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Background: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) but often is not performed. We hypothesized that subjects viewing very short Hands-Only CPR videos will (1) be more likely to attempt CPR in a simulated OHCA scenario and (2) demonstrate better CPR skills than untrained individuals. Methods and Results: This study is a prospective trial of 336 adults without recent CPR training randomized into 4 groups: (1) control (no training) (n=51); (2) 60-second video training (n=95); (3) 5-minute video training (n=99); and (4) 8-minute video training, including manikin practice (n=91). All subjects were tested for their ability to perform CPR during an adult OHCA scenario using a CPR-sensing manikin and Laerdal PC SkillReporting software. One half of the trained subjects were randomly assigned to testing immediately and the other half after a 2-month delay. Twelve (23.5%) controls did not even attempt CPR, which was true of only 2 subjects (0.7%; P=0.01) from any of the experimental groups. All experimental groups had significantly higher average compression rates (closer to the recommended 100/min) than the control group (P<0.001), and all experimental groups had significantly greater average compression depth (>38 mm) than the control group (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Laypersons exposed to very short Hands-Only CPR videos are more likely to attempt CPR and show superior CPR skills than untrained laypersons. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01191736. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Chest compression-only bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be as effective as conventional CPR with rescue breathing for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.Objective: To investigate the survival of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using compression-only CPR (COCPR) compared with conventional CPR.Design, Setting, and Patients: A 5-year prospective observational cohort study of survival in patients at least 18 years old with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009, in Arizona. The relationship between layperson bystander CPR and survival to hospital discharge was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.Main Outcome Measure: Survival to hospital discharge.Results: Among 5272 adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology not observed by responding emergency medical personnel, 779 were excluded because bystander CPR was provided by a health care professional or the arrest occurred in a medical facility. A total of 4415 met all inclusion criteria for analysis, including 2900 who received no bystander CPR, 666 who received conventional CPR, and 849 who received COCPR. Rates of survival to hospital discharge were 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.4%-6.0%) for the no bystander CPR group, 7.8% (95% CI, 5.8%-9.8%) for conventional CPR, and 13.3% (95% CI, 11.0%-15.6%) for COCPR. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for survival for conventional CPR vs no CPR was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.69-1.43), for COCPR vs no CPR, 1.59 (95% CI, 1.18-2.13), and for COCPR vs conventional CPR, 1.60 (95% CI, 1.08-2.35). From 2005 to 2009, lay rescuer CPR increased from 28.2% (95% CI, 24.6%-31.8%) to 39.9% (95% CI, 36.8%-42.9%; P < .001); the proportion of CPR that was COCPR increased from 19.6% (95% CI, 13.6%-25.7%) to 75.9% (95% CI, 71.7%-80.1%; P < .001). Overall survival increased from 3.7% (95% CI, 2.2%-5.2%) to 9.8% (95% CI, 8.0%-11.6%; P < .001).Conclusion: Among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, layperson compression-only CPR was associated with increased survival compared with conventional CPR and no bystander CPR in this setting with public endorsement of chest compression-only CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a vital link in the overall chain of stroke survival. A Primary Stroke Center (PSC) relies heavily on the 9-1-1 response system along with the ability of EMS personnel to accurately diagnose acute stroke. Other critical elements include identifying time of symptom onset, providing pre-hospital care, selecting a destination PSC, and communicating estimated time of arrival (ETA). Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate the EMS component of thrombolysed acute ischemic stroke patient care at our PSC. Methods: In a retrospective manner we retrieved electronic copies of the EMS incident reports for every thrombolysed ischemic stroke patient treated at our PSC from September 2001 to August 2005. The following data elements were extracted: location of victim, EMS agency, times of dispatch, scene, departure, emergency department (ED) arrival, recordings of time of stroke onset, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac rhythm, blood glucose (BG), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Cincinnati Stroke Scale (CSS) elements, emergency medical personnel fi eld assessment, and transport decision making. Results: Eighty acute ischemic stroke patients received thrombolysis during the study interval. Eighty-one percent arrived by EMS. Two EMS agencies transported to our PSC. Mean dispatch-to-scene time was 6 min, on-scene time was 16 min, transport time was 10 min. Stroke onset time was recorded in 68%, BP, HR, and cardiac rhythm each in 100%, BG in 81%, GCS in 100%, CSS in 100%, and acute stroke diagnosis was made in 88%. Various diagnostic terms were employed: cerebrovascular accident in 40%, unilateral weakness or numbness in 20%, loss of consciousness in 16%, stroke in 8%, other stroke terms in 4%. In 87% of incident reports there was documentation of decision-making to transport to the nearest PSC in conjunction with pre-notifi cation. Conclusion: The EMS component of thrombolysed acute ischemic stroke patients care at our PSC appeared to be very good overall. Diagnostic accuracy was excellent, fi eld assessment, decision-making, and transport times were very good. There was still room for improvement in documentation of stroke onset and in employment of a common term for acute stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 3-hour window for treating stroke with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) requires well-organized, integrated efforts by emergency physicians and stroke neurologists. Objective: To evaluate attitudes and knowledge of emergency physicians about intravenous t-PA for acute ischemic stroke, particularly in primary stroke centers (PSCs) with stroke neurology teams. Methods: A 15-question pilot Internet survey administered by the Arizona College of Emergency Physicians. Results: Between March and August 2005, 100 emergency physicians responded: 71 in Arizona and 29 in Missouri. Forty-eight percent practiced at PSCs; 48% thought t-PA was effective, 20% did not, and 32% were uncertain. PSC or non-PSC location of practice did not influence endorsement (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.27-1.64). Of those opposing t-PA, 87% cited risk of hemorrhage. Conclusions: Most emergency physicians did not endorse t-PA. Improved collaboration between emergency physicians and stroke neurologists is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Previous studies have shown a stroke mimic rate of 9%-31%. We aimed to establish the proportion of stroke mimics amongst suspected acute strokes, to clarify the aetiology of stroke mimic and to develop a prediction model to identify stroke mimics. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort observational study. Consecutive "stroke alert" patients were identified over nine months in a primary stroke centre. 31 variables were collected. Final diagnosis was defined as "stroke" or "stroke mimic". Multivariable regression analysis was used to define clinical predictors of stroke mimic. Results: 206 patients were reviewed. 22% were classified as stroke mimics. Multivariable scoring did not help in identification of stroke mimics. 99.5% of patients had a neurological diagnosis at final diagnosis. Discussion: 22% of patients with suspected acute stroke had a stroke mimic. The aetiology of stroke mimics was varied, with seizure, encephalopathy, syncope and migraine being commonest. Multivariable scoring for identification of stroke mimics is not feasible. 