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Background: If a patient in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) does not achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) despite advanced life support, emergency medical services can decide to either transport the patient with ongoing CPR or terminate resuscitation on scene. Purpose: To determine differences between patients without ROSC to be transported vs. terminated on scene and explore medical and nonmedical factors that contribute to the decision-making of paramedics on scene. Methods: Mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data on all-cause OHCA patients without ROSC on scene, between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016, in the Amsterdam Resuscitation Study database, were analyzed to find factors associated with decision to transport. Qualitative data was collected by performing 16 semi-structured interviews with paramedics from the study region, transcribed and coded to identify themes regarding OHCA decision-making on the scene. Results: In the quantitative Utstein dataset, of 5870 OHCA patients, 3190 (54%) patients did not achieve ROSC on scene. In a multivariable model, age (OR 0.98), public location (OR 2.70), bystander witnessed (OR 1.65), EMS witnessed (OR 9.03), and first rhythm VF/VT (OR 11.22) or PEA (OR 2.34), were independently associated with transport with ongoing CPR. The proportion of variance explained by the model was only 0.36. With the qualitative method, four main themes were identified: patient-related factors, local circumstances, paramedic-related factors, and the structure of the organization. Conclusion: In patients without ROSC on scene, besides known resuscitation characteristics, the decision to transport a patient is largely determined by non-protocollized factors.

Background We aim to investigate the clinical characteristics and survival rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods Ninety-seven COVID-19 patients were enrolled. The laboratory results, lung imaging and medical treatment were compared. Patients were followed up after 1 year, and the Kaplan-Meier test was used for survival analysis. Results Compared with the non-severe group, the age of the severe group was older, and the proportion of concomitant diseases were higher. As fever was the primary clinical manifestation, dyspnea and anorexia were more common in severe patients. Lung imaging manifestations and laboratory indicators were worse in the severe group. Accordingly, the treatment of glucocorticoid, antibiotics, and advanced life support were in high proportion. Of the 97 patients with COVID-19, 4 severe patients died within one month during the 1-year follow-up, with the median survival time of 47.0 weeks (95% CI: 45.1-48.9). Conclusions Severe cases of COVID-19 are characterized by advanced age, more concomitant diseases and complications, which lead to a decreased short-term survival rate. However, there were no deaths after one month, which implied a good prognosis if the risk period were passed smoothly.

Objective: Current guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) recommend that standard-dose epinephrine be administered every 3–5 minutes during cardiac arrest. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the optimal epinephrine dosing interval. This study aimed to examine the association between epinephrine dosing intervals and outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: This was a nationwide population-based observational study using data from a Japanese government-led registry of OHCA, including patients who experienced OHCA in Japan from 2011 to 2017. We defined the epinephrine dosing interval as the time interval between the first epinephrine administration and return of spontaneous circulation in the prehospital setting, divided by the total number of epinephrine doses. The primary outcome was 1-month neurologically favorable survival. Results: A total of 10,965 patients (mean (SD) age, 75.8 (14.3) years; 59.8% male) were included. The median epinephrine dosing interval was 3.5 minutes (IQR, 2.5–4.5; mean (SD), 3.6 (1.8)). Only approximately half of the patients received epinephrine administration with a standard dosing interval, as recommended in the current CPR guidelines. After multivariable adjustment, compared with the standard dosing interval, neither shorter nor longer epinephrine dosing intervals were associated with neurologically favorable survival after OHCA (Short vs Standard: adjusted OR 0.87 [95%CI 0.66–1.15]; and Long vs Standard: adjusted OR 1.08 [95%CI 0.76–1.55]). Similar associations were observed in propensity score-matched analyses. Conclusions: The epinephrine dosing interval was not associated with 1-month neurologically favorable survival after OHCA. Our findings do not deny the recommended epinephrine dosing interval in the current CPR guidelines.

The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Paediatric Life Support (PLS) guidelines are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). This section provides guidelines on the management of critically ill or injured infants, children and adolescents before, during and after respiratory/cardiac arrest.

