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Fewer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on barriers to dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR).We reviewed audio recordings of all calls to our national ambulance service call centre during the pandemic (January-June 2020) and pre-pandemic (January-June 2019) periods. Our primary outcome was the presence of barriers to DA-CPR. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the effect of COVID-19 on the likelihood of barriers to and performance of DA-CPR, adjusting for patient and event characteristics.There were 1241 and 1118 OHCA who were eligible for DA-CPR during the pandemic (median age 74 years, 61.6 % males) and pre-pandemic (median age 73 years, 61.1 % males) periods, respectively. Compared to pre-pandemic, there were more residential and witnessed OHCA during the pandemic (87 % vs 84.9 % and 54 % vs 38.1 %, respectively); rates of DA-CPR were unchanged (57.3 % vs 61.1 %). COVID-19 increased the likelihood of barriers to DA-CPR (aOR 1.47, 95 % CI: 1.25-1.74) but not performance of DA-CPR (aOR 0.86, 95 % CI: 0.73 - 1.02). Barriers such as 'patient status changed' and 'caller not with patient' increased during COVID-19 pandemic. 'Afraid to do CPR' markedly decreased during the pandemic; fear of COVID-19 transmission made up 0.5 % of the barriers.Barriers to DA-CPR were encountered more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic but did not affect callers' willingness to perform DA-CPR. Distancing measures led to more residential arrests with increases in certain barriers, highlighting opportunities for public education and intervention.

Objective: Reduced rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were observed during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in many regions. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on barriers to Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DA-CPR) in Singapore. Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study involved all calls to our national 995 call center for adult (≥ 18 years old) OHCA not witnessed by Emergency Medical Services. We reviewed audio recordings during the pandemic (January-June 2020) and pre-pandemic (January-June 2019) periods to compare the OHCA characteristics, and the types of “barriers” to DA-CPR — the reason why DA-CPR was not performed. Our primary outcome was the presence/absence of barriers to DA-CPR. Multivariable logistics regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the likelihood of barriers to DA-CPR accounting for patient and event characteristics. The effect of COVID-19 on DA-CPR rates was evaluated using interrupted time series analysis. Results: There were 1481 OHCA during the pandemic (median age 73 years, 62.7% male), and 1400 prior to the pandemic (median age 72 years, 63.6% male). Residential OHCA and witnessed OHCA increased during the pandemic (78.9% vs 75.5%, p=0.03 and 56.1% vs 39.9%, p Conclusion: COVID-19 did not affect callers’ willingness to perform DA-CPR. Distancing measures led to more residential arrests with an increase in proportion with barriers to DA-CPR, highlighting opportunities for public education and intervention.

Introduction: Time To first Compression (TTC) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) is thought to be an important predictor of survival outcomes. Guidelines such as the Journal of American College of Cardiology Scientific Expert Panel recommend that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) should not be used on OHCA patients with TTC > 10 minutes. However, there is no literature validating this exclusion criterion on OHCA survival and neurological outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the difference in neurological outcomes and survival to discharge of patients with CPR administered after 10 minutes, compared to within 10 minutes. Methodology: Data of OHCAs from 2012-2017 in Singapore were extracted from our national OHCA registry. We compared patients who received CPR within 10 minutes versus those who received CPR after 10 minutes. Primary outcomes were favorable cerebral performance (Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Categories 1 and 2), and secondary were survival to hospital discharge or 30-day-survival. Results: There were 12,771 OHCAs analyzed, with 5,704 patients with TTC 10 minutes. Fewer patients survived to hospital discharge/30 th day with TTC > 10 minutes (aOR 0.43, 95%CI: 0.32-0.58) and survival with good neurological outcomes was lower (aOR 0.51; 95%CI: 0.41-0.62). Other significant predictors of good neurological outcomes included age (aOR 0.98, 95%CI: 0.98 - 0.99), witnessed arrest (aOR 2.39, 95%CI: 1.69-3.40), bystander AED (aOR 1.55, 95%CI: 1.12-2.26), and presence of shockable rhythm (aOR 8.76, 95%CI: 7.12-10.78). A cut-off of 17.5 minutes (aOR 0.43, 95%CI:0.28-0.65) resulted in Conclusion: Our study showed that there is a significant difference in survival and favourable neurological outcomes when TTC was >10 minutes. However, more data-driven cut-off timings/criteria should be considered instead of the arbitrary 10 minutes for eligibility of ECMO therapy.