99.5% of patients had a neurological diagnosis. This strengthens the case for the involvement of stroke neurologists/stroke physicians in acute stroke care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiocerebral resuscitation (CCR) is a new approach to patients with out-ofhospital cardiac arrest that has been shown to improve rates of neurologically intact survival by 250%-300% over the approach advocated by the 2000 American Heart Association guidelines. And EMS systems can realize these improvements without having to buy a single new gadget or device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke telemedicine is a consultative modality that facilitates care of patients with acute stroke at underserviced hospitals by specialists at stroke centers. The design and implementation of a hub-and-spoke telestroke network are complex. This review describes the technology that makes stroke telemedicine possible, the members that should be included in a telestroke team, the hub-and-spoke characteristics of a telestroke network, and the format of a typical consultation. Common obstacles to the practice of telestroke medicine are explored, such as medicolegal, economic, and market issues. An example of a state-based telestroke network is thoroughly described, and established international telestroke networks are presented and compared. The opportunities for future advances in telestroke practice, research, and education are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Historically, prehospital care of trauma patients has included nearly universal use of a cervical collar (C-collar) and long spine board (LSB). Due to recent evidence demonstrating harm in using LSBs, implementation of new spinal motion restriction (SMR) protocols in the prehospital setting should reduce LSB use, even among patients with spinal cord injury. Our goal in this study was to evaluate the rates of and reasons for LSB use in high-risk patients-those with hospital-diagnosed spinal cord injury (SCI)-after statewide implementation of SMR protocols., Methods: Applying data from a state emergency medical services (EMS) registry to a state hospital discharge database, we identified cases in which a participating EMS agency provided care for a patient later diagnosed in the hospital with a SCI. Cases were then retrospectively reviewed to determine the prevalence of both LSB and C-collar use before and after agency adoption of a SMR protocol. We reviewed cases with LSB use after SMR protocol implementation to determine the motivations driving continued LSB use. We used simple descriptive statistics, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to describe the results., Results: We identified 52 EMS agencies in the state of Arizona with 417,979 encounters. There were 225 patients with SCI, of whom 74 were excluded. The LSBs were used in 52 pre-SMR (81%) and 49 post-SMR (56%) cases. The odds of LSB use after SMR protocol implementation was 70% lower than it had been before implementation (OR 0.297, 95% CI 0.139-0.643; P  = 0.002). Use of a C-collar after SMR implementation was not significantly changed (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.23-1.143; P  = 0.10). In the 49 cases of LSB use after agency SMR implementation, the most common reasons for LSB placement were ease of lifting (63%), placement by non-transporting agency (18%), and extrication (16.3%). High suspicion of SCI was determined as the primary or secondary reason for not removing LSB after assessment in 63% of those with LSB placement, followed by multiple transfers required (20%), and critical illness (10%)., Conclusion: Implementation of selective spinal motion restriction protocols was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the utilization of long spine boards among prehospital patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Importance: The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) study demonstrated improved survival in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) following implementation of the prehospital treatment guidelines. The impact of implementing these guidelines in the subgroup of patients who received positive pressure ventilation (PPV) is unknown., Objective: To evaluate the association of implementation of prehospital TBI evidence-based guidelines with survival among patients with prehospital PPV., Design, Setting, and Participants: The EPIC study was a multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design. Evidence-based guidelines were implemented by emergency medical service agencies across Arizona. This subanalysis was planned a priori and included participants who received prehospital PPV. Outcomes were compared between the preimplementation and postimplementation cohorts using logistic regression, stratified by predetermined TBI severity categories (moderate, severe, or critical). Data were collected from January 2007 to June 2017, and data were analyzed from January to February 2023., Exposure: Implementation of the evidence-based guidelines for the prehospital care of patient with TBI., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge, and the secondary outcome was survival to admission., Results: Among the 21 852 participants in the main study, 5022 received prehospital PPV (preimplementation, 3531 participants; postimplementation, 1491 participants). Of 5022 included participants, 3720 (74.1%) were male, and the median (IQR) age was 36 (22-54) years. Across all severities combined, survival to admission improved (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.59; 95% CI, 1.28-1.97), while survival to discharge did not (aOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.13). Within the cohort with severe TBI but not in the moderate or critical subgroups, survival to hospital admission increased (aOR, 6.44; 95% CI, 2.39-22.00), as did survival to discharge (aOR, 3.52; 95% CI, 1.96-6.34)., Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with severe TBI who received active airway interventions in the field, guideline implementation was independently associated with improved survival to hospital admission and discharge. This was true whether they received basic airway interventions or advanced airways. These findings support the current guideline recommendations for aggressive prevention/correction of hypoxia and hyperventilation in patients with severe TBI, regardless of which airway type is used.

Prehospital care markedly influences outcome from traumatic brain injury, yet it remains highly variable. The Brain Trauma Foundation's guidelines informing prehospital care, first published in 2002, have sought to identify and disseminate best practices. Many of its recommendations relate to the management of airway, breathing and circulation, and infrastructure for this care. Compliance with the second edition of these guidelines has been associated with significantly improved survival. A working group developed evidence-based recommendations informing assessment, treatment, and transport decision-making relevant to the prehospital care of brain injured patients. A literature search spanning May 2005 to January 2022 supplemented data contained in the 2nd edition. Identified studies were assessed for quality and used to inform evidence-based recommendations. A total of 122 published articles formed the evidentiary base for this guideline update including 5 providing Class I evidence, 35 providing Class II evidence, and 98 providing Class III evidence for the various topics. Forty evidence-based recommendations were generated, 30 of which were strong and 10 of which were weak. In many cases, new evidence allowed guidelines from the 2nd edition to be strengthened. Development of guidelines on some new topics was possible including the prehospital administration of tranexamic acid. A management algorithm is also presented. These guidelines help to identify best practices for prehospital traumatic brain injury care, and they also identify gaps in knowledge which we hope will be addressed before the next edition., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.)

