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Aims Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has increased in several countries following nationwide initiatives to facilitate bystander resuscitative efforts in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We examined the importance of public or residential location of arrest on temporal changes in bystander CPR and outcomes. Methods and results From the nationwide Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, all OHCAs from 2001 to 2014 of presumed cardiac cause and between 18 and 100 years of age were identified. Arrests witnessed by emergency medical services personnel were excluded. Of 25 505 OHCAs, 26.4% (n = 6738) and 73.6% (n = 18 767) were in public and residential locations, respectively. Bystander CPR increased during 2001–2014 in both locations: from 36.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 30.6–42.6%] to 83.1% (95% CI 80.0–85.8%) in public (P < 0.001) and from 16.0% (95% CI 13.2–19.3%) to 61.0% (95% CI 58.7–63.2%) in residential locations (P < 0.001). Concurrently, 30-day survival increased in public from 6.4% (95% CI 4.0–10.0%) to 25.2% (95% CI 22.1–28.7%) (P < 0.001), and in residential from 2.9% (95% CI 1.8–4.5%) to 10.0% (95% CI 8.7–11.4%) (P < 0.001). Among 2281 30-day survivors, 1-year risk of anoxic brain damage/nursing home admission during 2001–2014 decreased from 18.8% (95% CI 6.6–43.0%) to 6.8% (95% CI 3.9–11.8%) in public (P < 0.001), whereas the corresponding change was insignificant in residential locations from 11.8% (95% CI 3.3–34.3) to 17.6% (95% CI 12.7–23.9%) (P = 0.52). Conclusion During 2001–2014, bystander CPR and 30-day survival more than doubled in both public and residential OHCA locations. A significant decrease in anoxic brain damage/nursing home admission was observed among 30-day survivors in public, but not among survivors from residential OHCAs.

The data presented in this article is supplemental data related to the research article entitled “Automated external defibrillator accessibility is crucial for bystander defibrillation and survival: a registry-based study” (Karlsson et al., 2019). We present detailed data concerning: 1) the type of location for deployed and registered automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the nationwide Danish AED Network; 2) the number of registered AEDs in the nationwide Danish AED Network, and changes in AED registration (according to year and type of AED location); 3) the number of AEDs being withdrawn from the AED network between the years 2007–2016. We also report data on baseline cardiac arrest-related characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) that occurred in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 2008 and 2016. Cardiac arrest-related characteristics are further described according to AED accessibility (accessible vs. inaccessible AED at the time of OHCA) for OHCAs covered by an AED (AED ≤200 m route distance of an OHCA). Finally, we report data on distance to the nearest accessible AED for bystander defibrillated OHCAs covered by an AED ≤200 m route distance where the AED was inaccessible at the time of OHCA.