Aim To evaluate communication issues during dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) for paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in a structured manner to facilitate recommendations for training improvement. Methods A retrospective observational study evaluated DACPR communication issues using the SACCIA ® Safe Communication typology (Sufficiency, Accuracy, Clarity, Contextualization, Interpersonal Adaptation). Telephone recordings of 31 cases were transcribed verbatim and analysed with respect to encoding, decoding and transactional communication issues. Results Sixty SACCIA communication issues were observed in the 31 cases, averaging 1.9 issues per case. A majority of the issues were related to sufficiency (35%) and accuracy (35%) of communication between dispatcher and caller. Situation specific guideline application was observed in CPR practice, (co)counting and methods of compressions. Conclusion This structured evaluation identified specific issues in paediatric DACPR communication. Our training recommendations focus on situation and language specific guideline application and moving beyond verbal communication by utilizing the smart phone’s functions. Prospective efforts are necessary to follow-up its translation into better paediatric DACPR outcomes.

Variations in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been reported. We aimed to, using population-based registries, compare community response, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) interventions and outcomes of adult, EMS-treated, non-traumatic OHCA in Singapore and metropolitan Atlanta, before and during the pandemic. Associations of OHCA characteristics, pre-hospital interventions and pandemic with survival to hospital discharge were analyzed using logistic regression. There were 2084 cases during the pandemic (17 weeks from the first confirmed COVID-19 case) and 1900 in the pre-pandemic period (corresponding weeks in 2019). Compared to Atlanta, OHCAs in Singapore were older, received more bystander interventions (cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): 65.0% vs. 41.4%; automated external defibrillator application: 28.6% vs. 10.1%), yet had lower survival (5.6% vs. 8.1%). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, OHCAs in Singapore and Atlanta occurred more at home (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.05 and 2.03, respectively) and were transported less to hospitals (aOR 0.59 and 0.36, respectively) during the pandemic. Singapore reported more witnessed OHCAs (aOR 1.96) yet less bystander CPR (aOR 0.81) during pandemic, but not Atlanta (p < 0.05). The impact of COVID-19 on OHCA outcomes did not differ between cities. Changes in OHCA characteristics and management during the pandemic, and differences between Singapore and Atlanta were likely the result of systemic and sociocultural factors.

Clinical performance audits are routinely performed in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to ensure adherence to treatment protocols, to identify individual areas of weakness for remediation, and to discover systemic deficiencies to guide the development of the training syllabus. At present, these audits are performed by manual chart review, which is time-consuming and laborious. In this paper, we report a weakly-supervised machine learning approach to train a named entity recognition model that can be used for automatic EMS clinical audits. The dataset used in this study contained 58,898 unlabeled ambulance incidents encountered by the Singapore Civil Defence Force from 1st April 2019 to 30th June 2019. With only 5% labeled data, we successfully trained three different models to perform the NER task, achieving F1 scores of around 0.981 under entity type matching evaluation and around 0.976 under strict evaluation. The BiLSTM-CRF model was 1~2 orders of magnitude lighter and faster than our BERT-based models. Our proposed proof-of-concept approach may improve the efficiency of clinical audits and can also help with EMS database research. Further external validation of this approach is needed.

