Telecommunicator Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association

The Value of Songs for Teaching and Learning Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Competencies: A Systematic Review

We sought to summarize, in a systematic review, the effectiveness of songs to support learning, performance, and recall of quality characteristics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compression rate, and depth. We systematically reviewed the literature from eight academic indexes from the fields of medicine, nursing, allied health, and education, from 2014 to 2020 to identify studies that evaluated an intervention of song use during CPR training against control and reported outcomes of compression rate and depth. There were 185 studies initially identified for review, eight met criteria for inclusion and analysis. For the critical outcome of compression depth, a pooled song group (n=446) when compared to a non-song group (n=443) demonstrated higher odds of being in the recommended range (OR 3.47). All studies, however, performed an average compression depth shallower than recommended guidelines in each arm. The available literature, we found, utilized heterogenous methodology and was at high risk of bias. When pooled, there were trends towards improved CPR metric performance in groups who were exposed to songs during treatment, though this only reached significance when groups were tested at >30 days from initial exposure. Findings of lower compression rates in the song groups suggest that song selection should favor beats per minute closer to the midpoint of the 100-120 ideal range to allow for variation when used as mental metronomes.

Effects of telephone-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the sex disparity in provision of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation in public locations

PURPOSE

Telephone-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TA-CPR) is an effective community intervention to increase bystander CPR rates. This study evaluated the effect of TA-CPR on the provision of bystander CPR as a function of the patient's sex.

METHODS

Adult (aged ≥ 18 years) patients who collapsed in a public location between January 2013 and December 2017 and received emergency medical service (EMS) treatment for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of presumed cardiac aetiology were included in the study. The main exposures were TA-CPR and the patients' sex. The primary outcome was the implementation of bystander CPR by laypersons. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted, stratified based on the provision of TA-CPR, to examine the effect on bystander CPR according to patient sex.

RESULTS

In the final analysis, 15,840 patients with OHCAs were included. Patients who received TA-CPR accounted for 32.6% (5167/15,840) of the sample. Overall, 84.4% (814/964) of the women and 86.9% (3653/4203) of the men received bystander CPR in the TA-CPR group (P < 0.001). In the non-TA-CPR group, 40.5% (912/2252) of women and 47.3% (3653/8421) of men received bystander CPR (P < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, there was no significant difference in the odds ratio (OR) of bystander CPR according to patient sex in the TA-CPR group (adjusted OR [AOR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-1.01). Women were less likely to receive bystander CPR if the bystanders are not directed by TA-CPR (AOR: 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.87).

CONCLUSIONS

TA-CPR attenuated the sex disparity in bystander CPR provided in public places.

Opioid-Associated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Distinctive Clinical Features and Implications for Health Care and Public Responses: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Opioid overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans 25 to 64 years of age, and opioid use disorder affects >2 million Americans. The epidemiology of opioid-associated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States is changing rapidly, with exponential increases in death resulting from synthetic opioids and linear increases in heroin deaths more than offsetting modest reductions in deaths from prescription opioids. The pathophysiology of polysubstance toxidromes involving opioids, asphyxial death, and prolonged hypoxemia leading to global ischemia (cardiac arrest) differs from that of sudden cardiac arrest. People who use opioids may also develop bacteremia, central nervous system vasculitis and leukoencephalopathy, torsades de pointes, pulmonary vasculopathy, and pulmonary edema. Emergency management of opioid poisoning requires recognition by the lay public or emergency dispatchers, prompt emergency response, and effective ventilation coupled to compressions in the setting of opioid-associated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Effective ventilation is challenging to teach, whereas naloxone, an opioid antagonist, can be administered by emergency medical personnel, trained laypeople, and the general public with dispatcher instruction to prevent cardiac arrest. Opioid education and naloxone distributions programs have been developed to teach people who are likely to encounter a person with opioid poisoning how to administer naloxone, deliver high-quality compressions, and perform rescue breathing. Current American Heart Association recommendations call for laypeople and others who cannot reliably establish the presence of a pulse to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in any individual who is unconscious and not breathing normally; if opioid overdose is suspected, naloxone should also be administered. Secondary prevention, including counseling, opioid overdose education with take-home naloxone, and medication for opioid use disorder, is important to prevent recurrent opioid overdose.

Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality: Potential for Improvements in Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation

Background

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a critical intervention to improve survival following out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest. We evaluated the quality of bystander CPR and whether performance varied according to the number of bystanders or provision of telecommunicator CPR (TCPR).

Methods and Results

We investigated non‐traumatic out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest occurring in a large metropolitan emergency medical system during a 6‐month period. Information about bystander care was ascertained through review of the 9‐1‐1 recordings in addition to emergency medical system and hospital records to determine bystander CPR status (none versus TCPR versus unassisted), the number of bystanders on‐scene, and CPR performance metrics of compression fraction and compression rate. Of the 428 eligible out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest, 76.4% received bystander CPR including 43.7% unassisted CPR and 56.3% TCPR; 35.2% had one bystander, 33.3% had 2 bystanders, and 31.5% had ≥3 bystanders. Overall compression fraction was 59% with a compression rate of 88 per minute. CPR differed according to TCPR status (fraction=52%, rate=87 per minute for TCPR versus fraction=69%, rate=102 for unassisted CPR, P<0.05 for each comparison) and the number of bystanders (fraction=55%, rate=87 per minute for 1 bystander, fraction=59%, rate=89 for 2 bystanders, fraction=65%, rate=97 for ≥3 bystanders, test for trend P<0.05 for each metric). Additional bystander actions were uncommon to include rotation of compressors (3.1%) or application of an automated external defibrillator (8.0%).