Aims: To investigate whether the recent improvements in pre-hospital cardiac arrest-management and survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) also apply to OHCA patients with psychiatric disorders. Methods: We identified all adult Danish patients with OHCA of presumed cardiac cause, 2001–2015. Psychiatric disorders were defined by hospital diagnoses up to 10 years before OHCA and analyzed as one group as well as divided into five subgroups (schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, substance-induced mental disorders, other psychiatric disorders). Association between psychiatric disorders and pre-hospital OHCA-characteristics and 30-day survival were assessed by multiple logistic regression. Results: Of 27,523 OHCA-patients, 4772 (17.3%) had a psychiatric diagnosis. Patients with psychiatric disorders had lower odds of 30-day survival (0.37 95% confidence interval 0.32–0.43) compared with other OHCA-patients. Likewise, they had lower odds of witnessed status (0.75 CI 0.70–0.80), bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (0.77 CI 0.72–0.83), shockable heart rhythm (0.37 95% CI, 0.33–0.40), and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at hospital arrival (0.66 CI 0.59–0.72). Similar results were seen in all five psychiatric subgroups. The difference in 30-day survival between patients with and without psychiatric disorders increased in recent years: from 8.4% (CI 7.0–10.0%) in 2006 to 13.9% (CI 12.4–15.4%) in 2015 and from 7.0% (4.3–10.8%) in 2006 to 7.0% (CI 4.5–9.7%) in 2015, respectively. Conclusion: Patients with psychiatric disorders have lower survival following OHCA compared to non-psychiatric patients and the gap between the two groups has widened over time.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of non-cardiac origin is lacking. We aimed to investigate the association between bystander CPR and survival in OHCA of presumed non-cardiac origin.METHODS: From the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry and through linkage with national Danish healthcare registries we identified all patients with OHCA of presumed non-cardiac origin in Denmark (2001-2014). These were categorized further into OHCA of medical and non-medical cause. We analyzed temporal trends in bystander CPR and 30-day survival during the study period. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between bystander CPR and 30-day survival and reported as standardized 30-day survival chances with versus without bystander CPR standardized to the prehospital OHCA-factors and patient characteristics of all patients in the study population.RESULTS: We identified 10,761 OHCAs of presumed non-cardiac origin. Bystander CPR was associated with a significantly higher 30-day survival chance of 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9-3.9) versus 1.8% (95% CI: 1.4-2.2) without bystander CPR. A similar association was found in subgroups of both medical and non-medical OHCA. During the study period, the overall bystander CPR rates increased from 13.6% (95% CI: 11.2-16.5) to 62.7% (95% CI: 60.2-65.2). 30-day survival increased overall from 1.3% (95% CI: 0.7-2.6) to 4.0% (95% CI: 3.1-5.2).CONCLUSION: Bystander CPR was associated with a higher chance of 30-day survival among OHCA of presumed non-cardiac origin regardless of the underlying cause (medical/non-medical). Rates of bystander CPR and 30-day survival improved during the study period.

AIMS: Optimization of automated external defibrillator (AED) placement and accessibility are warranted. We examined the associations between AED accessibility, at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), bystander defibrillation, and 30-day survival, as well as AED coverage according to AED locations.METHODS: In this registry-based study we identified all OHCAs registered by mobile emergency care units in Copenhagen, Denmark (2008-2016). Information regarding registered AEDs (2007-2016) was retrieved from the nationwide Danish AED Network. We calculated AED coverage (AEDs located ≤200 m route distance from an OHCA) and, according to AED accessibility, the likelihoods of bystander defibrillation and 30-day survival.RESULTS: Of 2500 OHCAs, 22.6% (n = 566) were covered by a registered AED. At the time of OHCA, <50% of these AEDs were accessible (n = 276). OHCAs covered by an accessible AED were nearly three times more likely to receive bystander defibrillation (accessible: 13.8% vs. inaccessible: 4.8%, p < 0.001) and twice as likely to achieve 30-day survival (accessible: 28.8% vs. inaccessible: 16.4%, p < 0.001). Among bystander-witnessed OHCAs with shockable heart rhythms (accessible vs. inaccessible AEDs), bystander defibrillation rates were 39.8% vs. 20.3% (p = 0.01) and 30-day survival rates were 72.7% vs. 44.1% (p < 0.001). Most OHCAs were covered by AEDs at offices (18.6%), schools (13.3%), and sports facilities (12.9%), each with a coverage loss >50%, due to limited AED accessibility.CONCLUSIONS: The chance of a bystander defibrillation was tripled, and 30-day survival nearly doubled, when the nearest AED was accessible, compared to inaccessible, at the time of OHCA, underscoring the importance of unhindered AED accessibility.