Background and Objective: Hypotension has a powerful effect on patient outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The relative impact of hypotension occurring in the field versus during early hospital resuscitation is unknown. We evaluated the association between hypotension and mortality and non-mortality outcomes in four cohorts defined by where the hypotension occurred [neither prehospital nor hospital, prehospital only, hospital only, both prehospital and hospital]., Methods: Subjects ≥10 years with major TBI were included. Standard statistics were used for unadjusted analyses. We used logistic regression, controlling for significant confounders, to determine the adjusted odds (aOR) for outcomes in each of the three cohorts., Results: Included were 12,582 subjects (69.8% male; median age 44 (IQR 26-61). Mortality by hypotension status: No hypotension: 9.2% (95%CI: 8.7-9.8%); EMS hypotension only: 27.8% (24.6-31.2%); hospital hypotension only: 45.6% (39.1-52.1%); combined EMS/hospital hypotension 57.6% (50.0-65.0%); (p < 0.0001). The aOR for death reflected the same progression: 1.0 (reference-no hypotension), 1.8 (1.39-2.33), 2.61 (1.73-3.94), and 4.36 (2.78-6.84), respectively. The proportion of subjects having hospital hypotension was 19.0% (16.5-21.7%) in those with EMS hypotension compared to 2.0% (1.8-2.3%) for those without (p < 0.0001). Additionally, the proportion of patients with TC hypotension was increased even with EMS "near hypotension" up to an SBP of 120 mmHg [(aOR 3.78 (2.97, 4.82)]., Conclusion: While patients with hypotension in the field or on arrival at the trauma center had markedly increased risk of death compared to those with no hypotension, those with prehospital hypotension that was not resolved before hospital arrival had, by far, the highest odds of death. Furthermore, TBI patients who had prehospital hypotension were five times more likely to arrive hypotensive at the trauma center than those who did not. Finally, even "near-hypotension" in the field was strongly and independently associated the risk of a hypotensive hospital arrival (<90 mmHg). These findings are supportive of the prehospital guidelines that recommend aggressive prevention and treatment of hypotension in major TBI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Study Objective: Little is known about the out-of-hospital blood pressure ranges associated with optimal outcomes in traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Our objective was to evaluate the associations between out-of-hospital systolic blood pressure (SBP) and multiple hospital outcomes without assuming any predefined thresholds for hypotension, normotension, or hypertension., Methods: This was a preplanned secondary analysis from the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI study. Among patients (age ≥10 years) with major TBIs (Barell Matrix type 1 and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale-head severity ≥3) and lowest out-of-hospital SBPs of 40 to 299 mmHg, we utilized generalized additive models to summarize the distributions of various outcomes as smoothed functions of SBP, adjusting for important and significant confounders. The subjects who were enrolled in the study phase after the out-of-hospital TBI guideline implementation were used to validate the models developed from the preimplementation cohort., Results: Among 12,169 included cases, the mortality model revealed 3 distinct ranges: (1) a monotonically decreasing relationship between SBP and the adjusted probability of death from 40 to 130 mmHg, (2) lowest adjusted mortality from 130 to 180 mmHg, and (3) rapidly increasing mortality above 180 mmHg. A subanalysis of the cohorts with isolated TBIs and multisystem injuries with TBIs revealed SBP mortality patterns that were similar to each other and to that of the main analysis. While the specific SBP ranges varied somewhat for the nonmortality outcomes (hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, discharge to skilled nursing/inpatient rehabilitation, and hospital charges), the patterns were very similar to that of mortality. In each model, validation was confirmed utilizing the postimplementation cohort., Conclusion: Optimal adjusted mortality was associated with a surprisingly high SBP range (130 to 180 mmHg). Below this level, there was no point or range of inflection that would indicate a physiologically meaningful threshold for defining hypotension. Nonmortality outcomes showed very similar patterns. These findings highlight how sensitive the injured brain is to compromised perfusion at SBP levels that, heretofore, have been considered adequate or even normal. While the study design does did not allow us to conclude that the currently recommended treatment threshold (<90 mmHg) should be increased, the findings imply that the definition of hypotension in the setting of TBI is too low. Randomized trials evaluating treatment levels significantly higher than 90 mmHg are needed., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Efficacy of telemedicine for stroke was first established by the Stroke Team Remote Evaluation Using a Digital Observation Camera (STRokE DOC) trials in California and Arizona. Following these randomized controlled trials, the Stroke Telemedicine for Arizona Rural Residents (STARR) network was the first telestroke network to be established in Arizona. It consisted of a 7 spoke 1 hub telestroke system, and it was designed to serve rural, remote, or neurologically underserved communities., Objective: The objective of STARR was to establish a multicenter state-wide telestroke research network to determine the feasibility of prospective collection, recording, and regularly analysis of telestroke patient consultations and care data for the purposes of establishing quality measures, improvement, and benchmarking against other national and international telestroke programs., Methods: The STARR trial was open to enrollment for 29 months from 2008 to 2011. Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona served as the hub primary stroke center and its vascular neurologists provided emergency telestroke consultations to seven participating rural, remote, or underserved spoke community hospitals in Arizona. Eligibility criteria for activation of a telestroke alert and study enrollment were established. Consecutive patients exhibiting symptoms and signs of acute stroke within a 12 h window were enrolled, assessed, and treated by telemedicine. The state government sponsor, Arizona Department of Health Services' research grant covered the cost of acquisition, maintenance, and service of the selected telemedicine equipment as well as the professional telestroke services provided. The study deployed multiple telemedicine video cart systems, picture archive and communications systems software, and call management solutions. The STARR protocol was reviewed and approved by Mayo Clinic IRB, which served as the central IRB of record for all the participating hospitals, and the trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov., Results: The telestroke hotline was activated 537 times, and ultimately 443 subjects met criteria and consented to participate. The STARR successfully established a multicenter state-wide telestroke research network. The STARR developed a feasible and pragmatic approach to the prospective collection, storage, and analysis of telestroke patient consultations and care data for the purposes of establishing quality measures and tracking improvement. STARR benchmarked well against other national and international telestroke programs. STARR helped set the foundation for multiple regional and state telestroke networks and ultimately evolved into a national telestroke network., Conclusions: Multiple small and rurally located community hospitals and health systems can successfully collaborate with a more centrally located larger hospital center through telemedicine technologies to develop a coordinated approach to the assessment, diagnosis, and emergency treatment of patients manifesting symptoms and signs of an acute stroke syndrome. This model may serve well the needs of patients presenting with other time-sensitive medical emergencies.Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT00829361., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Bart M. Demaerschalk et al., 2022; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Airway management is a critical component of resuscitation but also carries the potential to disrupt perfusion, oxygenation, and ventilation as a consequence of airway insertion efforts, the use of medications, and the conversion to positive-pressure ventilation. NAEMSP recommends:Airway management should be approached as an organized system of care, incorporating principles of teamwork and operational awareness.EMS clinicians should prevent or correct hypoxemia and hypotension prior to advanced airway insertion attempts.Continuous physiological monitoring must be used during airway management to guide the timing of, limit the duration of, and inform decision making during advanced airway insertion attempts.Initial and ongoing confirmation of advanced airway placement must be performed using waveform capnography. Airway devices must be secured using a reliable method.Perfusion, oxygenation, and ventilation should be optimized before, during, and after advanced airway insertion.To mitigate aspiration after advanced airway insertion, EMS clinicians should consider placing a patient in a semi-upright position.When appropriate, patients undergoing advanced airway placement should receive suitable pharmacologic anxiolysis, amnesia, and analgesia. In select cases, the use of neuromuscular blocking agents may be appropriate.

