INTRODUCTION

Cardiac arrest occurs when abrupt cessation of cardiac function results in loss of effective circulation and complete cardiovascular collapse. For every minute of cardiac arrest without early intervention (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], defibrillation), chances of survival drop by 7 – 10%. It is crucial that CPR be initiated within 4 – 6 minutes to avoid brain death. Most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur in a residential setting where access to trained personnel and equipment is not readily available, resulting in poor victim outcomes.

This descriptive study was done from August to November 2021 using a prospective cohort design. Participants of the study include adult patients aged 18 years and above brought to the emergency room who suffered from out-ofhospital cardiac arrest. Out of the total 102 cases of OHCA, 63 participants were included in the study. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients.

Forty-three subjects were male patients, comprising the majority at 73.02%. Hypertension was identified as the top comorbidity, followed by diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Medical causes of arrest were identified in 96.83% of the cases. 90.48% of cardiac arrests occurred at home. Only 26 patients (41.27%) received prehospital intervention before ER arrival, comprising only hands-on CPR. Twenty-three of these were performed by individuals with background knowledge of CPR. 60.32% were brought via self-conduction, the remainder by ambulances, which were noted to have no available equipment necessary to provide proper resuscitation. The average travel time from dispatch to
ER arrival is 20 minutes.

Overall survival of OHCA in our local setting remains dismal, as the return of spontaneous circulation was not achieved in any of the patients. The small number of patients having pre-hospital CPR indicates the need for emphasis on training and community education.

BACKGROUND

Pediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) help identify children at risk of clinical deterioration, but their accuracy across diverse settings, populations, interventions, and outcomes remains unexplored.

To determine the accuracy of PEWS in detecting clinical deterioration events (CDE) among pediatric patients seen at the emergency department (ED).

Retrospective cohort study.

Pediatric patients aged 1 month to 18 years seen at the ED.

Southern Philippines Medical Center Emergency Department, Davao City, Philippines from January 2021 to December 2022.

Area under the curve (AUC) of PEWS in detecting CDE; Brighton PEWS optimal cut-off and its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (+LR), and negative likelihood ratio (-LR).

Among the 345 patients, 56 experienced CDE and 289 did not. Patients with CDE had significantly lower median age (1.00 year vs 5.00 years; p < 0.001), oxygen saturation (93.00% vs 98.00%; p < 0.001), and pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale scores (8.00 vs 15.00; p < 0.0001) compared to those without CDE. Heart rate (135.00 vs 111.00 beats per minute; p < 0.001), and respiratory rate (32.50 vs 24.00 breaths per minute; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with CDE. The two groups also differed significantly in terms of comorbidity distribution (p < 0.001) and diagnosis (p < 0.001). The AUC of Brighton PEWS was 0.9064 (95% CI 0.8716 to 0.9357), with an optimal cut-off score of ≥4.00. This threshold yielded 76.79% sensitivity, 88.58% specificity, 56.60% PPV, 95.20% NPV, 6.72 LR+, and 0.26 LR-.

The Brighton PEWS demonstrates strong diagnostic accuracy in predicting CDE among pediatric patients. A cut-off score of ≥4.00 offers a balanced combination of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for ED application.

Humans ; Prognosis ; Heart Arrest ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Hospitals

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health care for patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been suboptimal. Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, and logistical characteristics of patients who experienced OHCA during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Descriptive study. Participants: 136 males and 58 females, aged 8 days to 89 years old, who experienced OHCA and were subsequently sent to the emergency department of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). Setting: Southern Philippines Medical Center, Davao City, March 15 to December 31, 2020. Main outcome measures: Demographic, clinical, and logistical characteristics of patients. Main results: Of the 194 patients, 149 (76.80%) experienced OHCA at home. Among them, 42 (21.65%) received initial CPR at the scene, with 36 (85.71%) of these procedures performed by ambulance crews. Only one (0.52%) patient received automated extracorporeal defibrillation performed by a bystander. There were 147 (75.77%) patients who were transported by private vehicles. The average times for dispatch, response and turnaround of the emergency medical services (EMS) were 8 minutes, 19 minutes, and 56 minutes, respectively. Of the 194 patients, 176 (90.72%) were transported without ongoing resuscitation. Upon arrival at the emergency department, 184 (94.84%) patients had unknown arrest rhythm. Only one (0.52%) patient had a return of spontaneous circulation and was admitted to the ICU. All the other patients expired within 10 to 15 minutes upon arriving at the emergency department. Conclusion In this study, most OHCAs happened at home, with few receiving CPR at the scene, primarily from ambulance crews. The average EMS response time was 19 minutes. Most patients were transported from the scene without ongoing resuscitation, and had an unknown arrest rhythm upon arrival at the emergency department. All patients expired shortly after arriving at the emergency department.
Resuscitation ; Ambulances