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is more often reported in men than in women.OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess sex-related differences in post-resuscitation care; especially with regards to coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, mortality and functional status after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.METHODS: We included 704 consecutive adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest-patients with cardiac aetiology in the Copenhagen area from 2007-2011. Utstein guidelines were used for the pre-hospital data. Vital status and pre-arrest comorbidities were acquired from Danish registries and review of patient charts. Logistic regression was used to assess differences in functional status and use of post-resuscitation care. Cox regression was used to assess differences in 30-day mortality. We used 'smcfcs' and 'mice' imputation to handle missing data.RESULTS: Female sex was associated with higher 30-day mortality after adjusting for age and comorbidity (hazard ratio (HR): 1.42, confidence interval (CI): 1.13-1.79, p<0.01), this was not significant when adjusting for primary rhythm (HR: 1.12, CI: 0.88-1.42, p=0.37). Women less frequently received coronary angiography <24 h in multiple regression after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (odds ratio (OR)CAG=0.55, CI: 0.31-0.97, p=0.041), however no difference in percutaneous coronary intervention was found (ORPCI=0.55, CI: 0.23-1.36, p=0.19). Coronary artery bypass grafting was less often performed in women (ORCABG: 0.10, CI: 0.01-0.78, p=0.03). There was no difference in functional status at discharge between men and women ( p=1).CONCLUSION: Female sex was not significantly associated with higher mortality when adjusting for confounders. Women less often underwent coronary angiography and coronary artery bypass grafting, but it is not clear whether this difference can be explained by other factors, or an actual under-treatment in women.

BACKGROUND: Telephone triage is used to assess acute illness or injury. Clinical decision making is often assisted by triage tools that lack callers' perspectives. This study analysed callers' perception of urgency, defined as degree of worry in acute care telephone calls.AIM: To explore the caller's ability to quantify their degree of worry, the association between degree of worry and variables related to the caller, the effect of degree of worry on triage outcome, and the thematic content of the caller's worry.DESIGN AND SETTING: A mixed-methods study with simultaneous convergent design combining descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of 180 calls to a Danish out-of-hours service.METHOD: The following quantitative data were measured: age of caller, sex, reason for encounter, symptom duration, triage outcome, and degree of worry (rated from 1 = minimally worried to 5 = extremely worried). Qualitative data consisted of audio-recorded telephone calls.RESULTS: Most callers (170 out of 180) were able to scale their worry when contacting the out-of-hours service (median = 3, interquartile range = 2-4, mean = 2.76). Degree of worry was associated with female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% CI = 1.13 to 3.45) and symptom duration (>24 hours: OR 2.01, 95% CI = 1.13 to 3.45) (reference <5 hours), but not with age or reason for encounter. A high degree of worry significantly increased the chance of being triaged to a face-to-face consultation. The thematic content of worry varied from emotions of feeling bothered to feeling distressed. Callers provided more contextual information when asked about their degree of worry.CONCLUSION: Callers were able to rate their degree of worry. The degree of worry scale is feasible for larger-scale studies if incorporating a patient-centred approach in out-of-hours telephone triage.

AIM: With increased survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), impact of the post-resuscitation course has become important. Among 30-day OHCA survivors, we investigated associations between organ support therapy in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and return to work.METHODS: This Danish nationwide cohort-study included 30-day-OHCA-survivors who were employed prior to arrest. We linked OHCA data to information on in-hospital care and return to work. For patients admitted to an ICU and based on renal replacement therapy (RRT), cardiovascular support and mechanical ventilation, we assessed the prognostic value of organ support therapies in multivariable Cox regression models.RESULTS: Of 1087 30-day survivors, 212 (19.5%) were treated in an ICU with 0-1 types of organ support, 494 (45.4%) with support of two organs, 26 (2.4%) with support of three organs and 355 (32.7%) were not admitted to an ICU. Return to work increased with decreasing number of organs supported, from 53.8% (95% CI: 49.5-70.1%) in patients treated with both RRT, cardiovascular support and mechanical ventilation to 88.5% (95% CI: 85.1-91.8%) in non-ICU-patients. In 732 ICU-patients, ICU-patients with support of 3 organs had significantly lower adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of returning to work (0.50 [95% CI: 0.30-0.85] compared to ICU-patients with support of 0-1 organ. The corresponding HR was 0.48 [95% CI: 0.30-0.78] for RRT alone.CONCLUSIONS: In 30-day survivors of OHCA, number of organ support therapies and in particular need of RRT were associated with reduced rate of return to work, although more than half of these latter patients still returned to work.