Conclusions

Bystander CPR quality as gauged by compression fraction and rate approached guideline goals though performance depended upon the type of CPR and number of bystanders.

Impact of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and myResponder mobile app on bystander resuscitation

INTRODUCTION

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (B-CPR) is associated with improved out-of hospital 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.

Part 7: Systems of Care: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care

Survival after cardiac arrest requires an integrated system of people, training, equipment, and organizations working together to achieve a common goal. Part 7 of the 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care focuses on systems of care, with an emphasis on elements that are relevant to a broad range of resuscitation situations. Previous systems of care guidelines have identified a Chain of Survival, beginning with prevention and early identification of cardiac arrest and proceeding through resuscitation to post-cardiac arrest care. This concept is reinforced by the addition of recovery as an important stage in cardiac arrest survival. Debriefing and other quality improvement strategies were previously mentioned and are now emphasized. Specific to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, this Part contains recommendations about community initiatives to promote cardiac arrest recognition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, public access defibrillation, mobile phone technologies to summon first responders, and an enhanced role for emergency telecommunicators. Germane to in-hospital cardiac arrest are recommendations about the recognition and stabilization of hospital patients at risk for developing cardiac arrest. This Part also includes recommendations about clinical debriefing, transport to specialized cardiac arrest centers, organ donation, and performance measurement across the continuum of resuscitation situations.

Delivery of Automated External Defibrillators via Drones in Simulated Cardiac Arrest: Users' Experiences and the Human-Drone Interaction

BACKGROUND

Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the United States is approximately 10%. Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are effective when applied early, yet public access AEDs are used in <2% of OHCAs. AEDs are often challenging for bystanders to locate and are rarely available in homes, where 70% of OHCAs occur. Drones have the potential to deliver AEDs to bystanders efficiently; however, little is known about the human-drone interface in AED delivery.

OBJECTIVES

To describe user experiences with AED-equipped drones in a feasibility study of simulated OHCA in a community setting.

METHODS

We simulated an OHCA in a series of trials with age-group/sex-matched participant pairs, with one participant randomized to search for a public access AED and the other to call a mock 9-1-1 telephone number that initiated the dispatch of an AED-equipped drone. We investigated user experience of 17 of the 35 drone recipient participants via semi-structured qualitative interviews and analyzed audio-recordings for key aspects of user experience.

RESULTS

Drone recipient participants reported largely positive experiences, highlighting that this delivery method enabled them to stay with the victim and continue cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Concerns were few but included drone arrival timing and direction as well as bystander safety. Participants provided suggestions for improvements in the AED-equipped drone design and delivery procedures.

CONCLUSION

Participants reported positive experiences interacting with an AED-equipped drone for a simulated OHCA in a community setting. Early findings suggest a role for drone-delivered AEDs to improve bystander AED use and improve outcomes for OHCA victims.

Telephone CPR: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

With each successive update of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines, the role of dispatchers in sudden cardiac arrest (CA) has grown. Dispatchers instruct callers in how to perform CPR until the arrival of emergency medical service (EMS) professionals. This is widely known as telephone CPR (TCPR) or dispatch-assisted CPR (DACPR). Studies have shown the efficacy of TCPR in increasing the survival rate of sudden CA. The TCPR process, however, is challenging and needs to be constantly evaluated and refined in order to improve the survival rate of sudden CA victims throughout the world. In this review article, the current status, challenges, and future perspectives of TCPR are discussed with a view to providing a research foundation from which to launch further studies into the effective role of dispatchers in sudden CA.

Impact of two-level filtering on emergency medical communication center triage during the COVID-19 pandemic: an uncontrolled before-after study

Background

Rapid access to emergency medical communication centers (EMCCs) is pivotal to address potentially life-threatening conditions. Maintaining public access to EMCCs without delay is crucial in case of disease outbreak despite the significant increased activity and the difficulties to mobilize extra staff resources. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of two-level filtering on EMCC performance during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods

A before-after monocentric prospective study was conducted at the EMCC at the Nantes University Hospital. Using telephone activity data, we compared EMCC performance during 2 periods. In period one (February 27th to March 11th 2020), call takers managed calls as usual, gathering basic information from the caller and giving first aid instructions to a bystander on scene if needed. During period two (March 12th to March 25th 2020), calls were answered by a first-line call taker to identify potentially serious conditions that required immediate dispatch. When a serious condition was excluded, the call was immediately transferred to a second-line call taker who managed the call as usual so the first-line call taker could be rapidly available for other incoming calls. The primary outcome was the quality of service at 20 s (QS20), corresponding to the rate of calls answered within 20 s. We described activity and outcome measures by hourly range. We compared EMCC performance during periods one and two using an interrupted time series analysis.

Results

We analyzed 45,451 incoming calls during the two study periods: 21,435 during period 1 and 24,016 during period 2. Between the two study periods, we observed a significant increase in the number of incoming calls per hour, the number of connected call takers and average call duration. A linear regression model, adjusted for these confounding variables, showed a significant increase in the QS20 slope (from − 0.4 to 1.4%, p = 0.01), highlighting the significant impact of two-level filtering on the quality of service.

Conclusions

We found that rapid access to our EMCC was maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic via two-level filtering. This system helped reduce the time gap between call placement and first-line call-taker evaluation of a potentially life-threatening situation. We suggest implementing this system when an EMCC faces significantly increased activity with limited staff resources.