Despite numerous technological and medical advances, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) still suffer from suboptimal survival rates and poor subsequent neurological and functional outcomes amongst survivors. Multiple studies have investigated the implementation of high-quality prehospital resuscitative efforts, and across these studies, different terms describing high-quality resuscitative efforts have been used, such as high-performance CPR (HP CPR), multi-tiered response (MTR) and minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation (MICR). There is no universal definition for HP CPR, and dissimilar designs have been employed. This systematic review thus aimed to review current evidence on HP CPR implementation and examine the factors that may influence OHCA outcomes. Eight studies were systematically reviewed, and seven were included in the final meta-analysis. Random-effects meta-analysis found a significantly improved likelihood of prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.82, p &lt, 0.001), survival-to-discharge (pooled OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.50, p &lt, 0.001) and favourable neurological outcomes (pooled OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.39, p &lt, 0.001) with HP CPR or similar interventions. However, the studies had generally high heterogeneity (I2 greater than 50%) and overall moderate-to-severe risk for bias. Moving forward, a randomised, controlled trial is necessary to shed light on the subject.

Introduction: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (B-CPR) is associated with improved out-ofhospital cardiac arrest survival. Community-level interventions including dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) and myResponder were implemented to increase B-CPR. We sought to assess whether these interventions increased B-CPR. Methods: The Singapore out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry captured cases that occurred between 2010 and 2017. Outcomes occurring in 3 time periods (Baseline, DA-CPR, and DA-CPR plus myResponder) were compared. Segmented regression of time-series data was conducted to investigate our intervention impact on the temporal changes in B-CPR. Results: A total of 13,829 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases were included from April 2010 to December 2017. Higher B-CPR rates (24.8% versus 50.8% vs 64.4%) were observed across the 3 time periods. B-CPR rates showed an increasing but plateauing trend. DA-CPR implementation was significantly associated with an increased B-CPR (level odds ratio [OR] 2.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.79–2.88; trend OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), while no positive change was detected with myResponder (level OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82–1.11; trend OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–1.00). Conclusion: B-CPR rates in Singapore have been increasing alongside the implementation of community-level interventions such as DA-CPR and myResponder. DA-CPR was associated with improved odds of receiving B-CPR over time while the impact of myResponder was less clear.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Singapore. We used data from the Singapore Civil Defence Force to compare the incidence, characteristics and outcomes of all Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-attended adult OHCA during the pandemic (January–May 2020) and pre-pandemic (January–May 2018 and 2019) periods. Pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was the primary outcome. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for the characteristics of OHCA. Of the 3893 OHCA patients (median age 72 years, 63.7% males), 1400 occurred during the pandemic period and 2493 during the pre-pandemic period. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, OHCAs during the pandemic period more likely occurred at home (aOR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.24–1.75) and were witnessed (aOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.49–1.97). They received less bystander CPR (aOR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.61–0.81) despite 65% of witnessed arrests by a family member, and waited longer for EMS (OR ≥ 10 min: 1.71, 95% CI 1.46–2.00). Pre-hospital ROSC was less likely during the pandemic period (aOR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53–0.84). The pandemic saw increased OHCA incidence and worse outcomes in Singapore, likely indirect effects of COVID-19.

Introduction: Telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR) may improve bystander CPR (B-CPR) rates and survival from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The American Heart Association (AHA) has specified performance measures to ensure rapid provision of T-CPR instructions. Few studies have examined whether these individual T-CPR recommendations are associated with SCA outcomes. Objectives: We sought to assess whether the 2012 AHA Scientific Statement’s T-CPR evaluation metrics are associated with increased B-CPR and survival from SCA. We hypothesized that recognition of arrest and compliance with the T-CPR protocol will result in increased likelihood of B-CPR. Methods: We conducted a retrospective assessment of non-traumatic SCAs from the Singapore T-CPR Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study. We modeled the likelihood of receipt of B-CPR and survival to hospital discharge controlling for potential confounders. Exposure variables were identified from the Scientific Statement including adherence to T-CPR algorithms, dispatcher recognition of need for CPR, barriers to CPR (yes/no), and time intervals. Results: From 7/2012-2016, the Singapore T-CPR registry contained 3,224 adjudicated SCA events. Mean age was 67±19, 62% of the patients were male, and 87% of the arrests occurred in the home; of these arrests, 75% received T-CPR and 4% survived to hospital discharge. Compliance with the T-CPR protocol algorithm was not associated with an increased likelihood of B-CPR and survival (p=ns, both). Dispatcher recognition of the need for CPR was associated with a 24.9 (12.9-47.9) increased likelihood of B-CPR p Conclusion: Rapid dispatch of EMS (