BACKGROUND: The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) released new guidelines on resuscitation in 2015. For the first time, the guidelines included a separate chapter on first aid for laypersons. We analysed the current major Danish national first aid books to identify potential inconsistencies between the current books and the new evidence-based first aid guidelines.METHODS: We identified first aid books from all the first aid courses offered by major Danish suppliers. Based on the new ERC first aid guidelines, we developed a checklist of 26 items within 16 different categories to assess the content; this checklist was adapted following the principle of mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive questioning. To assess the agreement between four raters, Fleiss' kappa test was used. Items that did not reach an acceptable kappa score were excluded.RESULTS: We evaluated 10 first aid books used for first aid courses and published between 2009 and 2015. The content of the books complied with the new in 38% of the answers. In 12 of the 26 items, there was less than 50% consistency. These items include proximal pressure points and elevation of extremities for the control of bleeding, use of cervical collars, treatment for an open chest wound, burn dressing, dental avulsion, passive leg raising, administration of bronchodilators, adrenaline, and aspirin.CONCLUSIONS: Danish course material showed significant inconsistencies with the new evidence-based first aid guidelines. The new knowledge from the evidence-based guidelines should be incorporated into revised and updated first aid course material.

AbsTrACT background in the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in the dissemination of automated external defibrillators (aeDs) for prehospital defibrillation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. the aim of this study was to study the association between different defibrillation strategies on survival rates over time in copenhagen, stockholm, Western Sweden and Amsterdam, and the hypothesis was that non-eMs defibrillation increased over time and was associated with increased survival. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of four prospectively collected cohorts of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients between 2008 and 2013. emergency medical service (eMs)-witnessed arrests were excluded. results a total of 22 453 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with known survival status were identified, of whom 2957 (13%) survived at least 30 days postresuscitation. Of all survivors with a known defibrillation status, 2289 (81%) were defibrillated, 1349 (59%) were defibrillated by eMs, 454 (20%) were defibrillated by a first responder aeD and 429 (19%) were defibrillated by an onsite aeD and 57 (2%) were unknown. the percentage of survivors defibrillated by first responder aeDs (from 13% in 2008 to 26% in 2013, p<0.001 for trend) and onsite aeDs (from 14% in 2008 to 30% in 2013, p<0.001 for trend) increased. the increased use of these non-eMs aeDs was associated with the increase in survival rate of patients with a shockable initial rhythm. Conclusion survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are increasingly defibrillated by non-eMs aeDs. this increase is primarily due to a large increase in the use of onsite aeDs as well as an increase in first-responder defibrillation over time. non-eMs defibrillation accounted for at least part of the increase in survival rate of patients with a shockable initial rhythm.

Background: Transportation by helicopter may reduce time to hospital admission and improve outcome. We aimed to investigate the effect of transport mode on mortality, disability, and labour market affiliation in patients admitted to the stroke unit. Methods: Prospective, observational study with 5.5 years of follow-up. We included patients admitted to the stroke unit the first three years after implementation of a helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) from a geographical area covered by both the HEMS and the ground emergency medical services (GEMS). HEMS patients were compared with GEMS patients. Primary outcome was long-term mortality after admission to the stroke unit. Results: Of the 1679 patients admitted to the stroke unit, 1068 were eligible for inclusion. Mortality rates were 9.04 per 100 person-years at risk (PYR) in GEMS patients and 9.71 per 100 PYR in HEMS patients (IRR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.79–1.49; p = 0.60). The 30-day mortality was 7.4% with GEMS and 7.9% with HEMS (OR = 1.02, CI 0.53–1.96; p = 0.96). Incidence rate of involuntary early retirement was 6.97 per 100 PYR and 7.58 per 100 PYR in GEMS and HEMS patients, respectively (IRR = 1.19, CI 0.27–5.26; p = 0.81). Work ability after 2 years and time on social transfer payments did not differ between groups. We found no significant difference in mean modified Rankin Scale score after 3 months (2.21 GEMS vs. 2.09 HEMS; adjusted mean difference = −0.20, CI −0.74–0.33; p = 0.46). Discussion: The possible benefit of HEMS for neurological outcome is probably difficult to detect by considering mortality, but for the secondary analyses we had less statistical power as illustrated by the wide confidence intervals. Conclusion: Helicopter transport of stroke patients was not associated with reduced mortality or disability, nor improved labour market affiliation compared to patients transported by a ground unit. Trial registration: The study

