with sudden cardiac arrest aged 20-79 years and community-based 1:2 matched controls, was conducted from September 2017 to December 2020. All participants completed a structured questionnaire. Using multivariable logistic regression, we assessed cardiovascular comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and stroke) and healthy lifestyle factors (low red meat consumption, low fish consumption, high fruit consumption, high vegetable consumption, current non-smoking, regular exercise, and adequate sleep duration) as sudden cardiac arrest risk factors.Results: Among 3027 eligible cases, informed consent was obtained from 949 (31.3%) cases. A total of 1731 controls were enrolled. Cardiovascular comorbidities, except dyslipidaemia, were associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest, whereas all healthy lifestyle factors were associated with a decreased risk. Relative to patients in the 0-2 healthy lifestyle factors group, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for sudden cardiac arrest was 0.25 (0.16-0.40) in patients with 3 healthy lifestyle factors, 0.08 (0.05-0.13) in patients with 4 healthy lifestyle factors, and 0.04 (0.03-0.06) in patients with over 5 healthy lifestyle factors. When the number of healthy lifestyle factors was analysed as a continuous variable, each additional factor was associated with a significant decrease in the likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.41 [0.36-0.46]).Conclusion: The increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest by cardiovascular comorbidities could be significantly reduced with healthy lifestyle factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Alcohol intake is one of the triggers of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and is associated with survival outcomes due to its relationship with cardiovascular conditions such as variant angina and arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between alcohol intake shortly before cardiac arrest and survival outcomes after OHCA.Methods: This observational study was conducted using a nationwide OHCA registry database in Korea. All adult OHCA patients with presumed cardiac etiology from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included coronary angiography (CAG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. Groups with and without alcohol intake shortly before cardiac arrest were compared using propensity score matching and conditional logistic regression analysis.Results: Among the study population of 83,087, 1,777 (2.1%) patients consumed alcohol shortly before OHCA. In the propensity score-matched population, the group with alcohol intake showed significantly higher odds of survival to hospital discharge compared to the group without alcohol intake (OR (95% CI): 1.33 (1.15-1.53)). The odds of receiving CAG without PCI and ICD implantation were significantly higher in the group with alcohol intake compared to the group without alcohol intake (OR (95% CI): 1.60 (1.34-1.92) and 1.74 (1.28-2.37), respectively), while the odds of receiving CAG with PCI were significantly lower (OR (95% CI): 0.75 (0.59-0.95)).Conclusion: In OHCA patients with presumed cardiac etiology, alcohol intake shortly before arrest was associated with higher odds of survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) pose a significant public health burden, and more than half of these fatalities are attributed to vulnerable road users (VRUs). This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and outcomes of severe RTIs in Korea by focusing on different types of road users. This is nationwide retrospective observational study. Using data from the Korean Nationwide Severe Trauma Registry, this study analyzed severe RTI cases from 2016 to 2020. The study included EMS-treated severe trauma patients, defining severe RTI as cases with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥16 or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The main variable of interest was the road user type, classified as motor vehicle occupants (MVOs), pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. Trends and injury characteristics by road user type were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of road user type for in-hospital mortality. Of the 143,021 EMS-treated severe trauma cases, 24,464 were included in this study. Pedestrians represented the largest group (n = 8,782; 35.9 %). More than half of the patients died (n = 12,620, 51.6 %), and a high proportion of patients had OHCA (n = 10,048, 41.1 %). There was no significant change in the overall severe RTI numbers from 2016 to 2020, but a decrease in pedestrian cases and an increase in motorcyclist cases were noted (both p for trend<0.05). Low usage of safety devices was observed (28.2 % of motor vehicle occupants used seat belts, 35.9 % of motorcyclists used helmets, and 9.6 % of bicyclists used helmets). Head injuries were most common, particularly among bicyclists (77.0 %) and motorcyclists (69.8 %). Compared to motor vehicle occupants, pedestrians (AOR [95 % CI] 1.12 [1.04–1.20]) and others (AOR [95 % CI] 1.30 [1.02–1.65]) had higher odds of mortality, while motorcyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.64 [0.59–0.69]) and bicyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.68 [0.60–0.76]) had lower odds of mortality. We found varying trends and injury characteristics in severe RTIs according to road user type. Adapting prevention strategies for evolving road user patterns, with particular attention to increasing safety device usage and addressing the high mortality associated with severe RTIs are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear whether emergency medical service (EMS) agencies with good out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) quality indicators also perform well in treating other emergency conditions. We aimed to evaluate the association of an EMS agency's non-traumatic OHCA quality indicators with prehospital management processes and clinical outcomes of major trauma. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed data from registers of nationwide, population-based OHCA (adult EMS-treated non-traumatic OHCA patients from 2017 to 2018) and major trauma (adult, EMS-treated, and injury severity score ≥16 trauma patients in 2018) in South Korea. We developed a prehospital ROSC prediction model to categorize EMS agencies into quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on the observed-to-expected (O/E) ROSC ratio for each EMS agency. We evaluated the national EMS protocol compliance of on-scene management according to O/E ROSC ratio quartile. The association between O/E ROSC ratio quartiles and trauma-related early mortality was determined in a multi-level logistic regression model by adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). Among 30,034 severe trauma patients, 4,836 were analyzed. Patients in Q4 showed the lowest early mortality rate (5.6 %, 5.5 %, 4.8 %, and 3.4 % in Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively). In groups Q1 to Q4, increasing compliance with the national EMS on-scene management protocol (trauma center transport, basic airway management for patients with altered mentality, spinal motion restriction for patients with spinal injury, and intravenous access for patients with hypotension) was observed (p for trend <0.05). Multivariable multi-level logistic regression analysis showed significantly lower early mortality in Q4 than in Q1 (adjusted OR [95 % CI] 0.56 [0.35–0.91]). Major trauma patients managed by EMS agencies with high success rates in achieving prehospital ROSC in non-traumatic OHCA were more likely to receive protocol-based care and exhibited lower early mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prehospital fluid resuscitation with crystalloids in patients following trauma remain controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between prehospital fluid resuscitation and outcomes of trauma patients in Asia. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of trauma patients between 2016 and 2018 using data from the Pan-Asia Trauma Outcomes Study (PATOS) database. Prehospital fluid resuscitation was defined as any administration of intravenous crystalloid fluid on the ambulance before arrival to hospitals. The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and poor functional outcomes, defined as Modified Rankin Scale ≥ 4. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to equalize potential prognostic factors in both groups. This study included 31,735 patients from six countries in Asia, and 4318 (13.6%) patients had ever received prehospital fluid resuscitation. The patients receiving prehospital fluid resuscitation had a higher risk of in-hospital mortality, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32–3.10, p = 0.001 in PSM analysis. Prehospital fluid resuscitation was also associated with poor functional outcomes, with an OR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.48–2.03, p < 0.001 in PSM analysis. Prehospital fluid resuscitation in patients with major trauma (injury severity score ≥ 16) presented a higher risk of poor functional outcomes (aOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.89–3.73 in PSM analysis, pinteraction = 0.006) via subgroup analysis. Prehospital fluid resuscitation of trauma patients is associated with higher in-hospital mortality and poor functional outcomes in the subgroup in countries studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the risks of diabetes mellitus (DM) on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and to investigate whether the risks of DM on OHCA varied according to the diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of diabetes. We conducted a multicenter prospective case–control study in 17 University hospitals in Korea from September 2017 to December 2020. Cases were EMS-treated OHCA patients aged 20 to 79 with a presumed cardiac etiology. Community-based controls were recruited at a 1:2 ratio after matching for age, sex, and urbanization level of residence. A structured questionnaire and laboratory findings were collected from cases and controls. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the risk of DM on OHCA by characteristics. A total of 772 OHCA cases and 1544 community-based controls were analyzed. A total of 242 (31.3%) OHCAs and 292 (18.9%) controls were previously diagnosed with DM. The proportions of type I DM (10.7% vs. 2.1%) and insulin therapy (15.3% vs. 6.5%) were higher in OHCAs with DM than in controls with DM. The duration of DM was longer in OHCAs than in controls (median 12 vs. 7 years). DM was associated with an increased risk of OHCA (aOR (95% CI), 2.13 (1.64–2.75)). Compared to the no diabetes group, the risks of OHCA increased in the diabetes patients with type I DM (5.26 (1.72–16.08)) and type II DM group (1.63 (1.18–2.27)), a long duration of DM prevalence (1.04 (1.02–1.06) per 1-year prevalence duration), and a high HbA1c level (1.38 (1.19–1.60) per 1% increase). By treatment modality, the aOR (95% CI) was lowest in the oral hypoglycemic agent (1.47 (1.08–2.01)) and highest in the insulin (6.63 (3.04–14.44)) groups. DM was associated with an increased risk of OHCA, and the risk magnitudes varied according to the diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The goal of this study is to better understand the trend in epidemiological features and the outcomes of emergency medical service (EMS)-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) according to the community urbanization level: metropolitan, urban, and rural. Methods: This study was performed within a nationwide EMS system with a single-tiered basic-to-intermediate service level and approximately 900 destination hospitals for eligible OHCA cases in South Korea (with 48 million people). A nationwide OHCA database, which included information regarding demographics, Utstein criteria, EMS, and hospital factors and outcomes, was constructed using the EMS run sheets of eligible cases who were transported by 119 EMS ambulances and followed by a medical record review from 2006 to 2010. Cases with an unknown outcome were excluded. The community urbanization level was categorized according to population size, with metropolitan areas (more than 500,000 residents), urban areas (100,000–500,000 residents), and rural areas (<100,000 residents). The primary end point was the survival to discharge rate. Age- and sex-adjusted survival rates (ASRs) and standardized survival ratios (SSRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated compared to a standard population. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% CIs for survival were calculated and adjusted for potential risk factors using stratified multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: There were 97,291 EMS-assessed OHCAs with 73,826 (75.9%) EMS-treated cases analyzed, after excluding the patients with unknown outcome (N =4172). The standardized incidence rate increased from 37.5 in 2006 to 46.8 in 2010 per 100,000 person-years for EMS-assessed OHCAs, and the survival rate was 3.0% for EMS-assessed OHCAs (3.3% for cardiac etiology and 2.3% for non-cardiac etiology) and 3.6% for EMS-treated OHCAs. Significantly different trends were found by urbanization level for bystander CPR, EMS performance, and the level of the destination hospital. The ASRs for survival were significantly improved by year in the metropolitan areas (3.6% in 2006 to 5.3% in 2010) but remained low in the urban areas (1.4% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2010) and very low in the rural areas (0.5 in 2006 and 0.8 in 2010). The SSRs (95% CIs) in the metropolitan areas were 1.19 (1.06–1.34) in 2006 and 1.77 (1.64–1.92) in 2010, whereas the SSRs were observed to be less than 1.00 during the five-year period in both urban and rural areas. The AORs (95% CIs) for survival significantly increased to 1.42 (1.22–1.66) in the metropolitan areas and to 1.58 (1.18–2.11) in the urban areas while not increasing in the rural areas, compared to the level of each group of areas in 2006. Conclusions: In this nationwide cohort study from 2006 to 2010, the standardized incidence rate and survival to discharge rate of EMS-assessed OHCAs increased annually in metropolitan and urban communities but did not increase in rural communities. Further investigations should be undertaken to improve the performance and outcomes in rural communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: It is unclear whether outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of non-cardiac etiology (NCE) is associated with the volume of patients with OHCA received annually at the emergency department (ED) where they receive treatment. This study evaluated whether the volume of patients treated is associated with better outcomes for non-cardiac OHCA patients. Methods: This study was performed in an emergency medical service (EMS) system with a single-tiered basic-to-intermediate service level and approximately 410 destination hospitals for eligible OHCA cases. A nationwide OHCA database (2006–2008), constructed from EMS run sheets, and a hospital medical record review were used. OHCA was defined as pulseless and unresponsive in the field. Included in the study were cases treated with OHCA whose etiology was non-cardiac. Excluded were cases with unknown hospital outcome. The cutoff number for a high volume (HV) versus a low volume (LV) of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) cases was calculated using a threshold model. The primary end points were survival to admission and survival to discharge. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the endpoints were calculated, adjusting for potential predictors. Results: There were 10,425 eligible patients (trauma 5735; drowning 98; poisoning 684; asphyxia 1413; and hanging 1605). The survival-to-admission and the survival-to-discharge rates of the study participants were 9.6% and 2.4%, respectively. The cutoff number for case volume was 38 per year. The rates of survival to admission and survival to discharge were significantly higher in the HV (18.6% and 5.1%, respectively) group when compared to the LV group (5.9% and 1.3%, respectively). For the treated, non-cardiac OHCA patients, the adjusted ORs in the HV group compared to the LV group were 2.16 for survival to admission (95% CI: 1.84–2.55) and 2.58 for survival to discharge (95% CI: 1.90–3.52). The survival-to-discharge rate was significantly higher in the HV group than in the LV group for each cause: trauma 2.1% vs. 0.6%, drowning 6.8% vs. 1.9%, poisoning 8.6% vs. 1.7%, asphyxia 13.5% vs. 3.8%, and hanging 5.2% vs. 1.3%, respectively. Conclusion: This national cohort study suggests that greater survival to admission as well as discharge for patients with OHCA of NCE is associated with greater annual volume of patients with OHCA treated at that hospital. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: It is unclear whether advanced airway management during ambulance transport is associated with improved out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes compared with bag-valve mask ventilation (BVM). This study aimed to determine whether EMT-intermediate ETI or LMA is associated with improved OHCA outcomes in Korea. Methods: We used a Korean national OHCA cohort database composed of hospital and ambulance data. We included all EMS-treated by level 1 EMTs (EMT-intermediate level) and OHCA with presumed cardiac etiology for the period January 2006–December 2008. We excluded cases not receiving continued resuscitation in the emergency department (ED), treated by level 2 EMT, as well as those without available hospital outcome data. The primary exposure was airway management technique during ambulance transport (endotracheal tube (ETI), laryngeal mask airway (LMA) or bag-valve-mask ventilation with an oropharyngeal airway). The primary outcomes were survival to admission and survival to hospital discharge. We compared outcomes between each airway management group using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age, witnessed, prehospital defibrillation, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), call to ambulance arrival time to the scene, call to ambulance arrival time to ED, initial ECG, metropolitan (defined as population>1 million), and level of ED (higher versus lower level). We repeated the analysis using propensity-score matched subsets. Results: Of 54,496 patients with OHCA, we included 5278 (9.7%). Overall survival to admission and to discharge was 20.2% and 6.9%, respectively. ETI and LMA were performed in 250 (4.7%) and 391 (7.4%), respectively. In the full multivariable models using total patients, adjusted survival to admission and discharge were similar for ETI and BVM: OR 0.91 (0.66–1.27) and 1.00 (0.60–1.66), respectively. Adjusted survival to admission and discharge were significantly lower in LMA than BVM: OR 0.72 (0.54–0.95) and 0.52 (0.32–0.85), respectively. In the full multivariable models using propensity matched samples, adjusted survival to admission and discharge were similar for ETI and BVM; OR 1.32 (0.81–2.16) and 1.44 (0.66–3.15), respectively. Adjusted survival to admission was similar for LMA and BVM: OR 0.72 (0.50–1.02). However, survival to discharge was significantly lower for LMA than BVM: OR 0.45 (0.25–0.82). Conclusions: In Korea, EMT-I placed LMA during ambulance transport was associated with worsened OHCA survival to discharge than BVM. Outcomes were similar between EMT-I endotracheal intubation and bag-valve-mask ventilation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: We aimed to describe and compare the epidemiologic features and outcomes among patients with poisoning-induced out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (POHCAs) according to causative agent groups. Methods: We identified emergency medical service (EMS)-treated POHCA patients from a nationwide OHCA registry between 2006 and 2008, which was derived from EMS run sheets and followed by hospital record review. Utstein elements were collected and hospital outcomes (survival to admission and to discharge) were measured. We compared risk factors and outcomes according to the main poisons. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated from a multivariate logistic regression model for hospital outcomes. Results: The total number of non-cardiac aetiology OHCAs was 20,536. Of these, the number of EMS-assessed and EMS-treated POHCAs was 900 (4.4%). For EMS-treated POHCAs, insecticides (n =111, 15.5%) including organophosphate and carbamates; herbicides (n =94, 13.2%); unknown pesticides (n =142, 19.9%); non-pesticide drugs (n =120, 16.8%); and unknown poisons (n =247, 6%) were identified. The survival to admission rate was 22.5% for insecticides, 3.2% for herbicides, 16.2% for unknown pesticides, 16.7% for non-pesticides and 11.3% for the unknown group. The survival to discharge rates were 9.9% for insecticides, 0.0% for herbicides, 2.1% for unknown pesticides, 3.3% for non-pesticides and 3.2% for the unknown group. The adjusted OR for each group for survival to admission was significantly lower when compared with insecticides: herbicides (OR=0.11, 95% CI=0.03–0.44), non-pesticide drugs (OR=0.28, 95% CI=0.13–0.61) and unknown group (OR=0.40, 95% CI=0.21–0.76). The adjusted OR for each group for survival to discharge was significantly lower when compared with insecticides: herbicides (OR<0.01, 95% CI<0.01 or >99.9), unknown pesticides (OR=0.23, 95% CI=0.0.06–0.87), non-pesticide drugs (OR=0.14, 95% CI=0.04–0.54) and unknown group (OR=0.30, 95% CI=0.11–0.83). Conclusion: Using a nationwide OHCA registry, we found that poisonings were responsible for 4.4% of OHCAs of a non-cardiac aetiology. Ingestion of insecticides including organophosphate and carbamate was associated with more favourable outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT Introduction. Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was not well known in female rape victims. Aim. To assess the prevalence and correlated factors of STIs-especially Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhea (NG), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in female rape victims presenting to a dedicated regional referral center in South Korea after settle down of intergrated service center for sexual abuse in study hospital. Main Outcome Measures. Positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result for CT, NG, and CMV. Methods. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted from December 2008 to February 2010. All females, regardless of age and previous sexual history, who were victims of rape, and self presented or referred to the regional center for medical care and couselling were included. Relevant diagnostic tests for STIs-including PCR by cervical swab-were performed. Analysis for virgin (VIR) and nonvirgin (non-VIR) groups was done separately to compare certain clinical characteristics. Results. A total of 316 females were included. Overall STI prevalence was 32.91%; CT in a majority (28.85%) followed by NG (6.27%), CMV(1.37%). In VIR group, prevalence of STI was 26.67%; 20.00% in CT, 4.55% in GN, 2.33% in CMV. A small and non-significant difference in STI was noted in VIR and non-VIR groups (26.67% vs. 34.26%, respectively). STI prevalence was higher in young women 20 to 24 years of age and girls 15 to 19 years of age compared with other age groups. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.909, confidence interval [CI]: 0.851-0.971) and pyuria (OR: 3.454, CI: 1.567-7.614) were determined as significant correlated factors after multivariate regression analysis. Conclusions. Prevalence of CT and GN in female rape victims was introduced and it was higher than that in the general population. Even in the VIR group, it was high. CMV prevalence in the female genital tract was reported firstly. Jo S, Shin J, Song KJ, Kim JJ, Hwang KR, and Bhally H. Prevalence and correlated factors of sexually transmitted diseases-chlamydia, Neisseria, cytomegalovirus-in raped female victims. J Sex Med 2011;8:2317-2326. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Emergency departments have different strategies concerning the use of computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing appendicitis. We explored the association between CT utilization rates and the negative appendectomy rates in patients with suspected appendicitis at three medical centers. A retrospective multi-center comparative study was conducted to determine the association between CT use and negative appendectomy rates at three different medical centers. Standardized extraction of data from medical records and operative reports was performed by trained investigators. Of the 339 patients included, 242 (71.4%) were imaged with abdominal CT before appendectomy (CT group), whereas the remaining patients were not (non-CT group). Thirty-six of the 339 patients (10.6%) were found to have negative appendectomies. The CT group had a significantly lower negative appendectomy rate than the non-CT group (6.6% vs. 20.6%, respectively, p < 0.05). The three centers had significantly different rates of CT utilization for diagnosing acute appendicitis (86.9%, 66.4%, and 13.3%, p < 0.05). These three centers also had significantly different negative appendectomy rates (2.5%, 16.8%, and 23.3%, p < 0.05). There was a significant inverse correlation (rho = −1, p < 0.05) between CT utilization rates and negative appendectomy rates. The rate of negative appendectomies in this retrospective study was inversely related to the rates of CT imaging before exploration in Emergency Department patients with suspected appendicitis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Delivery of automatic electrical defibrillator (AED) by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was suggested for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The goal of this study is to assess the effect of topographic and weather conditions on call to AED attach time by UAV-AED. We included OHCA patients from 2013 to 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. We developed a UAV-AED flight simulator using topographic information of Seoul for Euclidean and topographic flight pathway including vertical flight to overcome high-rise structures. We used 4 kinds of UAV flight scenarios according to weather conditions or visibility. Primary outcome was emergency medical service (EMS) call to AED attach time. Secondary outcome was pre-arrival rate of UAV-AED before current EMS based AED delivery. Call to AED attach time in topographic pathway was 7.0 min in flight and control advanced UAV and 8.0 min in basic UAV model. Pre-arrival rate in Euclidean pathway was 38.0% and 16.3% for flight and control advanced UAV and basic UAV. Pre-arrival rate in the topographic pathway was 27.0% and 11.7%, respectively. UAV-AED topographic flight took longer call to AED attach time than Euclidean pathway. Pre-arrival rate of flight and control advanced UAV was decreased in topographic flight pathway compared to Euclidean pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]