These European Resuscitation Council Advanced Life Support guidelines are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations. This section provides guidelines on the prevention of and ALS treatments for both in-hospital cardiac arrest and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

These guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Cardiac Arrest under Special Circumstances are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations. This section provides guidelines on the modifications required for basic and advanced life support for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrest under special circumstances; in particular, specific causes (hypoxia, trauma, anaphylaxis, sepsis, hypo-/hyperkalaemia and other electrolyte disorders, hypothermia, avalanche, hyperthermia and malignant hyperthermia, pulmonary embolism, coronary thrombosis, cardiac tamponade, tension pneumothorax, toxic agents), specific settings (operating room, cardiac surgery, cardiac catheterization laboratory, dialysis unit, dental clinics, transportation [in-flight, cruise ships], sport, drowning, mass casualty incidents), and specific patient groups (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurological disease, morbid obesity, pregnancy).

La Parada Cardiorrespiratoria (PCR) es un problema de salud pública en los países desarrollados. De acuerdo con La Sociedad Española de Resucitación, en España hay alrededor de treinta mil muertes al año y unos veinte mil intentos de resucitación, y aun así hasta hace muy poco los alumnos de Medicina no recibían formación reglada en Soporte Vital Avanzado (SVA). Con la introducción en 2018 de una nueva asignatura afrontamos este problema, y sin embargo nos encontramos con que no está establecido qué tipo de Soporte Vital es el adecuado para nuestros estudiantes. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio es analizar de manera comparativa el nivel de adquisición de competencias en SVA y SVI y su evolución temporal en estudiantes de quinto y sexto de Medicina de la Universidad de Granada (UGR). Para alcanzar este objetivo, obtuvimos datos en una primera evaluación de los alumnos de medicina que participaron en la asignatura optativa de SVA en la Universidad de Granada durante los meses de Octubre y Noviembre (2019). Meses después, se llevó a cabo una nueva re evaluación durante los meses de Febrero y Marzo de 2020 a la misma muestra de estudiantes, gracias a la cual obtuvimos los datos para la comparación. Dichos datos mostraron que el nivel de adquisición de competencias en SVI supera al de las competencias que componen el SVA y, además, el efecto de la Curva del Olvido para las competencias incluidas en el SVI es menor. De esta manera, se puede concluir que las competencias que componen el SVI presentan un mayor nivel de adquisición, y un menor efecto de la Curva del Olvido y por tanto deberían ser las que pasaran a formar parte de la formación para los estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad de Granada. Cardiac arrest (CA) is a major public health problem in developed countries. According to the Spanish Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Council, in Spain there are around thirty thousand deaths a year and about twenty thousand resuscitation attempts, and yet until very recently medical students did not receive formal training in Advanced Life Support (ALS). With the introduction in 2018 of a new subject, we faced the problem of not having established what type of Life Support was appropriate for our students. As a result, the aim of this study is to analyze in a comparative way the degree of acquisition of competences in ALS and Immediate Life Support (ILS) and their temporal evolution by the students of fifth and sixth year (Medicine Degree) of the University of Granada (UGR). To achieve that aim, we obtained the data in an initial evaluation to the medical students who enrolled in the optional subject of Advanced Life Support in the Faculty of Medicine (UGR), during the months of October and November (2019). This evaluation was carried out by external evaluators and was based on the ERC 2015 guidelines. Months later, a reassessment that was carried out during the months of February and March 2020 to the same sample of students gave us the data for the comparison. Data showed that the degree of acquisition of competencies related to the ILS exceeds the level of acquisition of the competences included within the ALS, and that the effect of the Oblivion Curve for the competences included in the ILS is lower than those included in the ALS. We could conclude that the competences that are integrated within the ILS present a higher level of acquisition and a lesser effect on the forgetting curve, so they should become part of the curricular content of the UGR Medical Degree.