Objective: An overwhelming responsibility for responding to the opioid epidemic falls on hospital emergency departments (ED). We sought to examine the overall prevalence rate and associated charges of opioid-related diagnoses and overdoses. Although charge data do not necessarily represent cost, they are proxy indicators of resource utilization and burden., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of the National Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) dataset, the largest all-payer ED database in the United States. We queried using specific relevant ICD-10 codes to estimate the number of adult ED visits for both opioid poisonings and other opioid-related diagnoses during 2016 and 2017, which was the most recent publicly available data. Prevalence rates and financial charges were calculated by year and odds ratios were used to examine differences., Results: Of approximately 234 million adult visits to EDs across 2016 and 2017, 2.88 million (1.23%) were related to opioids, with overdoses comprising nearly 27.5% and visits for other opioid-related diagnoses totaling 72.5%. As the primary diagnosis, opioids were responsible for 37% of all ED visits across both years. Total opioid-related visits for the two years accounted for $9.57 billion in ED charges, or $4.78 billion annually, with Medicaid and Medicare responsible for 66% of all charges., Conclusion and Relevance: Approximately one of every 80 visits to the ED were opioid-related, leading to financial charges approaching $5 billion per year. Since both prevalence and the economic burden of opioid-related visits are high, targeted interventions to address this epidemic's impact on healthcare systems should be a national priority., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: With a significant proportion of individuals with opioid use disorder not currently receiving treatment, it is critical to find novel ways to engage and retain patients in treatment. Our objective is to describe the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a program that used emergency physicians to initiate a bridge treatment, followed by peer support services, behavioral counseling, and ongoing treatment and follow-up., Methods: We developed a program called the Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System (HEROES) that provides rapid access to board-certified emergency physicians for initiation of buprenorphine, plus at least 1 behavioral counseling session and 4 weekly peer support sessions over the course of 30 days. Follow-ups were conducted by phone and in person to obtain patient-reported outcomes. Primary outcomes included percentage of patients who completed the 30-day program and the percentage for successful linkage to more permanent ongoing treatment after the initial program., Results: There were 324 participants who initiated treatment on buprenorphine from April 2018 to July 2019, with an average age of 36 (±9.6 years) and 52% of participants were males. At 30 days, 293/324 (90.43%) completed the program, and 203 of these (63%) were successfully connected to a subsequent community addiction medicine physician. There was a significant improvement (36%) in health-related quality of life., Conclusion: Lack of insurance is a predictor for treatment failure. Implementation of a multipronged treatment program is feasible and was associated with positive patient-reported outcomes. This approach holds promise as a strategy for engaging and retaining patients in treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report., (© 2021 The Authors. JACEP Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Emergency Physicians.)

Study Objective: We evaluate the effect of implementing the out-of-hospital pediatric traumatic brain injury guidelines on outcomes in children with major traumatic brain injury., Methods: The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care for Children study is the preplanned secondary analysis of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care study, a multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before-after controlled design. This subanalysis included children younger than 18 years who were transported to Level I trauma centers by participating out-of-hospital agencies between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2015, throughout Arizona. The primary and secondary outcomes were survival to hospital discharge or admission for children with major traumatic brain injury and in 3 subgroups, defined a priori as those with moderate, severe, and critical traumatic brain injury. Outcomes in the preimplementation and postimplementation cohorts were compared with logistic regression, adjusting for risk factors and confounders., Results: There were 2,801 subjects, 2,041 in preimplementation and 760 in postimplementation. The primary analysis (postimplementation versus preimplementation) yielded an adjusted odds ratio of 1.16 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 1.92) for survival to hospital discharge and 2.41 (95% confidence interval 1.17 to 5.21) for survival to hospital admission. In the severe traumatic brain injury cohort (Regional Severity Score-Head 3 or 4), but not the moderate or critical subgroups, survival to discharge significantly improved after guideline implementation (adjusted odds ratio = 8.42; 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 100+). The improvement in survival to discharge among patients with severe traumatic brain injury who received positive-pressure ventilation did not reach significance (adjusted odds ratio = 9.13; 95% confidence interval 0.79 to 100+)., Conclusion: Implementation of the pediatric out-of-hospital traumatic brain injury guidelines was not associated with improved survival when the entire spectrum of severity was analyzed as a whole (moderate, severe, and critical). However, both adjusted survival to hospital admission and discharge improved in children with severe traumatic brain injury, indicating a potential severity-based interventional opportunity for guideline effectiveness. These findings support the widespread implementation of the out-of-hospital pediatric traumatic brain injury guidelines., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Suicide claimed 47,173 lives in 2017 and is the second leading cause of death for individuals 15-34 years old. In 2017, rates of suicide in the United States (US) were double the rates of homicide. Despite significant research funding toward suicide prevention, rates of suicide have increased 38% from 2009 to 2017. Recent data suggests that emergency medical services (EMS) workers are at a higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts compared to the general public. The objective of this study was to determine the proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) of suicide among firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT) compared to the general US working population., Methods: We analyzed over five million adult decedent death records from the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance database for 26 states over a 10-year non-consecutive period including 1999, 2003-2004, and 2007-2013. Categorizing firefighters and EMTs by census industry and occupation code lists, we used the underlying cause of death to calculate the PMRs compared to the general US decedent population with a recorded occupation., Results: Overall, 298 firefighter and 84 EMT suicides were identified in our study. Firefighters died in significantly greater proportion from suicide compared to the US.working population with a PMR of 172 (95% confidence interval [CI], 153-193, P<0.01). EMTs also died from suicide in greater proportion with an elevated PMR of 124 (95% CI, 99-153), but this did not reach statistical significance. Among all subgroups, firefighters ages 65-90 were found to have the highest PMR of 234 (95% CI, 186-290), P<0.01) while the highest among EMTs was in the age group 18-64 with a PMR of 126 (95% CI, 100-156, P<0.05)., Conclusion: In this multi-state study, we found that firefighters and EMTs had significantly higher proportionate mortality ratios for suicide compared to the general US working population. Firefighters ages 65-90 had a PMR more than double that of the general working population. Development of a more robust database is needed to identify EMS workers at greatest risk of suicide during their career and lifetime.