Neonates born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) may develop complications including meconium aspiration syndrome, persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn and death. The approach to the resuscitation of these neonates has significantly evolved for the past few decades. Initially, under direct visualization technique, neonates with MSAF were commonly suctioned below the vocal cords soon after delivery. Since 2015, Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP^®) of the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against "routine" endotracheal suctioning of non-vigorous neonates with MSAF but favored immediate resuscitation with positive pressure ventilation via face-mask bagging. However, the China neonatal resuscitation 2021 guidelines continue to recommend routine endotracheal suctioning of non-vigorous neonates born with MSAF at birth. This review article discusses the differences and the rationales in the approach in the resuscitation of neonates with MSAF between Chinese and American NRP^® guidelines over the past 60 years.
Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Child ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome/therapy* ; Meconium ; Resuscitation ; Amniotic Fluid ; Intubation, Intratracheal/methods* ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; China

Objective: To investigate the scientificity and feasibility of the ten-fold rehydration formula for emergency resuscitation of pediatric patients after extensive burns. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. The total burn area of 30%-100% total body surface area (TBSA) and body weight of 6-50 kg in 433 pediatric patients (250 males and 183 females, aged 3 months to 14 years) with extensive burns who met the inclusion criteria and admitted to the burn departments of 72 Class A tertiary hospitals were collected. The 6 319 pairs of simulated data were constructed after pairing each body weight of 6-50 kg (programmed in steps of 0.5 kg) and each total burn area of 30%-100% TBSA (programmed in steps of 1%TBSA). They were put into three accepted pediatric rehydration formulae, namely the commonly used domestic pediatric rehydration formula for burn patients (hereinafter referred to as the domestic rehydration formula), the Galveston formula, and the Cincinnati formula, and the two rehydration formulae for pediatric emergency, namely the simplified resuscitation formula for emergency care of patients with extensive burns proposed by the World Health Organization's Technical Working Group on Burns (TWGB, hereinafter referred to as the TWGB formula) and the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula proposed by the author of this article--rehydration rate (mL/h)=body weight (kg) × 10 (mL·kg^-1·h^-1) to calculate the rehydration rate within 8 h post injury (hereinafter referred to as the rehydration rate). The range of the results of the 3 accepted pediatric rehydration formulae ±20% were regarded as the reasonable rehydration rate, and the accuracy rates of rehydration rate calculated using the two pediatric emergency rehydration formulae were compared. Using the maximum burn areas (55% and 85% TBSA) corresponding to the reasonable rehydration rate calculated by the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula at the body weight of 6 and 50 kg respectively, the total burn area of 30% to 100% TBSA was divided into 3 segments and the accuracy rates of the rehydration rate calculated using the 2 pediatric emergency rehydration formulae in each segment were compared. When neither of the rehydration rates calculated by the 2 pediatric emergency rehydration formulae was reasonable, the differences between the two rehydration rates were compared. The distribution of 433 pediatric patients in the 3 previous total burn area segments was counted and the accuracy rates of the rehydration rate calculated using the 2 pediatric emergency rehydration formulae were calculated and compared. Data were statistically analyzed with McNemar test. Results: Substitution of 6 319 pairs of simulated data showed that the accuracy rates of the rehydration rates calculated by the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula was 73.92% (4 671/6 319), which was significantly higher than 4.02% (254/6 319) of the TWGB formula (χ²=6 490.88,P<0.05). When the total burn area was 30%-55% and 56%-85% TBSA, the accuracy rates of the rehydration rates calculated by the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula were 100% (2 314/2 314) and 88.28% (2 357/2 670), respectively, which were significantly higher than 10.98% (254/2 314) and 0 (0/2 670) of the TWGB formula (with χ² values of 3 712.49 and 4 227.97, respectively, P<0.05); when the total burn area was 86%-100% TBSA, the accuracy rates of the rehydration rates calculated by the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula and the TWGB formula were 0 (0/1 335). When the rehydration rates calculated by the 2 pediatric emergency rehydration formulae were unreasonable, the rehydration rates calculated by the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula were all higher than those of the TWGB formula. There were 93.07% (403/433), 5.77% (25/433), and 1.15% (5/433) patients in the 433 pediatric patients had total burn area of 30%-55%, 56%-85%, and 86%-100% TBSA, respectively, and the accuracy rate of the rehydration rate calculated using the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula was 97.69% (423/433), which was significantly higher than 0 (0/433) of the TWGB formula (χ²=826.90, P<0.05). Conclusions: The application of the pediatric ten-fold rehydration formula to estimate the rehydration rate of pediatric patients after extensive burns is more accurate and convenient, superior to the TWGB formula, suitable for application by front-line healthcare workers that are not specialized in burns in pre-admission rescue of pediatric patients with extensive burns, and is worthy of promotion.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Burns/therapy* ; Hospitalization ; Resuscitation ; Fluid Therapy/methods* ; Body Surface Area ; Retrospective Studies

