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Objective: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in the young is a rare event but the effects can be devastating. We sought to identify variables that would lead to an improvement in time to defibrillation (TDFB), a previously noted factor significantly influencing survival from cardiac arrest., Design: During the 2013-2014 academic year, the Clark county school district performed quarterly drills to practice the coordinated automated external defibrillator (AED) response. Variables including school, AED carrier, and drill characteristics were measured to determine influence on TDFB. Schools were grouped by TDFB at a cutoff of three minutes. Characteristics were sought for schools with TDFB below three minutes. A mixed regression model taking into account repeated measures was created to determine which variables influenced TDFB., Results: Time to overhead announcement, distance of AED from drill site, and time to setup AED were the variables influencing TDFB with statistical significance (P <.01)., Conclusions: This study supports the notion of early recognition, announcement, and close proximity to an AED during a SCA to ensure an early TDFB. These results are consistent with basic life support and the chain of survival tenets of the American Heart Association., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective:   Device closure of secundum type atrial septal defects in young children has now become common with extension of this practice to children less than 1 year of age. We hypothesized that patients less than 12 months of age with moderate increases in pulmonary blood flow due to atrial septal defects may improve clinically with device closure, particularly premature infants with chronic lung disease., Design:   Thirteen patients under 12 months of age have undergone atrial septal device closure at our institution from March 2002 to July 2008, with evidence of a left to right shunt by pre-procedural echocardiogram. We evaluated concomitant conditions and device closure results. Patient charts from follow-up visits with referring pediatric cardiologists were also reviewed. Follow-up phone interviews were conducted with parents/guardians of patients who underwent device closure to further evaluate clinical change., Results:   The patient ages ranged from 3-11 months (median 7) with weight ranges of 2.9-8.3 kg (median 6.5). Defect sizes ranged from 5-15 mm (median 9). Concomitant conditions included prematurity with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (n = 8) and concern of elevated pulmonary artery pressures (n = 5). The median Qp : Qs was 1.6 with a range of 1 to 2.6. The mean pulmonary artery pressures ranged from 16 to 55 mm Hg (median 27). Eleven of 13 patients showed significant improvement in their clinical status, with a reduction in oxygen requirement (six patients) and reduced right heart pressures by echocardiogram (four patients). There were no residual defects on follow-up echocardiograms., Conclusion:   Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects in infants can be safe, effective, and may be indicated for situations in which the left to right shunt may be implicated as a cause of ongoing chronic lung disease. Moderate increases in pulmonary blood flow due to atrial septal defects may have a negative clinical impact regarding continuing respiratory insufficiency in these patients., (© 2011 Copyright the Authors. Congenital Heart Disease © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)