Background: Since development of the Utstein style recommendations for the uniform reporting of cardiac arrest, increasing numbers of national and regional out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) registries have been established worldwide. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) created the Research and Registries Working Group and aimed to systematically report data collected from these registries., Methods: We conducted two surveys of voluntarily participating national and regional registries. The first survey aimed to identify which core elements of the current Utstein style for OHCA were collected by each registry. The second survey collected descriptive summary data from each registry. We chose the data collected for the second survey based on the availability of core elements identified by the first survey., Results: Seven national and four regional registries were included in the first survey and nine national and seven regional registries in the second survey. The estimated annual incidence of emergency medical services (EMS)-treated OHCA was 30.0-97.1 individuals per 100,000 population. The combined data showed the median age varied from 64 to 79 years and more than half were male in all 16 registries. The provision of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and bystander automated external defibrillator (AED) use was 19.1-79.0% in all registries and 2.0-37.4% among 11 registries, respectively. Survival to hospital discharge or 30-day survival after EMS-treated OHCA was 3.1-20.4% across all registries. Favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge or 30 days after EMS-treated OHCA was 2.8-18.2%. Survival to hospital discharge or 30-day survival after bystander-witnessed shockable OHCA ranged from 11.7% to 47.4% and favorable neurological outcome from 9.9% to 33.3%., Conclusion: This report from ILCOR describes data on systems of care and outcomes following OHCA from nine national and seven regional registries across the world. We found variation in reported survival outcomes and other core elements of the current Utstein style recommendations for OHCA across nations and regions., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Many emergency medical services (EMS) agencies have de-emphasized or eliminated the use of long spinal boards (LSB) for patients with possible spinal injury. We sought to determine if implementation of spinal motion restriction (SMR) protocols, which reduce LSB use, was associated with an increase in spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: This retrospective observational study includes EMS encounters from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015 submitted by SMR-adopting ground-based agencies to a state EMS database with hospital discharge data. Encounters were excluded if SMR implementation date was unknown, occurred during a 3-month run-in period, or were duplicates. Study samples include patients with traumatic injury (TI), possible spinal trauma (P-ST), and verified spinal trauma (V-ST) using hospital discharge ICD-9/10 diagnosis codes. The incidence of SCI before and after implementation of SMR was compared using Chi-squared and logistic regression. Results: From 1,005,978 linked encounters, 104,315 unique encounters with traumatic injury and known SMR implementation date were identified with 51,199 cases of P-ST and 5,178 V-ST cases. The incidence of SCI in the pre-SMR and post-SMR interval for each group was: TI, 0.20% vs. 0.22% (p = 0.390); P-ST, 0.40% vs. 0.45% (p = 0.436); and V-ST, 4.04% vs. 4.37% (p = 0.561). Age and injury severity adjusted odds ratio of SCI in the highest risk cohort of patients with V-ST was 1.097 after SMR implementation (95% CI 0.818-1.472). Conclusion: In this limited study, no change in the incidence of SCI was identified following implementation of SMR protocols. Prospective evaluation of this question is necessary to evaluate the safety of SMR protocols.

Every year in the United States, >350 000 people have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital environment. Sudden cardiac arrest is the unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness and is commonly the result of an electric disturbance in the heart. Unfortunately, only ≈1 in 10 victims survives this dramatic event. Early access to 9-1-1 and early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are the first 2 links in the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Although 9-1-1 is frequently accessed, in the majority of cases, individuals with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not receive lay rescuer CPR and wait for the arrival of professional emergency rescuers. Telecommunicators are the true first responders and a critical link in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. In partnership with the 9-1-1 caller, telecommunicators have the first opportunity to identify a patient in cardiac arrest and provide initial care by delivering CPR instructions while quickly dispatching emergency medical services. The telecommunicator and the caller form a unique team in which the expertise of the telecommunicator is provided just in time to a willing caller, transforming the caller into a lay rescuer delivering CPR. The telecommunicator CPR (T-CPR) process, also previously described as dispatch CPR, dispatch-assisted CPR, or telephone CPR, represents an important opportunity to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Conversely, failure to provide T-CPR in this manner results in preventable harm. This statement describes the public health impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, provides guidance and resources to construct and maintain a T-CPR program, outlines the minimal acceptable standards for timely and high-quality delivery of T-CPR instructions, and identifies strategies to overcome common implementation barriers to T-CPR.