Adult ; Humans ; Heart Arrest/therapy* ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on patients with cardiac arrest with the vertical spatial pre-hospital emergency transport. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of 102 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who were transferred to the emergency medicine department of Huzhou Central Hospital from the Huzhou Emergency Center from July 2019 to June 2021 were collected. Among them, the patients who performed artificial chest compression during the pre-hospital transfer from July 2019 to June 2020 served as the control group, and the patients who performed artificial-mechanical chest compression (implemented artificial chest compression first, and implemented mechanical chest compression immediately after the mechanical chest compression device was ready) during pre-hospital transfer from July 2020 to June 2021 served as the observation group. The clinical data of patients of the two groups were collected, including basic data (gender, age, etc.), pre-hospital emergency process evaluation indicators [chest compression fraction (CCF), total CPR pause time, pre-hospital transfer time, vertical spatial transfer time], and in-hospital advanced resuscitation effect evaluation indicators [initial end-expiratory partial pressure of carbon dioxide (P_ETCO₂), rate of restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), time of ROSC]. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 84 patients were enrolled, including 46 patients in the control group and 38 in the observation group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, whether to accept bystander resuscitation or not, initial cardiac rhythm, time-consuming pre-hospital emergency response, floor location at the time of onset, estimated vertical height, and whether there was any vertical transfer elevator/escalator, etc. between the two groups. In the evaluation of the pre-hospital emergency process, the CCF during the pre-hospital emergency treatment of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [69.05% (67.35%, 71.73%) vs. 61.88% (58.18%, 65.04%), P < 0.01], the total pause time of CPR was significantly shorter than that in the control group [s: 266 (214, 307) vs. 332 (257, 374), P < 0.05]. However, there was no significant difference in the pre-hospital transfer time and vertical spatial transfer time between the observation group and the control group [pre-hospital transfer time (minutes): 14.50 (12.00, 16.75) vs. 14.00 (11.00, 16.00), vertical spatial transfer time (s): 32.15±17.43 vs. 27.96±18.67, both P > 0.05]. It indicated that mechanical CPR could improve the CPR quality in the process of pre-hospital first aid, and did not affect the transfer of patients by pre-hospital emergency medical personnel. In the evaluation of the in-hospital advanced resuscitation effect, the initial P_ETCO₂ of the patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the patients in the control group [mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 15.00 (13.25, 16.00) vs. 12.00 (11.00, 13.00), P < 0.01], the time of ROSC was significantly shorter than that in the control group (minutes: 11.00±3.25 vs. 16.64±2.54, P < 0.01), and the rate of ROSC was slightly higher than that in the control group (31.58% vs. 23.91%, P > 0.05). It indicated that continuous mechanical compression during pre-hospital transfer helped to ensure continuous high-quality CPR. CONCLUSIONS Mechanical chest compression can improve the quality of continuous CPR during the pre-hospital transfer of patients with OHCA, and improve the initial resuscitation outcome of patients.
Humans ; Cohort Studies ; Carbon Dioxide ; Retrospective Studies ; Hospitals ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 specific activator, Alda-1, can alleviate brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by inhibiting cell ferroptosis mediated by acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4/glutathione peroxidase 4 (ACSL4/GPx4) pathway in swine. METHODS: Twenty-two conventional healthy male white swine were divided into Sham group (n = 6), CPR model group (n = 8), and Alda-1 intervention group (CPR+Alda-1 group, n = 8) using a random number table. The swine model of CPR was reproduced by 8 minutes of cardiac arrest induced by ventricular fibrillation through electrical stimulation in the right ventricle followed by 8 minutes of CPR. The Sham group only experienced general preparation. A dose of 0.88 mg/kg of Alda-1 was intravenously injected at 5 minutes after resuscitation in the CPR+Alda-1 group. The same volume of saline was infused in the Sham and CPR model groups. Blood samples were collected from the femoral vein before modeling and 1, 2, 4, 24 hours after resuscitation, and the serum levels of neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100 β protein were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). At 24 hours after resuscitation, the status of neurologic function was evaluated by neurological deficit score (NDS). Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed, and brain cortex was harvested to measure iron deposition by Prussian blue staining, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) contents by colorimetry, and ACSL4 and GPx4 protein expressions by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the Sham group, the serum levels of NSE and S100β after resuscitation were gradually increased over time, and the NDS score was significantly increased, brain cortical iron deposition and MDA content were significantly increased, GSH content and GPx4 protein expression in brain cortical were significantly decreased, and ACSL4 protein expression was significantly increased at 24 hours after resuscitation in the CPR model and CPR+Alda-1 groups, which indicated that cell ferroptosis occurred in the brain cortex, and the ACSL4/GPx4 pathway participated in this process of cell ferroptosis. Compared with the CPR model group, the serum levels of NSE and S100 β starting 2 hours after resuscitation were significantly decreased in the CPR+Alda-1 group [NSE (μg/L): 24.1±2.4 vs. 28.2±2.1, S100 β (ng/L): 2 279±169 vs. 2 620±241, both P < 0.05]; at 24 hours after resuscitation, the NDS score and brain cortical iron deposition and MDA content were significantly decreased [NDS score: 120±44 vs. 207±68, iron deposition: (2.61±0.36)% vs. (6.31±1.66)%, MDA (μmol/g): 2.93±0.30 vs. 3.68±0.29, all P < 0.05], brain cortical GSH content and GPx4 expression in brain cortical was significantly increased [GSH (mg/g): 4.59±0.63 vs. 3.51±0.56, GPx4 protein (GPx4/GAPDH): 0.54±0.14 vs. 0.21±0.08, both P < 0.05], and ACSL4 protein expression was significantly decreased (ACSL4/GAPDH: 0.46±0.08 vs. 0.85±0.13, P < 0.05), which indicated that Alda-1 might alleviate brain cortical cell ferroptosis through regulating ACSL4/GPx4 pathway. CONCLUSIONS Alda-1 can reduce brain injury after CPR in swine, which may be related to the inhibition of ACSL4/GPx4 pathway mediated ferroptosis.
Male ; Animals ; Swine ; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase ; Ferroptosis ; Brain Injuries ; Glutathione ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Ligases ; Iron