Introduction: Ethnicity, female gender, and older age are associated with lower rates of receipt of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (B-CPR). Increasing telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR), or provision of CPR instructions when individuals call 9-1-1, may improve B-CPR rates. It is unknown whether provision of T-CPR may overcome ethnic, gender and age variation seen in B-CPR. Objectives: We sought to assess whether provision of T-CPR may overcome ethnic, gender, and age variation seen in B-CPR. We hypothesized that the provision of T-CPR will improve B-CPR and reduce differences associated with ethnicity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult, non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) from the Singapore registry (4/2010-12/2016). We assessed variation in B-CPR by ethnicity, female gender, and increased older age, stratified by receipt of T-CPR. We examined the differences using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression accounting for confounding. Results: From 2010-2016, the Singapore registry contained 12,546 OHCA events. Excluding traumatic, EMS witnessed, and healthcare facility arrests, 7,997 events were analyzed. Of these, mean age was 66±19 and 65% were male. B-CPR was administered in 53% of the events, while T-CPR was provided in 30% of the events. In a univariate analysis, female gender was associated with variation in B-CPR if T-CPR was not provided (F: 29% vs M: 35%, p Conclusion: T-CPR modified the known B-CPR differences seen in ethnicity and increased older age, but did not modify differences seen in gender when controlling for other covariates. These findings may help inform public policy and methods to decrease variation and increase B-CPR.

Background: Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) can increase bystander CPR rates and improve outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Protocols used by dispatchers are designed to provide a quick assessment for prompt initiation of CPR. However, there are instances where non-cardiac arrest cases are falsely recognised by dispatchers to be in cardiac arrest. These patients may go on to receive chest compressions and potentially suffer from complications of unnecessary CPR, though the clinical implications of starting DA-CPR on these non-cardiac arrest cases have not been studied. Hence, the objectives of this study are to find the prevalence and clinical outcomes of DA-CPR in patients not in cardiac arrest in the Singapore population. Methods: This was a multi-center, observational study of all dispatcher-recognized cardiac arrests cases between January to December 2017 involving three tertiary hospitals in Singapore. Data was collected through audio review of dispatch calls from the national emergency ambulance service and information about patients’ clinical outcomes were prospectively collected from health records. Results: During the study period, dispatchers recognised 821 patients as having cardiac arrest. Of these, 40.0% (328/ 821) were not in cardiac arrest. 52.7% (173/ 328) of the non-cardiac arrest patients had chest compressions initiated under dispatcher assistance. No complications from chest compressions were reported. The top diagnoses of non-cardiac arrest patients found were cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), syncope and infection. A multiple logistic regression model with estimates adjusted for the presence or absence of chest compressions revealed that only final diagnoses of CVA (OR 20.68), infection (OR 17.34) and myocardial infarction (OR 32.19) were associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: In this study, chest compressions initiated due to false recognition of cardiac arrest by dispatchers did not result in any reported complications and was not associated with in-hospital mortality. This provides reassurance for the continued implementation of DA-CPR.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency medical services (EMSs) utilisation and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes in Singapore. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study comparing data collected by the Singapore Civil Defence Force on EMS utilisation in Singapore from 1 April to 31 May 2020 to previous figures. RESULTS: Overall, EMS call volume and total out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remained comparable to past years. There was an appreciable decline in prehospital return of spontaneous circulation rates, albeit not statistically lower than pre-COVID periods (P = 0.078). CONCLUSION: The findings contribute to a growing body of literature internationally on the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS utilisation and outcomes.