Objective: This study aimed to assess whether team-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for emergency medical service (EMS) providers improved the pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rates of non-traumatic adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients., Methods: This was a before-and-after study an evaluating educational intervention for community EMS providers, which was conducted in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. Team-based CPR training was conducted from January to March 2016 for every level 1 and level 2 EMS provider in the study area. Non-traumatic EMS treated OHCA patients from July to December 2015 and from July to December 2016 were enrolled and used for the analysis. The primary outcome was pre-hospital ROSC rates before and after the training period. A multivariable logistic regression model with an interaction term (period × dispatch type) was used to determine the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) according to the dispatch type (single vs. multi-tiered)., Results: Of the 2125 OHCA cases included, 1072 (50.4%) and 1053 (49.6%) were categorized in the before- and after-training groups, respectively, and the pre-hospital ROSC rates were 6.6% and 12.6%, respectively. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the aOR for pre-hospital ROSC was 2.07 (95% CI, 1.32-3.25) in the after-training period. In the interaction model (period × type of dispatch), the aORs for pre-hospital ROSC were 2.00 (95% CI, 1.01-3.98) and 2.13 (95% CI, 1.20-3.79) in the single- and multi-tiered dispatch groups, respectively, during the after-training period., Conclusion: Team-based CPR training for EMS providers in a large community EMS system improved the pre-hospital ROSC rates of OHCA patients., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with substantial geographical, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in outcome. Successful resuscitation efforts depend on the 'chain of survival', which includes immediate recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system, early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an emphasis on chest compressions, rapid defibrillation, basic and advanced emergency medical services and integrated post-cardiac arrest care. Well-orchestrated telecommunicator CPR programmes can improve rates of bystander CPR - a critical link in the chain of survival. High-performance CPR by emergency medical service providers includes minimizing interruptions in chest compressions and ensuring adequate depth of compressions. Developing local, regional and statewide systems with dedicated high-performing cardiac resuscitation centres for post-resuscitation care can substantially improve survival after OHCA. Innovative digital tools for recognizing cardiac arrest where and when it occurs, notifying potential citizen rescuers and providing automated external defibrillators at the scene hold the promise of improving survival after OHCA. Improved implementation of the chain of survival can save thousands of lives each year.

Importance: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based guidelines directing the prehospital treatment of TBI have been promulgated, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed their association with survival., Objective: To evaluate the association of implementing the nationally vetted, evidence-based, prehospital treatment guidelines with outcomes in moderate, severe, and critical TBI., Design, Setting, and Participants: The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Study included more than 130 emergency medical services systems/agencies throughout Arizona. This was a statewide, multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design with patients with moderate to critically severe TBI (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Barell Matrix-Type 1 and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale Head region severity ≥3) transported to trauma centers between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2015. Data were analyzed between October 25, 2017, and February 22, 2019., Interventions: Implementation of the prehospital TBI guidelines emphasizing avoidance/treatment of hypoxia, prevention/correction of hyperventilation, and avoidance/treatment of hypotension., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary: survival to hospital discharge; secondary: survival to hospital admission., Results: Of the included patients, the median age was 45 years, 14 666 (67.1%) were men, 7181 (32.9%) were women; 16 408 (75.1% ) were white, 1400 (6.4%) were Native American, 743 (3.4% ) were Black, 237 (1.1%) were Asian, and 2791 (12.8%) were other race/ethnicity. Of the included patients, 21 852 met inclusion criteria for analysis (preimplementation phase [P1]: 15 228; postimplementation [P3]: 6624). The primary analysis (P3 vs P1) revealed an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.06 (95% CI, 0.93-1.21; P = .40) for survival to hospital discharge. The aOR was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.38-2.09; P < .001) for survival to hospital admission. Among the severe injury cohorts (but not moderate or critical), guideline implementation was significantly associated with survival to discharge (Regional Severity Score-Head 3-4: aOR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.52-2.72; P < .001; Injury Severity Score 16-24: aOR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.07-2.48; P = .02). This was also true for survival to discharge among the severe, intubated subgroups (Regional Severity Score-Head 3-4: aOR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.65-5.98; P < .001; Injury Severity Score 16-24: aOR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.19-11.34; P = .02)., Conclusions and Relevance: Statewide implementation of the prehospital TBI guidelines was not associated with significant improvement in overall survival to hospital discharge (across the entire, combined moderate to critical injury spectrum). However, adjusted survival doubled among patients with severe TBI and tripled in the severe, intubated cohort. Furthermore, guideline implementation was significantly associated with survival to hospital admission. These findings support the widespread implementation of the prehospital TBI treatment guidelines., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01339702.

Background: In 2016, nearly 45,000 deaths in the United States were attributed to suicide making this the 10th leading cause of death for all ages. National survey data suggest that among Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), including firefighters and Paramedics, rates of suicide are significantly higher than among the general public. EMTs face high levels of acute and chronic stress as well as high rates of depression and substance abuse, which increase their risk of suicide., Objective/aim: To determine the statewide Mortality Odds Ratio (MOR) of suicide completion among EMTs as compared to non-EMTs in Arizona., Methods: We analyzed the Arizona Vital Statistics Information Management System Electronic Death Registry of all adult (≥18) deaths between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2015. Manual review of decedent occupation was performed to identify the EMT cohort; all other deaths were included in the non-EMT cohort. Using the underlying cause of death as the outcome, we calculated the MOR of both the EMT and non-EMT cohorts., Results: There were a total of 350,998 deaths during the study period with 7,838 categorized as suicide. The proportion of deaths attributed to suicide among EMTs was 5.2% (63 of 1,205 total deaths) while the percentage among non-EMTs was 2.2% (7,775/349,793) (p < 0.0001). The crude Mortality Odds Ratio for EMTs compared with non-EMTs was [cMOR 2.43; 95% CI (1.88-3.13)]. After adjusting for gender, age, race, and ethnicity, EMTs had higher odds that their death was by suicide than non-EMTs [aMOR: 1.39; 95% CI (1.06-1.82)]., Conclusion: In this statewide analysis, we found that EMTs had a significantly higher Mortality Odds Ratio due to suicide compared to non-EMTs. Further research is necessary to identify the underlying causes of suicide among EMTs and to develop effective prevention strategies.