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect and potential mechanism of tubastatin A (TubA), a specific inhibitor of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), on renal and intestinal injuries after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in swine. METHODS: Twenty-five healthy male white swine were divided into Sham group (n = 6), CPR model group (n = 10) and TubA intervention group (n = 9) using a random number table. The porcine model of CPR was reproduced by 9-minute cardiac arrest induced by electrical stimulation via right ventricle followed by 6-minute CPR. The animals in the Sham group only underwent the regular operation including endotracheal intubation, catheterization, and anesthetic monitoring. At 5 minutes after successful resuscitation, a dose of 4.5 mg/kg of TubA was infused via the femoral vein within 1 hour in the TubA intervention group. The same volume of normal saline was infused in the Sham and CPR model groups. Venous samples were collected before modeling and 1, 2, 4, 24 hours after resuscitation, and the levels of serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) and diamine oxidase (DAO) in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsordent assay (ELISA). At 24 hours after resuscitation, the upper pole of left kidney and terminal ileum were harvested to detect cell apoptosis by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL), and the expression levels of receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: After resuscitation, renal dysfunction and intestinal mucous injury were observed in the CPR model and TubA intervention groups when compared with the Sham group, which was indicated by significantly increased levels of SCr, BUN, I-FABP and DAO in serum. However, the serum levels of SCr and DAO starting 1 hour after resuscitation, the serum levels of BUN starting 2 hours after resuscitation, and the serum levels of I-FABP starting 4 hours after resuscitation were significantly decreased in the TubA intervention group when compared with the CPR model group [1-hour SCr (μmol/L): 87±6 vs. 122±7, 1-hour DAO (kU/L): 8.1±1.2 vs. 10.3±0.8, 2-hour BUN (mmol/L): 12.3±1.2 vs. 14.7±1.3, 4-hour I-FABP (ng/L): 661±39 vs. 751±38, all P < 0.05]. The detection of tissue samples indicated that cell apoptosis and necroptosis in the kidney and intestine at 24 hours after resuscitation were significantly greater in the CPR model and TubA intervention groups when compared with the Sham group, which were indicated by significantly increased apoptotic index and markedly elevated expression levels of RIP3 and MLKL. Nevertheless, compared with the CPR model group, renal and intestinal apoptotic indexes at 24 hours after resuscitation in the TubA intervention group were significantly decreased [renal apoptosis index: (21.4±4.6)% vs. (55.2±9.5)%, intestinal apoptosis index: (21.3±4.5)% vs. (50.9±7.0)%, both P < 0.05], and the expression levels of RIP3 and MLKL were significantly reduced [renal tissue: RIP3 protein (RIP3/GAPDH) was 1.11±0.07 vs. 1.39±0.17, MLKL protein (MLKL/GAPDH) was 1.20±0.14 vs. 1.51±0.26; intestinal tissue: RIP3 protein (RIP3/GAPDH) was 1.24±0.18 vs. 1.69±0.28, MLKL protein (MLKL/GAPDH) was 1.38±0.15 vs. 1.80±0.26, all P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS TubA has the protective effect on alleviating post-resuscitation renal dysfunction and intestinal mucous injury, and its mechanism may be related to inhibition of cell apoptosis and necroptosis.
Male ; Animals ; Swine ; Abdominal Injuries ; Apoptosis ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Kidney Diseases