Summary: Background: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases an individual's chance of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but the frequency of bystander CPR is low in many communities. We aimed to assess the cumulative effect of CPR-targeted public health interventions in Singapore, which were incrementally introduced between 2012 and 2016. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of adult, non-traumatic OHCAs, through the Singapore registry. National interventions introduced during this time included emergency services interventions, as well as dispatch-assisted CPR (introduced on July 1, 2012), a training programme for CPR and automated external defibrillators (April 1, 2014), and a first responder mobile application (myResponder; April 17, 2015). Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression, we modelled the likelihood of receiving bystander CPR with the increasing number of interventions, accounting for year as a random effect. Findings: The Singapore registry contained 11 465 OHCA events between Jan 1, 2011, and Dec 31, 2016. Paediatric arrests, arrests witnessed by emergency medical services, and healthcare-facility arrests were excluded, and 6788 events were analysed. Bystander CPR was administered in 3248 (48%) of 6788 events. Compared with no intervention, likelihood of bystander CPR was not significantly altered by the addition of emergency medical services interventions (odds ratio [OR] 1·33 [95% CI 0·98–1·79]; p=0·065), but increased with implementation of dispatch-assisted CPR (3·72 [2·84–4·88]; p

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) occurring in high-rise buildings are a challenge to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Contemporary EMS guidelines lack specific recommendations for systems and practitioners regarding the approach to these patients. This scoping review aimed to map the body of literature pertaining to OHCAs in high-rise settings in order to clarify concepts and understanding and to identify knowledge gaps. Databases were searched from inception through to 6 May 2021 including OVID Medline, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus. Twenty-three articles were reviewed, comprising 8 manikin trials, 14 observational studies, and 1 mathematical modelling study. High-rise settings commonly have lower availability of bystanders and automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), while height constraints often lead to delays in EMS interventions and suboptimal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), scene access, and extrication. Four studies found return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rates to be significantly poorer, while seven studies found rates of survival-to-hospital discharge (n = 3) and neurologically favourable survival (n = 4) to be significantly lower in multistorey settings. Mechanical chest compression devices, transfer sheets, and strategic defibrillator placement were suggested as approaches to high-rise OHCA management. A shift to maximising on-scene treatment time, along with bundling novel prehospital interventions, could ameliorate some of these difficulties and improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Background Incidence and outcomes of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary between communities. We aimed to examine differences in patient characteristics, prehospital care, and outcomes in Singapore and Victoria. Methods and Results Using the prospective Singapore Pan‐Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study and Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry, we identified 11 061 and 32 003 emergency medical services‐attended adult OHCAs between 2011 and 2016 respectively. Incidence and survival rates were directly age adjusted using the World Health Organization population. Survival was analyzed with logistic regression, with model selection via backward elimination. Of the 11 061 and 14 834 emergency medical services‐treated OHCAs (overall mean age±SD 65.5±17.2; 67.4% males) in Singapore and Victoria respectively, 11 054 (99.9%) and 5595 (37.7%) were transported, and 440 (4.0%) and 2009 (13.6%) survived. Compared with Victoria, people with OHCA in Singapore were older (66.7±16.5 versus 64.6±17.7), had less shockable rhythms (17.7% versus 30.3%), and received less bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (45.7% versus 58.5%) and defibrillation (1.3% versus 2.5%) (all P P P Conclusions Singapore reported increasing OHCA incidence and survival rates between 2011 and 2016, compared with stable, albeit higher, rates in Victoria. Survival differences might be related to different emergency medical services practices including patient selection for resuscitation and transport.