Purpose: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are rendering health care services in rural areas in increasing numbers, yet little is known about clinical skills and patient care management activities performed by these advanced practice nurses in the rural environment. The purpose of this descriptive study of rural NPs was to identify skills and patient care management activities that they have performed and considered critical to Kansas rural practice. Sample: A convenience sample of 208 nurse practitioners (NP) in rural and frontier Kansas were emailed a survey that asked about skills and activities they perform in their rural practice. Sixty-three responded for a response rate of 30%. Findings: The analysis produced a list of 26 skills and 37 patient care management activities critical to Kansas rural NP practice. Most of the skills/procedures were learned after graduation. Almost all the respondents reported additional training/certifications in advanced life support and trauma. The majority of respondents were family nurse practitioners who practiced in a variety of rural settings. “I grew up in a rural setting” and “Autonomy of practice” were the two top factors that influenced their decision to practice in a rural setting. Conclusion: The analysis produced a list of skills and patient care management activities critical to rural NP practice. Schools of nursing may find these lists useful as they prepare NPs for the rural workforce. Keywords: rural, nurse practitioner, training, education, skills, and patient care management activities DOI: https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v21i1.656

Airway management and ventilation are essential components of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to achieve oxygen delivery in order to prevent hypoxic injury and increase the chance of survival. Weighing the relative benefits and downsides, the best approach is a staged strategy; start with a focus on high-quality chest compressions and defibrillation, then optimize mask ventilation while preparing for advanced airway management with a supraglottic airway device. Endotracheal intubation can still be indicated, but has the largest downsides of all advanced airway techniques. Whichever stage of airway management, ventilation and chest compression quality should be closely monitored. Capnography has many advantages and should be used routinely. Optimizing ventilation strategies, harmonizing ventilation with mechanical chest compression devices, and implementation in complex and stressful environments are challenges we need to face through collaborative innovation, research, and implementation.

Background This review is the latest in a series of regular annual reviews undertaken by the editors and aims to highlight some of the key papers published in Resuscitation during 2020. The number of papers submitted to the Journal in 2020 increased by 25% on the previous year.MethodsHand-searching by the editors of all papers published in Resuscitation during 2020. Papers were selected based on then general interest and novelty and were categorised into general themes.ResultsA total of 103 papers were selected for brief mention in this review.ConclusionsResuscitation science continues to evolve rapidly and incorporate all links in the chain of survival.

The objective of this study was to design a risk model with variables determined before hospital arrival to predict the risk of serious adverse events in patients with acute poisoning.A preliminary prospective, multicentre cohort study of adults with prehospital diagnosis of acute intoxication was conducted. The study was carried out in the Public Health System of the Community of Castilla-Leon (Spain), including seven advanced life support units and five hospitals, between April 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. People aged18 years with a main prehospital diagnosis of acute poisoning admitted to a referral hospital on advanced life support were included. The main outcome measure was prehospital and hospital serious adverse events in patients with acute poisoning.We included 221 patients, with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range: 33-61). The most frequent cause of poisoning was psychopharmaceuticals (111 cases, 49.8%): 38 (17.2%) patients had a serious adverse event, with a hospital mortality of 4.1% (nine cases) in the 30 days after the index event. The final model included age ≥65 years (odds ratio [OR]: 9.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.48-26.45; p 0.001), oxygen saturation/fraction of inspired oxygen index ≤300 (OR: 15.03, 95% CI: 5.74-39.33; p 0.001), and point-of-care lactate ≥4 mmol/L (OR: 7.68, 95% CI: 2.88-20.45; p 0.001). The poisoning Early Warning Score was constructed from these three variables, and 1 point was assigned to each variable. The area under the curve of the score was 0.896 (95% CI: 0.82-0.96; p 0.001).The poisoning Early Warning Score may help in decision-making and promote early identification of high-risk patients with acute poisoning in the prehospital context.

