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Background: Whether endovascular therapy (EVT) added on best medical management (BMM), as compared to BMM alone, is beneficial in acute ischemic stroke with isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion is unknown. Methods: We conducted a multicenter international observational study of consecutive stroke patients admitted within 6 hours from symptoms onset in 26 stroke centers with isolated occlusion of the first (P1) or second (P2) segment of the posterior cerebral artery and treated either with BMM+EVT or BMM alone. Propensity score with inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to account for baseline between-groups differences. The primary outcome was 3-month good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 0–2 or return to baseline modified Rankin Scale). Secondary outcomes were 3-month excellent recovery (modified Rankin Scale score 0–1), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and early neurological deterioration. Results: Overall, 752 patients were included (167 and 585 patients in the BMM+EVT and BMM alone groups, respectively). Median age was 74 (interquartile range, 63–82) years, 329 (44%) patients were female, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 6 (interquartile range 4–10), and occlusion site was P1 in 188 (25%) and P2 in 564 (75%) patients. Baseline clinical and radiological data were similar between the 2 groups following propensity score weighting. EVT was associated with a trend towards lower odds of good functional outcome (odds ratio, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.66–1.01]; P =0.06) and was not associated with excellent functional outcome (odds ratio, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.95–1.43]; P =0.15). EVT was associated with a higher risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (odds ratio, 2.51 [95% CI, 1.35–4.67]; P =0.004) and early neurological deterioration (odds ratio, 2.51 [95% CI, 1.64–3.84]; P Conclusions: In this observational study of patients with proximal posterior cerebral artery occlusion, EVT was not associated with good or excellent functional outcome as compared to BMM alone. However, EVT was associated with higher rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and early neurological deterioration. EVT should not be routinely recommended in this population, but randomization into a clinical trial is highly warranted.

his is the sixth annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. This summary addresses the most recently published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. Topics covered by systematic reviews include cardiopulmonary resuscitation during transport; approach to resuscitation after drowning; passive ventilation; minimizing pauses during cardiopulmonary resuscitation; temperature management after cardiac arrest; use of diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound during cardiac arrest; use of vasopressin and corticosteroids during cardiac arrest; coronary angiography after cardiac arrest; public-access defibrillation devices for children; pediatric early warning systems; maintaining normal temperature immediately after birth; suctioning of amniotic fluid at birth; tactile stimulation for resuscitation immediately after birth; use of continuous positive airway pressure for respiratory distress at term birth; respiratory and heart rate monitoring in the delivery room; supraglottic airway use in neonates; prearrest prediction of in-hospital cardiac arrest mortality; basic life support training for likely rescuers of high-risk populations; effect of resuscitation team training; blended learning for life support training; training and recertification for resuscitation instructors; and recovery position for maintenance of breathing and prevention of cardiac arrest. Members from 6 task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the quality of the evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria and generated consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence-to-Decision Framework Highlights sections, and priority knowledge gaps for future research are listed. This is the sixth annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. This summary addresses the most recently published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. Topics covered by systematic reviews include cardiopulmonary resuscitation during transport; approach to resuscitation after drowning; passive ventilation; minimizing pauses during cardiopulmonary resuscitation; temperature management after cardiac arrest; use of diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound during cardiac arrest; use of vasopressin and corticosteroids during cardiac arrest; coronary angiography after cardiac arrest; public-access defibrillation devices for children; pediatric early warning systems; maintaining normal temperature immediately after birth; suctioning of amniotic fluid at birth; tactile stimulation for resuscitation immediately after birth; use of continuous positive airway pressure for respiratory distress at term birth; respiratory and heart rate monitoring in the delivery room; supraglottic airway use in neonates; prearrest prediction of in-hospital cardiac arrest mortality; basic life support training for likely rescuers of high-risk populations; effect of resuscitation team training; blended learning for life support training; training and recertification for resuscitation instructors; and recovery position for maintenance of breathing and prevention of cardiac arrest. Members from 6 task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the quality of the evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria and generated consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence-to-Decision Framework Highlights sections, and priority knowledge gaps for future research are listed.