Introduction: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (B-CPR) may increase a victim’s chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), but B-CPR rates are low in many communities. Few studies have examined the association of city-wide public health interventions on B-CPR. Objectives: We sought to assess whether there is variation in B-CPR by intervention and location of arrest. We hypothesized that implementation of dispatch-assisted CPR (DA-CPR), CPR/AED training, and a first responder mobile application (myResponder) would increase B-CPR by two-fold. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult, non-traumatic SCAs from the Singapore registry (4/2010-12/2016). Interventions included DA-CPR (7/2012 - present), CPR/AED training (04/2014 - present), and myResponder (4/2015 - present). Using logistic regression, we modeled the likelihood of receiving B-CPR by increased number of interventions over time. We examined these effects together, in the home, and public accounting for patient-level confounding. Results: From 2010-2016, the Singapore registry contained 12,546 SCA events. Excluding pediatric, EMS witnessed, and healthcare facility arrests, 7,476 were analyzed. Of these, mean age was 66±15 and 68% were male. B-CPR was administered in 45% of the events and varied by location (home: 43% v public: 52%). With implementation of DA-CPR, likelihood of B-CPR increased (OR: 3.5 (2.9-4.2) p Conclusion: City-level public health interventions increased the likelihood of layperson B-CPR, while variation was seen in the home and public. Understanding the impact of public health interventions may shed light on strategies to increase B-CPR and inform targeted initiatives to improve survival from SCA.

Although clinical audit is generally accepted to be an essential part of quality review and continuous quality improvement, there are limited reports on and several barriers to the implementation of effective clinical audit in an emergency medicine services (EMS) organization. The barriers include the significant amount of time, resources, and effort often required to conduct the audit. In this paper, we present a technology-enabled clinical audit tool, termed Medical Service Transformation and Innovation Compass (MYSTIC), which has transformed the way the clinical audit is performed in our EMS department. MYSTIC is a Python program we developed in-house, that extracts data from data fields found in routine ambulance case records maintained by our paramedics, and automatically assigns “pass” or “fail” flags based on pre-defined audit criteria. Compared to previous manual auditing, implementation of the MYSTIC computerized audit system increased the coverage of cases undergoing audit from 10% to 100% of all EMS-attended cases, and we were able to promptly identify and address some deficits in training and knowledge amongst our paramedics.

This study examines the impact of a newly developed structured training on Singapore paramedics&rsquo, psychological comfort before the implementation of a prehospital termination of resuscitation (TOR) protocol. Following a before and after study design, the paramedics underwent a self-administered questionnaire to assess their psychological comfort level applying the TOR protocol, 22 months before and one month after a 3-h structured training session. The questionnaire addressed five domains: sociocultural attitudes on resuscitation and TOR, multi-tasking, feelings towards resuscitation and TOR, interactions with colleagues and bystanders and informing survivors. Overall psychological comfort total (PCT) scores and domain-specific scores were compared using the paired t-test with higher scores representing greater comfort. Ninety-six of the 345 eligible paramedics responded. There was no statistically significant change in the mean PCT scores at baseline and post-training, however, the &ldquo, feelings towards resuscitation and TOR&rdquo, domain improved by 4.77% (95% CI 1.42 to 8.13 and p = 0.006) and the multi-tasking domain worsened by 4.11% (95% CI &minus, 7.82 to &minus, 0.41 and p = 0.030). While the structured training did not impact on the overall psychological comfort levels, it led to improvements in the feelings of paramedics towards resuscitation and TOR. Challenges remain in improving paramedics&rsquo, psychological comfort levels towards TOR.

Introduction Ingestion of fish bones is a common clinical complaint among adult patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and behavioural risk factors for fish bone ingestion. Methods Between 2009 and 2010, a physician-administered questionnaire was administered to 112 consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department of an adult tertiary hospital with the complaint of fish bone ingestion. Results The wearing of dentures, the use of utensils to eat fish and the practice of deboning fish in one's mouth were found to be associated with an increased risk of fish bone ingestion. Conclusion To prevent the occurrence of fish bone ingestion and its possible complications, at-risk populations should be advised on the precautions to take when eating boned fish.