Aims: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used and have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Nonetheless, it remains unknown whether use of NSAIDs is associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods and results: From the nationwide Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, all persons with OHCA during 2001-10 were identified. NSAID use 30 days before OHCA was categorized as follows: diclofenac, naproxen, ibuprofen, rofecoxib, celecoxib, and other. Risk of OHCA associated with use of NSAIDs was analysed by conditional logistic regression in case-time-control models matching four controls on sex and age per case to account for variation in drug utilization over time. We identified 28 947 persons with OHCA of whom 3376 were treated with an NSAID up to 30 days before OHCA. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most commonly used NSAIDs and represented 51.0% and 21.8% of total NSAID use, respectively. Use of diclofenac (odds ratio [OR], 1.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-1.82]) and ibuprofen [OR, 1.31 (95% CI 1.14-1.51)] was associated with a significantly increased risk of OHCA. Use of naproxen [OR, 1.29 (95% CI 0.77-2.16)], celecoxib [OR, 1.13 (95% CI 0.74-1.70)], and rofecoxib (OR, 1.28 [95% CI 0.74-1.70)] was not significantly associated with increased risk of OHCA; however, these groups were characterized by few events.Conclusion: Use of non-selective NSAIDs was associated with an increased early risk of OHCA. The result was driven by an increased risk of OHCA in ibuprofen and diclofenac users.

BACKGROUND: Telephone consultation and triage are used to limit the workload on emergency departments. Lack of visual cues and clinical tests put telephone consultations to a disadvantage compared to face-to-face consultations increasing the risk of under-triage. Under-triage occurs in telephone triage; however why under-triage happens is not explored yet. The aim of the study was to describe situations of under-triage in context, to assess the quality of under-triaged calls, and to identify communication patterns contributing to under-triage in a regional OOH service in the capital region of Denmark.METHODS: Explanatory simultaneous mixed method with thematic analysis and descriptive statistics was chosen. The study was carried out in an Out-Of-Hours service (OOH) in the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen. Under-triage was defined as Potentially Under-Triaged Calls (PUTC) by specific criteria to an OOH Hotline, and identification by integration of three databases: Medical Hotline database, Emergency number database, including the Ambulance database, and electronic patient records. Distribution of PUTC were carried out using ICD-10 codes to identify diagnosis and main themes identified by qualitative analysis of audio recorded under-triaged calls. Study period was October 15(th) to November 30(th) 2014.RESULTS: Three hundred twenty seven PUTC were identified, representing 0.04% of all calls (n = 937.056) to the OOH. Distribution of PUTC according to diagnoses was: digestive (24%), circulatory (19%), respiratory (15%) and all others (42%). Thematic analysis of the voice logs suggested that inadequate communication and non-normative symptom description contributed to under-triage.DISCUSSION: The incidence of potentially under-triage is low (0.04%). However, the over-representation of digestive, circulatory, and respiratory diagnoses might suggest that under-triage is related to inadequate symptom description. We recommend that caller and cal