A 36-year-old healthy G2P2 woman presented on postpartum day 10 with severe headache, progressing over several hours. She had no history of migraines and used neither medications nor drugs. The headache was not postural. She reported no associated neurologic symptoms or trauma. She described chest pain radiating to the thoracic spine, without visual changes, abdominal pain, or lower limb edema. Blood pressure (BP) was 166/94 mm Hg. She was afebrile. Mental status was normal. Examination revealed mild neck stiffness, without papilledema or focal neurologic deficits. Deep tendon reflexes were symmetrically brisk. Investigations showed no anemia, thrombocytopenia, liver dysfunction, or proteinuria. ECG and thoracic CT angiogram (CTA) were normal.

Introduction: Some emergency medical services (EMS) have shown increases in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) following the implementation of a high-performance cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) protocol. Despite this, little is known about the effect of high-performance CPR on OHCA witnessed by EMS personnel. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult, EMS-witnessed OHCA patients of medical etiology from a population-based registry in Victoria, Australia. Patients treated after the introduction of a high-performance CPR protocol and training program between February 2019 and January 2020 were compared to historical controls between January 2015 and January 2019. The effect of the intervention on survival to hospital discharge was examined using logistic regression models adjusted for temporal and arrest factors. Results: A total of 1,561 and 420 EMS-witnessed OHCA patients were treated in the control and intervention periods, respectively. Baseline characteristics were similar across control and intervention periods, including the median age of cases (69 vs. 69 years, p=0.97), male sex (65.2% vs. 60.5%, p=0.08) and initial shockable arrests (33.7% vs. 29.3%, p=0.09). Resuscitation interventions were similar across groups, except for the use of mechanical CPR which declined during the intervention period (17.0% vs. 10.7%, p Conclusions: The implementation of a high-performance CPR quality improvement intervention was associated with significant improvement in survival from EMS witnessed OHCA. Efforts to monitor and improve CPR performance could yield further improvements in patient outcomes.

Introduction: Many studies have reported increases in the risk of acute cardiovascular events following daylight savings time (DST) transitions. We sought to investigate the effect of DST transitions on the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Victoria, Australia. Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2020, we performed an interrupted time series analysis of the daily number of OHCA cases of medical etiology from the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry. The effect of DST transition on OHCA incidence was estimated using negative binomial models and reported as either ‘immediate’ or ‘cumulative’ effects. Immediate effects were the average effects observed on the day of DST transition or each of the 6 days after DST transition. Cumulative effects were the sum of the average effects up to 6 days after the day of DST transition. Models were adjusted for population growth, temporal trends, and public holidays. Results: A total of 89,409 adult OHCA of medical etiology were included. Following the spring DST transition (i.e. shorter day), there was an immediate 13% (IRR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.25; p=0.02) increased risk of OHCA on the day of transition (Sunday) and the cumulative risk of OHCA remained higher over the first 2 days (IRR 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.34; p=0.03) compared to non-transitional days. Following the autumn (fall) DST transition (i.e. longer day), there was a significant lagged effect on the Tuesday following transition, with a 12% (IRR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.77, 0.99; p=0.04) reduced risk of OHCA. The autumn (fall) DST transition also showed a cumulative effect on OHCA incidence, with a 30% (IRR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.96; p=0.03) reduction in the incidence of OHCA by the end of the transitional week. Subgroups aged > 65 years and cases with initial non-shockable rhythms were most vulnerable to DST transitions. Conclusions: This study showed that there is a modest increased risk of OHCA in the 2 days following the spring DST transition and a decreased risk of OHCA in the week following the autumn DST transition. These findings should promote further research exploring strategies to reduce the risk of OHCA in vulnerable populations.