Background: Clinical investigations have shown improved outcomes with primary compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation strategies. It is unclear whether this is a result of passive ventilation via chest compressions, a low requirement for any ventilation during the early aspect of resuscitation or avoidance of inadvertent over-ventilation., Objectives: To quantify whether chest compressions with guideline-compliant depth (>2 in) produce measurable and substantial ventilation volumes during emergency department resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest., Methods: This was a prospective, convenience sampling of adult non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients receiving on-going cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an academic emergency department from June 1, 2011 to July 30, 2013. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality files were analyzed using R-Series defibrillator/monitors (ZOLL Medical) and ventilation data were measured using a Non-Invasive Cardiac Output monitor (Philips/Respironics, Wallingford, CT)., Results: cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality data were analyzed from 21 patients (17 males, median age 59). The median compression depth was 2.2 in (IQR = 1.9, 2.5) and the median chest compression fraction was 88.4% (IQR = 82.2, 94.1). We were able to discern 580 ventilations that occurred during compressions. The median passive tidal volume recorded during compressions was 7.5 ml (IQR 3.5, 12.6). While the highest volume recorded was 45.8 ml, 81% of the measured tidal volumes were <20 ml., Conclusion: Ventilation volume measurements during emergency department cardiopulmonary resuscitation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest suggest that chest compressions alone, even those meeting current guideline recommendations for depth, do not provide physiologically significant tidal volumes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the impact of coronary angiography (CAG) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) without ST-elevation (STE)., Methods: Prospective observational study of adult (age ≥ 18) OHCA of presumed cardiac etiology from 1/01/2010-12/31/2014 admitted to one of 40 recognized cardiac receiving centers within a statewide resuscitation network., Results: Among 11,976 cases, 1881 remained for analysis after exclusions. Of the 1230 non-STE cases, 524 (43%) underwent CAG with resultant PCI in 157 (30%). Survival in non-STE cases was: 56% in cases without CAG; 82% in cases with CAG but without PCI; and 78% in those with PCI (p < 0.0001). In cases without STE the aOR for survival with CAG alone was 2.34 (95% CI 1.69-3.24) and for CAG plus PCI was 1.98 (95% CI 1.26-3.09). The aOR for CPC 1/2 with CAG alone was 6.89 (95% CI 3.99-11.91) and for CAG plus PCI was 2.95 (95% CI 1.59-5.47). After propensity matching, CAG was associated with an aOR for survival of 2.10 (95% CI 1.30-3.55) and for CPC 1/2 it was 5.06 (95% CI 2.29-11.19)., Conclusion: In OHCA without STE, CAG was strongly and independently associated with survival regardless of whether PCI was performed. The association between CAG and positive outcomes remained after propensity matching., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The American Heart Association previously recommended implementation of cardiac resuscitation systems of care that consist of interconnected community, emergency medical services, and hospital efforts to measure and improve the process of care and outcome for patients with cardiac arrest. In addition, the American Heart Association proposed a national process to develop and implement evidence-based guidelines for cardiac resuscitation systems of care. Significant experience has been gained with implementing these systems, and new evidence has accumulated. This update describes recent advances in the science of cardiac resuscitation systems and evidence of their effectiveness, as well as recent progress in dissemination and implementation throughout the United States. Emphasis is placed on evidence published since the original recommendations (ie, including and since 2010)., Competing Interests: The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest., (© 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: Chronic pain is common and challenging to treat. Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious, its benefit in disadvantaged populations is largely unknown., Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of literacy-adapted and simplified group CBT versus group pain education (EDU) versus usual care., Design: Randomized controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01967342)., Setting: Community health centers serving low-income patients in Alabama., Patients: Adults (aged 19 to 71 years) with mixed chronic pain., Interventions: CBT and EDU delivered in 10 weekly 90-minute group sessions., Measurements: Self-reported, postintervention pain intensity (primary outcome) and physical function and depression (secondary outcomes)., Results: 290 participants were enrolled (70.7% of whom were women, 66.9% minority group members, 72.4% at or below the poverty level, and 35.8% reading below the fifth grade level); 241 (83.1%) participated in posttreatment assessments. Linear mixed models included all randomly assigned participants. Members of the CBT and EDU groups had larger decreases in pain intensity scores between baseline and posttreatment than participants receiving usual care (estimated differences in change scores-CBT: -0.80 [95% CI -1.48 to -0.11]; P = 0.022; EDU: -0.57 [CI, -1.04 to -0.10]; P = 0.018). At 6-month follow-up, treatment gains were not maintained in the CBT group but were still present in the EDU group. With regard to physical function, participants in the CBT and EDU interventions had greater posttreatment improvement than those receiving usual care, and this progress was maintained at 6-month follow-up. Changes in depression (secondary outcome) did not differ between either the CBT or EDU group and the usual care group., Limitations: Participants represented a single health care system. Self-selection bias may have been present., Conclusion: Simplified group CBT and EDU interventions delivered at low-income clinics significantly improved pain and physical function compared with usual care., Primary Funding Source: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a lifesaving technique for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Despite advances in resuscitation science, basic life support remains a critical factor in determining outcomes. The American Heart Association recommendations for adult basic life support incorporate the most recently published evidence and serve as the basis for education and training for laypeople and healthcare providers who perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation., Competing Interests: The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Aim of Study: This study aims to quantify the relative impact of Dispatcher-Initiated Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) on survival and survival with favorable functional outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in a population of patients served by multiple emergency dispatch centers and more than 130 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies., Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study of EMS-treated adult (≥18 years) patients with OHCA of presumed cardiac origin in Arizona, between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014. We compared survival and functional outcome among three distinct groups of OHCA patients: those who received no CPR before EMS arrival (no CPR group); those who received BCPR before EMS arrival and prior to or without telephone CPR instructions (BCPR group); and those who received TCPR (TCPR group)., Results: In this study, 2310 of 4391 patients met the study criteria (median age, 62 years; IQR 50, 74; 1540 male). 32.8% received no CPR, 23.8% received Bystander-Initiated CPR and 43.4% received TCPR. Overall survival was 11.5%. Using no CPR as the reference group, the multivariate adjusted odds ratio for survival at hospital discharge was 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04, 2.18) for BCPR and 1.64 (95% CI, 1.16, 2.30) for TCPR. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio of favorable functional outcome at discharge was 1.58 (95% CI 1.05, 2.39) for BCPR and 1.56 (95% CI, 1.06, 2.31) for TCPR., Conclusion: TCPR is independently associated with improved survival and improved functional outcome after OHCA., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: Out-of-hospital hypotension has been associated with increased mortality in traumatic brain injury. The association of traumatic brain injury mortality with the depth or duration of out-of-hospital hypotension is unknown. We evaluated the relationship between the depth and duration of out-of-hospital hypotension and mortality in major traumatic brain injury., Methods: We evaluated adults and older children with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury in the preimplementation cohort of Arizona's statewide Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care study. We used logistic regression to determine the association between the depth-duration dose of hypotension (depth of systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg integrated over duration [minutes] of hypotension) and odds of inhospital death, controlling for significant confounders., Results: There were 7,521 traumatic brain injury cases included (70.6% male patients; median age 40 years [interquartile range 24 to 58]). Mortality was 7.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.2% to 8.5%) among the 6,982 patients without hypotension (systolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) and 33.4% (95% CI 29.4% to 37.6%) among the 539 hypotensive patients (systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg). Mortality was higher with increased hypotension dose: 0.01 to 14.99 mm Hg-minutes 16.3%; 15 to 49.99 mm Hg-minutes 28.1%; 50 to 141.99 mm Hg-minutes 38.8%; and greater than or equal to 142 mm Hg-minutes 50.4%. Log 2 (the logarithm in base 2) of hypotension dose was associated with traumatic brain injury mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.19 [95% CI 1.14 to 1.25] per 2-fold increase of dose)., Conclusion: In this study, the depth and duration of out-of-hospital hypotension were associated with increased traumatic brain injury mortality. Assessments linking out-of-hospital blood pressure with traumatic brain injury outcomes should consider both depth and duration of hypotension., (Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The HeartRescue Project is a multistate public health initiative focused on establishing statewide out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) systems of care to improve case capture and OHCA care in the community, by emergency medical services (EMS), and at hospital level., Methods and Results: From 2011 to 2015 in the 5 original HeartRescue states, all adults with EMS-treated OHCA due to a presumed cardiac cause were included. In an adult population of 32.8 million, a total of 64 988 OHCAs-including 10 046 patients with a bystander-witnessed OHCA with a shockable rhythm-were treated by 330 EMS agencies. From 2011 to 2015, the case-capture rate for all-rhythm OHCA increased from an estimated 39.0% (n=6762) to 89.2% (n=16 103; P <0.001 for trend). Overall survival to hospital discharge was 11.4% for all rhythms and 34.0% in the subgroup with bystander-witnessed OHCA with a shockable rhythm. We observed modest temporal increases in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (41.8-43.5%, P <0.001 for trend) and bystander automated external defibrillator application (3.2-5.6%, P <0.001 for trend) in the all-rhythm group, although there were no temporal changes in survival. There were marked all-rhythm survival differences across the 5 states (8.0-16.1%, P <0.001) and across participating EMS agencies (2.7-26.5%, P <0.001)., Conclusions: In the initial 5 years, the HeartRescue Project developed a population-based OHCA registry and improved statewide case-capture rates and some processes of care, although there were no early temporal changes in survival. The observed survival variation across states and EMS systems presents a future challenge to elucidate the characteristics of high-performing systems with the goal of improving OHCA care and survival., (© 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)

Introduction: Low body temperatures following prehospital transport are associated with poor outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, a minimal amount is known about potential associations across a range of temperatures obtained immediately after prehospital transport. Furthermore, a minimal amount is known about the influence of body temperature on non-mortality outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between temperatures obtained immediately following prehospital transport and TBI outcomes across the entire range of temperatures., Methods: This retrospective observational study included all moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) in the pre-implementation cohort of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI Study (NIH/NINDS: 1R01NS071049). Cases were compared across four cohorts of initial trauma center temperature (ITCT): <35.0°C [Very Low Temperature (VLT)]; 35.0-35.9°C [Low Temperature (LT)]; 36.0-37.9°C [Normal Temperature (NT)]; and ≥38.0°C [Elevated Temperature (ET)]. Multivariable analysis was performed adjusting for injury severity score, age, sex, race, ethnicity, blunt/penetrating trauma, and payment source. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality were calculated. To evaluate non-mortality outcomes, deaths were excluded and the adjusted median increase in hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS and total hospital charges were calculated for each ITCT group and compared to the NT group., Results: 22,925 cases were identified and cases with interfacility transfer (7361, 32%), no EMS transport (1213, 5%), missing ITCT (2083, 9%), or missing demographic data (391, 2%) were excluded. Within this study cohort the aORs for death (compared to the NT group) were 2.41 (CI: 1.83-3.17) for VLT, 1.62 (CI: 1.37-1.93) for LT, and 1.86 (CI: 1.52-3.00) for ET. Similarly, trauma center (TC) LOS, ICU LOS, and total TC charges increased in all temperature groups when compared to NT., Conclusion: In this large, statewide study of major TBI, both ETs and LTs immediately following prehospital transport were independently associated with higher mortality and with increased TC LOS, ICU LOS, and total TC charges. Further study is needed to identify the causes of abnormal body temperature during the prehospital interval and if in-field measures to prevent temperature variations might improve outcomes.

Over the last 15 years, treatment of comatose post-cardiac arrest patients has evolved to include therapeutic strategies such as urgent coronary angiography with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), targeted temperature management (TTM)-requiring mechanical ventilation and sedation-and more sophisticated and cautious prognostication. In 2015, collaboration between the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Society for Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) resulted in the first European guidelines on post-resuscitation care. This review addresses the major recent advances in the treatment of cardiac arrest, recent trials that have challenged current practice and the remaining areas of uncertainty.

Background: Emergency 9-1-1 callers use a wide range of terms to describe abnormal breathing in persons with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). These breathing descriptors can obstruct the telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) process., Methods and Results: We conducted an observational study of emergency call audio recordings linked to confirmed OHCAs in a statewide Utstein-style database. Breathing descriptors fell into 1 of 8 groups (eg, gasping, snoring). We divided the study population into groups with and without descriptors for abnormal breathing to investigate the impact of these descriptors on patient outcomes and telephone CPR process. Callers used descriptors in 459 of 2411 cases (19.0%) between October 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. Survival outcome was better when the caller used a breathing descriptor (19.6% versus 8.8%, P <0.0001), with an odds ratio of 1.63 (95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.25). After exclusions, 379 of 459 cases were eligible for process analysis. When callers described abnormal breathing, the rates of telecommunicator OHCA recognition, CPR instruction, and telephone CPR were lower than when callers did not use a breathing descriptor (79.7% versus 93.0%, P <0.0001; 65.4% versus 72.5%, P =0.0078; and 60.2% versus 66.9%, P =0.0123, respectively). The time interval between call receipt and OHCA recognition was longer when the caller used a breathing descriptor (118.5 versus 73.5 seconds, P <0.0001)., Conclusions: Descriptors of abnormal breathing are associated with improved outcomes but also with delays in the identification of OHCA. Familiarizing telecommunicators with these descriptors may improve the telephone CPR process including OHCA recognition for patients with increased probability of survival., (© 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)