BACKGROUND: Pre-hospital emergency care requires proper categorization of emergency calls and assessment of emergency priority levels by the medical dispatchers. We investigated predictors for emergency call categorization as "unclear problem" in contrast to "symptom-specific" categories and the effect of categorization on mortality.METHODS: Register-based study in a 2-year period based on emergency call data from the emergency medical dispatch center in Copenhagen combined with nationwide register data. Logistic regression analysis (N = 78,040 individuals) was used for identification of predictors of emergency call categorization as "unclear problem". Poisson regression analysis (N = 97,293 calls) was used for examining the effect of categorization as "unclear problem" on mortality.RESULTS: "Unclear problem" was the registered category in 18% of calls. Significant predictors for "unclear problem" categorization were: age (odds ratio (OR) 1.34 for age group 76+ versus 18-30 years), ethnicity (OR 1.27 for non-Danish vs. Danish), day of week (OR 0.92 for weekend vs. weekday), and time of day (OR 0.79 for night vs. day). Emergency call categorization had no effect on mortality for emergency priority level A calls, incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90-1.09). For emergency priority level B calls, an association was observed, IRR 1.26 (95% CI 1.18-1.36).DISCUSSIONS: The results shed light on the complexity of emergency call handling, but also implicate a need for further improvement. Educational interventions at the dispatch centers may improve the call handling, but also the underlying supportive tools are modifiable. The higher mortality rate for patients with emergency priority level B calls with "unclear problem categorization" could imply lowering the threshold for dispatching a high level ambulance response when the call is considered unclear. On the other hand a "benefit of the doubt" approach could hinder the a

Aims: To evaluate whether the distance from the site of event to an invasive heart centre, acute coronary angiography (CAG)/percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and hospital-level of care (invasive heart centre vs. local hospital) is associated with survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients.Methods and results: Nationwide historical follow-up study of 41 186 unselected OHCA patients, in whom resuscitation was attempted between 2001 and 2013, identified through the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry. We observed an increase in the proportion of patients receiving bystander CPR (18% in 2001, 60% in 2013, P < 0.001), achieving return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (10% in 2001, 29% in 2013, P < 0.001) and being admitted directly to an invasive centre (26% in 2001, 45% in 2013, P < 0.001). Simultaneously, 30-day survival rose from 5% in 2001 to 12% in 2013, P < 0.001. Among patients achieving ROSC, a larger proportion underwent acute CAG/PCI (5% in 2001, 27% in 2013, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients undergoing acute CAG/PCI annually in each region was defined as the CAG/PCI index. The following variables were associated with lower mortality in multivariable analyses: direct admission to invasive heart centre (HR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.89-0.93), CAG/PCI index (HR 0.33, 95% CI: 0.25-0.45), population density above 2000 per square kilometre (HR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.98), bystander CPR (HR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99) and witnessed OHCA (HR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.85-0.89), whereas distance to the nearest invasive centre was not associated with survival.Conclusion: Admission to an invasive heart centre and regional performance of acute CAG/PCI were associated with improved survival in OHCA patients, whereas distance to the invasive centre was not. These results support a centralized strategy for immediate post-resuscitation care in OHCA patients.

BACKGROUND: Advances in technology have made ultrasound (US) devices smaller and portable, hence accessible for prehospital care providers. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a four-hour, hands-on US training course for physicians working in the prehospital setting. The primary outcome measure was US performance assessed by the total score in a modified version of the Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills scale (mOSAUS).METHODS: Prehospital physicians participated in a four-hour US course consisting of both hands-on training and e-learning including a pre- and a post-learning test. Prior to the hands-on training a pre-training test was applied comprising of five videos in which the participants should identify pathology and a five-minute US examination of a healthy volunteer portraying to be a shocked patient after a blunt torso trauma. Following the pre-training test, the participants received a four-hour, hands-on US training course which was concluded with a post-training test. The US examinations and screen output from the US equipment were recorded for subsequent assessment. Two blinded raters assessed the videos using the mOSAUS.RESULTS: Forty participants completed the study. A significant improvement was identified in e-learning performance and US performance, (37.5 (SD: 10.0)) vs. (51.3 (SD: 5.9) p = < 0.0001), total US performance score (15.3 (IQR: 12.0-17.5) vs. 17.5 (IQR: 14.5-21.0), p = < 0.0001) and in each of the five assessment elements of the mOSAUS.CONCLUSION: In the prehospital physicians assessed, we found significant improvements in the ability to perform US examinations after completing a four-hour, hands-on US training course.