BACKGROUND: Routine use of pre‐participation electrocardiograms (ECGs) has been used by the Singapore Armed Forces, targeting early detection of significant cardiac diseases. We aim to describe the impact of demographic and anthropometric factors on ECG variables and establish a set of electrocardiographic reference ranges specific to a young male multiethnic Southeast Asian cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between November 1, 2009, and December 31, 2014, 144,346 young male conscripts underwent pre‐participation screening that included a 12‐lead ECG, demographic and anthropometric measurements. The Chinese population had the longest PR interval (146.7 ± 19.7 vs. 145.21 ± 19.2 in Malays vs. 141.2 ± 18.8 ms in Indians), QRS duration (94.5 ± 9.8 vs. 92.6 ± 9.7 in Malays vs. 92.5 ± 9.4 ms in Indians) and QTcB interval (408.3 ± 21.3 vs. 403.5 ± 21.6 in Malays vs. 401.2 ± 21.4 ms in Indians) (all p 25 kg/m(2) and body fat >25% were independently associated with lower prevalence of increased QRS voltage on ECG. Systolic blood pressure of >140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of >90 mmHg independently increased the prevalence of increased QRS voltage on ECG. CONCLUSIONS: Electrocardiographic parameters vary across different ethnicities and in comparison with international norms. In our population, diagnosis of increased QRS voltage by ECG is less prevalent with obesity and increased body fat. Further analysis of gold standard measurements for the diagnosis of LVH in our population is ongoing, to improve the accuracy of the ECG screening process.

Background All Singaporean males undergo medical screening prior to compulsory military service. A history of possible food allergy may require referral to a specialist Allergy clinic to ensure that special dietary needs can be taken into account during field training and deployment. Objective To study the pattern of food allergy among pre-enlistees who were referred to a specialist allergy clinic to work up suspected food allergy. Methods Retrospective study of all pre-enlistees registered in the Clinical Immunology/Allergy New Case Registry referred to the Allergy Clinic from 1 August 2015 to 31 May 2016 for suspected food allergy. Results One hundred twenty pre-enlistees reporting food allergy symptoms other than rash alone were referred to the Allergy Clinic during the study period. Of these, 77 (64.2%) had food allergy. Among those with food allergy, mean age was 19.1 ± 1.5 years. They comprised predominantly Chinese (66.2%) and Malays (20.8%). The most commonly reported foods were shellfish/crustaceans (78%), peanut (15.6%), and egg (6.5%). Self-limiting oral allergy syndrome, OAS (itchy lips and throat with/without lip angioedema) was the most common manifestation (n = 33, 42.9%) followed by anaphylaxis (n = 23, 29.9%). Majority of OAS was from shellfish/crustacean (90.6%); of which shrimp (30.3%), crab (15.2%), and lobster (3.0%) were the most common. Mild childhood asthma (69.7%), allergic rhinitis (6.3%), and eczema (6.1%) were the most common atopic conditions among individuals with shellfish/crustacean OAS. This pattern was similar for shellfish/crustacean anaphylaxis. Skin prick tests were most commonly positive for shrimp (OAS 87.1% vs. anaphylaxis 100%), crab (OAS 95.8% vs. 90.9%), and lobster (OAS 91.7% vs. 63.6%). Conclusion OAS to shellfish/crustaceans was more common than anaphylaxis among this study population of young males referred for food allergy symptoms other than rash alone.

A short pilot study was conducted during a shipboard training deployment to compare alertness levels in the same crew members while working a fixed watch schedule, and then a rotating watch schedule. Alertness levels were assessed before and after each duty watch using measurements of oculomotor function (Fitness Impairment Tester). Saccadic velocity was shown to have the greatest correlation with duration of sleep deprivation and was significantly slower (indicating decreased alertness) in the crew working the rotating watch schedule than the crew working the fixed watch schedule. This pilot study corroborates previous studies' recommendations that fixed watch schedules allow better acclimatization of sleep patterns, thus minimizing fatigue and increasing operational alertness.