Introduction: Although high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been associated with improvements in survival from cardiac arrest, little is known about the arrest factors that influence CPR performance. This study examined the association between CPR performance and patient and arrest factors in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: A retrospective observational study using data from a statewide cardiac arrest registry in Victoria, Australia. The study included 2,408 adult, medical OHCA patients who arrested between 11 February 2019 and 10 February 2021. Fractional and logistic regression models were used to analyse factors associated with CPR performance outcomes, including the proportion of compressions at target depth and target rate and a compression fraction ≥90%. Results: The median proportion of compressions at target depth and target rate were 80% (interquartile range [IQR] 58, 92.5) and 62% (IQR 40, 79), respectively, and 70% achieved a compression fraction ≥90%. After multivariable adjustment, achieving a compression depth in the target range was associated with female sex (OR 1.14 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.28]), patient weight (per 10 kg increase, OR 1.08 [95% CI: 1.05, 1.12]), aged care facility location (OR 0.74 [95% CI: 0.58, 0.94]), fire-fighter presence (OR 1.29 [95% CI: 1.14, 1.46]), resuscitation duration (per 5 min increase, OR 1.08 [95% CI: 1.06, 1.10]) and number of rescuers (per 1 person increase, OR 1.06 [95% CI: 1.03, 1.09]). Achieving compressions within target rate were associated with public location (OR 0.81 [95% CI: 0.72, 0.91]) and fire-fighter presence (OR 1.12 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.24]). Achieving a compression fraction ≥90% was associated with female sex (OR 0.75 [95% CI: 0.62, 0.91]), arrests witnessed by emergency services (OR 0.44 [95% CI: 0.32, 0.61]), initial shockable rhythms (OR 0.66 [95% CI: 0.53, 0.81]), fire-fighter presence (OR 1.24 [95% CI: 1.01, 1.54]) and resuscitation duration (per 5 min increase, OR 1.05 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.08]). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that several prehospital factors that are associated with CPR performance which may help inform operational strategies to improve OHCA outcomes.

Introduction: Many regions around the world have reported declining survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been attributed to COVID-19 infection and overwhelmed healthcare services in some regions and imposed social restrictions in others. However, the effect of the pandemic period on CPR quality, which has the potential to impact outcomes, has not yet been described. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed using data collected in an established OHCA registry in Victoria, Australia. During a pre-pandemic period (11 February 2019-31 January 2020) and the COVID-19 pandemic period (1 February 2020-31 January 2021), 1,111 and 1,349 cases with attempted resuscitation had complete CPR quality data, respectively. The proportion of cases where CPR targets (chest compression fraction [CCF]≥90%, compression depth 5-10cm, compression rate 100-120 per minute, pre-shock pauses Results: The proportion of arrests where CCF≥90% significantly decreased during the pandemic (57% vs 74% in the pre-pandemic period, p Conclusion: CPR quality was impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic period which may have contributed to a decrease in OHCA survival previously identified. These findings reinforce the importance of maintaining effective resuscitation practices despite changes to clinical context.

Introduction: Although many developed countries are reporting temporal improvements in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes from initial shockable rhythms, trends in the incidence and outcome of refractory ventricular fibrillation are not well understood. Methods: Between 2010 and 2019, we performed a retrospective observational study of OHCA from a population-based registry in Victoria, Australia. We included all adult, non-traumatic OHCA with an initial shockable rhythm. Temporal trends in incidence and survival to hospital discharge were compared across non-refractory and refractory OHCA, defined as cases receiving 3 or more consecutive shocks for a persistent shockable rhythm. Risk-adjusted logistic regression models were used to describe the year-on-year change in the likelihood of refractory OHCA and survival to hospital discharge. Results: Of the 7,267 initial shockable OHCA with an attempted resuscitation, 4168 (57.4%) and 3,099 (42.6%) were non-refractory and refractory OHCA, respectively. The proportion of cases with refractory OHCA declined over the study period from 48.4% in 2010 to 40.2% in 2019 (p trend Conclusions: The incidence of refractory OHCA is declining in our region and survival outcomes are improving. Further research identifying factors contributing to the decline in refractory OHCA may help to improve outcomes further.

Introduction: Early identification of stroke in the emergency call is key to timely reperfusion therapy. The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is widely used and recent versions include a Stroke Diagnostic Tool (SDxT) using the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech) assessments. We conducted a retrospective observational study to examine whether introduction of the SDxT improved the identification of stroke/TIA in the emergency call in Victoria, Australia. Methods: We included all stroke dispatches (MPDS Code 28) for adults (aged ≥20 years) between 2008 and 2015. We linked this data to diagnoses from Ambulance Victoria, and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services’ databases: the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset and the Victorian Admitted Episode Database. We examined the use of SDxT codes, and compared the proportion of stroke/TIA diagnoses before and after the introduction of the SDxT in September 2013. Results: Over the study period there were 108,917 Code 28 cases (average 13,600/year), 80% (n=86,906) were transported to an ED and 55% (n=60,334) were admitted to hospital. There were 3,141 diagnoses among the Code 28 cases, with 30% diagnosed with stroke/TIA. No changes was seen in the proportion of stroke/TIAs after the introduction of the SDxT (28.5% vs. 28.2%, p=0.23). The SDxT was used and complete in 63% (n=20,070) of calls. Patients with evidence of stroke on the SDxT were more likely to have stroke/TIA (partial evidence=29%, strong evidence=38% and clear evidence=40%) compared to those with no evidence (20%) and those with no/incomplete SDT (25%). Conclusions: Our results suggest a large proportion of stroke dispatches are not stroke/TIA, but evidence of stroke on the SDxT does identify marginally higher proportions. Further research is required to understand use of the tool, and public education on stroke assessments may be needed to realise its full potential.