AIM: Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important public health problem. While several interventions are known to improve survival, the impact of physician-delivered advanced cardiac life support for OHCA is unclear. We aimed to assess the association between prehospital physician involvement and 30-day survival.METHODS: Observational study including persons registered with first-time OHCA of any cause in the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry during 2005-2012. We used logistic regression analysis to assess the association between 30-day survival and involvement of a physician at any time before arrival at the hospital. Secondary outcomes were 1-year survival and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before arrival at the hospital. The associations were explored in three multivariable models: a model with simple adjustment, a model with multiple imputation of missing variables, and a propensity score model where exposed subjects were matched 1:1 with unexposed subjects on a propensity score reflecting the probability of being assigned to the exposure group.RESULTS: 21,165 persons with OHCA during 2005-2012 were included. Overall, 10.8% of OHCA patients with physician involvement and 8.1% of OHCA patients without physician involvement before arrival at hospital were alive after 30 days, crude odds ratio (OR)=1.37 (95% CI=1.24-1.51), adjusted OR=1.18 (95% CI=1.04-1.34). Physician involvement was also positively associated with ROSC, OR=1.09 (95% CI=1.00-1.19); and with 1-year survival, OR=1.13 (95% CI=0.99-1.29).CONCLUSION: In this large population-based observational study, we found prehospital physician involvement after OHCA associated with better 30-day survival. This association was also found for ROSC, but with less certainty for 1-year survival.

AIM: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has tripled during the past decade in Denmark as a likely result of improvements in cardiac arrest management. This study analyzed whether these improvements were applicable for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).METHODS: Patients ≥18 years with OHCA of presumed cardiac cause were identified through the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, 2001-2011. Patients with a history of COPD up to ten years prior to arrest were identified from the Danish National Patient Register and compared to non-COPD patients.RESULTS: Of 21,480 included patients, 3056 (14.2%) had history of COPD. Compared to non-COPD patients, COPD patients were older (75 vs. 71 years), less likely male (61.2% vs. 68.5%), had higher prevalence of other comorbidities, and were less likely to have: arrests outside private homes (17.7% vs. 28.3%), witnessed arrests (48.7% vs. 52.9%), bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (25.8% vs. 34.8%), and shockable heart rhythm (15.6% vs. 29.9%), all p<0.001; while no significant difference in the time-interval from recognition of arrest to rhythm analysis by ambulance-crew; p=0.24. From 2001 to 2011, survival upon hospital arrival increased in both patient-groups (from 6.8% to 17.1% in COPD patients and from 8.2% to 25.6% in non-COPD patients, p<0.001). However, no significant change was observed in 30-day survival in COPD patients (from 3.7% to 2.1%, p=0.27), in contrast to non-COPD patients (from 3.5% to 13.0%, p<0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Despite generally improved 30-day survival after OHCA over time, no improvement was observed in 30-day survival in COPD patients.

BACKGROUND: Bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases patient survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but it is unknown to what degree bystander CPR remains positively associated with survival with increasing time to potential defibrillation. The main objective was to examine the association of bystander CPR with survival as time to advanced treatment increases.METHODS: We studied 7623 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients between 2005 and 2011, identified through the nationwide Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between time from 911 call to emergency medical service arrival (response time) and survival according to whether bystander CPR was provided (yes or no). Reported are 30-day survival chances with 95% bootstrap confidence intervals.RESULTS: With increasing response times, adjusted 30-day survival chances decreased for both patients with bystander CPR and those without. However, the contrast between the survival chances of patients with versus without bystander CPR increased over time: within 5 minutes, 30-day survival was 14.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.8-16.4) versus 6.3% (95% CI: 5.1-7.6), corresponding to 2.3 times higher chances of survival associated with bystander CPR; within 10 minutes, 30-day survival chances were 6.7% (95% CI: 5.4-8.1) versus 2.2% (95% CI: 1.5-3.1), corresponding to 3.0 times higher chances of 30-day survival associated with bystander CPR. The contrast in 30-day survival became statistically insignificant when response time was >13 minutes (bystander CPR vs no bystander CPR: 3.7% [95% CI: 2.2-5.4] vs 1.5% [95% CI: 0.6-2.7]), but 30-day survival was still 2.5 times higher associated with bystander CPR. Based on the model and Danish out-of-hospital cardiac arrest statistics, an additional 233 patients could potentially be saved annually if response time was reduced from 10 to 5 minutes and 119 patients if

Background: Current guidelines recommend that comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with ST-segment elevations (STEs) following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) should be referred for an acute coronary angiography. We sought to investigate the diagnostic value of the pre-hospital ROSC-ECG in predicting ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Method: ROSC-ECGs of 145 comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, randomly assigned in the Target Temperature Management trial, were classified according to the current STEMI ECG criteria (third universal definition of myocardial infarction). Results: STEs were present in the pre-hospital ROSC-ECG of 78 (54%) patients. A final diagnosis revealed that 69 (48%) patients had STEMI, 31 (21%) patients had non-STEMI and 45 (31%) patients had no myocardial infarction. STE in ROSC-ECGs had a sensitivity of 74% (95% confidence interval (CI) 62–84), specificity of 65% (95% CI 53–75) and a positive and negative predictive value of 65% (95% CI 54–76) and 73% (95% CI 61–83) in predicting STEMI. Time to ROSC was significantly longer (24 minutes vs. 19 minutes, P=0.02) in STE compared with no STE patients. Percutaneous coronary intervention was successful in 68% versus 36% (P<0.001) of STE compared to no STE patients. No significant difference was found in 180-day mortality rates between STE and no STE patients (36% vs. 30%, Plogrank=0.37). Conclusion: The pre-hospital ROSC-ECG is a suboptimal diagnostic tool to predict STEMI and therefore not a sensitive tool for triage to cardiac centres. This supports the incentive of referring all comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of suspected cardiac origin to a tertiary heart centre with the availability of acute coronary angiography, even in the absence of STEs., BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend that comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with ST-segment elevations (STEs) following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) should be referred for an acute coronary angiography. We sought to investigate the diagnostic value of the pre-hospital ROSC-ECG in predicting ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).METHOD: ROSC-ECGs of 145 comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, randomly assigned in the Target Temperature Management trial, were classified according to the current STEMI ECG criteria (third universal definition of myocardial infarction).RESULTS: STEs were present in the pre-hospital ROSC-ECG of 78 (54%) patients. A final diagnosis revealed that 69 (48%) patients had STEMI, 31 (21%) patients had non-STEMI and 45 (31%) patients had no myocardial infarction. STE in ROSC-ECGs had a sensitivity of 74% (95% confidence interval (CI) 62-84), specificity of 65% (95% CI 53-75) and a positive and negative predictive value of 65% (95% CI 54-76) and 73% (95% CI 61-83) in predicting STEMI. Time to ROSC was significantly longer (24 minutes vs. 19 minutes, P=0.02) in STE compared with no STE patients. Percutaneous coronary intervention was successful in 68% versus 36% (P<0.001) of STE compared to no STE patients. No significant difference was found in 180-day mortality rates between STE and no STE patients (36% vs. 30%, Plogrank=0.37).CONCLUSION: The pre-hospital ROSC-ECG is a suboptimal diagnostic tool to predict STEMI and therefore not a sensitive tool for triage to cardiac centres. This supports the incentive of referring all comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of suspected cardiac origin to a tertiary heart centre with the availability of acute coronary angiography, even in the absence of STEs.