Background: Between 2009 and 2013, the National Heart Foundation of Australia ran mass media campaigns to improve Australian’s awareness of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) symptoms and the need to call emergency medical services (EMS). This study examined the impact of this campaign on emergency department (ED) presentations and EMS use in Victoria, Australia. Methods: The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services provided data for adult Victorian patients presenting to public hospitals with an ED diagnosis of ACS or unspecified chest pain (U-CP). We modelled changes in the incidence of ED presentations, and the association between the campaign period and 1) EMS arrival and 2) referred to ED by a general practitioner (GP). Models were adjusted for increasing population size, ACS subtype and demographics. Results: Between 2003 and 2015, there were 124,632 eligible ED presentations with ACS and 536,148 with U-CP. In ACS patients, the campaign period was associated with an increase in ED presentations (Incidence Rate Ratio: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.07-1.15), a decrease in presentations via a GP (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70-0.86), and an increase in EMS use (AOR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.05-1.17). Similar, but smaller associations were seen in U-CP. Conclusions: The Warning Signs Campaign was associated with improvements in treatment seeking in ACS patients -including increased EMS use. The increase in ACS ED presentations corresponds with a decrease in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over this time. Future education need to focus on improving EMS use in ACS patient groups where use remains low.

Aim: In this study, we examine the impact of a trauma-based resuscitation protocol on survival outcomes following emergency medical services (EMS) witnessed traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: We included EMS-witnessed OHCAs arising from trauma and occurring between 2008 and 2019. In December 2016, a new resuscitation protocol for traumatic OHCA was introduced prioritizing the treatment of potentially reversible causes before conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The effect of the new protocol on survival outcomes was assessed using adjusted multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Paramedics attempted resuscitation on 490 patients, with 341 (69.6%) and 149 (30.4%) occurring during the control and intervention periods, respectively. A reduction in the proportion of cases receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation and epinephrine administration were found in the intervention period compared to the control period, whereas trauma-based interventions increased significantly, including blood administration (pre-arrest: 17.9% vs 3.7%; intra-arrest: 24.1% vs 2.7%), splinting (pre-arrest: 38.6% vs 17.1%; intra-arrest: 20.7% vs 5.2%), and finger thoracostomy (pre-arrest: 13.1% vs 0.6%; intra-arrest: 22.8% vs 0.9%), respectively, with p-values Conclusion: In our region, the introduction of a trauma-based resuscitation protocol led to an increase in the delivery of almost all trauma interventions; however, this did not translate into better survival outcomes following EMS-witnessed traumatic OHCA.

Introduction: To assess the long-term functional recovery and health related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors stratified by shock provider. Methods: We included adult OHCA in initial shockable rhythms between 2010-2019. Those surviving to 12 months post arrest were invited to participate in telephone interviews to identify functional recovery and HRQoL outcomes, using the following assessment tools, Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), and 12-Item Short Form (SF-12). Results: Of the 1,581 patients surviving to 12 months, 1,325 (85.5%) responded to the interviews, of these, 227 (17.1%) and 144 (10.9%) were initially shocked by bystanders and first responders, respectively. A higher proportion of patients shocked by bystanders were located in public (p Conclusion: Patients receiving bystander defibrillation reported better functional recovery and HRQol outcomes at 12 months compared to those defibrillated by first responders and paramedics.

REVIEW QUESTION The primary review question is: what is the global incidence rate of emergency medical services (EMS)-attended and EMS-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) precipitated by drug overdose in adults?The secondary review questions are: what proportion of adults with EMS-treated overdose OHCA: i) survived to hospital discharge or 30 days, ii) survived with intact neurological function at hospital discharge (i.e. Cerebral Performance Category or modified Rankin Scale ≤ 2), iii) achieved prehospital return of spontaneous circulation, iv) survived to hospital, and v) survived to 12 months?