Background The ILCOR Basic Life Support Task Force and the international drowning research community considered it timely to undertake a scoping review of the literature to identify evidence relating to the initial resuscitation, hospital-based interventions and criteria for safe discharge related to drowning. Methods Medline, PreMedline, Embase, Cochrane Reviews and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched from 2000 to June 2020 to identify relevant literature. Titles and abstracts and if necessary full text were reviewed in duplicate. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported on the population (adults and children who are submerged in water), interventions (resuscitation in water/boats, airway management, oxygen administration, AED use, bystander CPR, ventilation strategies, ECMO, protocols for hospital discharge (I), comparator (standard care) and outcomes (O) survival, survival with a favourable neurological outcome, CPR quality, physiological end-points). Results The database search yielded 3242 references (Medline 1104, Pre-Medline 202, Embase 1722, Cochrane reviews 12, Cochrane CENTRAL 202). After removal of duplicates 2377 papers were left for screening titles and abstracts. In total 65 unique papers were included. The evidence identified was from predominantly high-income countries and lacked consistency in the populations, interventions and outcomes reported. Clinical studies were exclusively observational in nature. Conclusion This scoping review found that there is very limited evidence from observational studies to inform evidence based clinical practice guidelines for drowning. The review highlights an urgent need for high quality research in drowning.

The addition of Covid-19 cases took place quite quickly and has spread between countries. The high incidence is important to improve health services, especially the pre-hospital phase services. In this phase, good emergency management will reduce the number of disability to death by up to 50% by starting from activating calls prior to the incident location, health workers who understand first aid and transportation using an ambulance and being observed until they arrive at the hospital. Knowing the Pre-Hospital Phase Emergency Management in Covid-19 Patient: Literature Review. The research method used is a literature review. In this method, online searches for articles, journals and books are carried out using accessible databases, namely Google Scholar, PubMed, and Biomed Central. It is known from 10 Literature Articles, journals and books in the emergency management of Covid-19 in the Pre-Hospital phase must be done as much as possible to minimize the number of deaths and transmission that occurs. Handling of emergency Covid-19 in the Pre-Hospital phase includes: Basic and Advanced Life Support (BLS), Oxygen Therapy, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and Patient Transport. It is important for medical personnel to pay attention to many things in providing emergency nursing care to Covid-19 patient. Pre-Hospital emergency measures for patient with Covid-19 can be carried out in various ways to improve the patient condition while at the Pre-Hospital, besides that, it can also prevent transmission to medical personnel and people around Covid-19 patient.

Introduction: Tracheal intubation is the optimal method for opening up airways. Performed correctly, it prevents stomach contents from entering the respiratory tract and allows asynchronous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be conducted during sudden cardiac arrest. An important element of correct intubation is proper inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff. Research has shown that when medical personnel use the palpation technique, the cuff is usually inflated incorrectly. This can result in numerous health complications for the patient. Methods: This research was conducted in 2020 on a group of paramedics participating in the 15th International Winter Championship of Medical Rescuers in Bielsko-Biala (Poland). The aim of the research was to assess two methods of inflating the endotracheal tube cuff. Method A involved inflating the cuff using a syringe and assessing the pressure in the control cuff using the palpation technique. Method B involved inflating the cuff using a manometer. During the inflation, both the cuff inflation pressure and the time required to complete the procedure were recorded. Analysis was also conducted on whether completion of certified Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training had any influence on the effectiveness of the inflation procedure. Results: The research showed that paramedics using Method B significantly more often inflated the endotracheal tube cuff to the correct pressure than those using Method A. However, when Method B was used, the procedure took longer to conduct. The study also showed that completion of certified ALS or ACLS training did not have a significant influence on proper inflation of the cuff. Those who had completed certified training courses took significantly longer to inflate the endotracheal tube cuff when using Method A. Conclusions: Inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff by use of a syringe, followed by the palpation technique for assessing the inflation of the cuff balloon, is ineffective. Paramedic teams should be equipped with manometers to be used for inflating the endotracheal tube cuff.

BACKGROUND The benefits of physician-staffed emergency medical services (EMS) for trauma patients remain unclear because of the conflicting results on survival. Some studies suggested potential delays in definitive hemostasis due to prolonged prehospital stay when physicians are dispatched to the scene. We examined hypotensive trauma patients who were transported by ambulance, with the hypothesis that physician-staffed ambulances would be associated with increased in-hospital mortality, compared with EMS personnel-staffed ambulances. METHODS A retrospective cohort study that included hypotensive trauma patients (systolic blood pressure ≤ 90 mm Hg at the scene) transported by ambulance was conducted using the Japan Trauma Data Bank (2004-2019). Physician-staffed ambulances are capable of resuscitative procedures, such as thoracotomy and surgical airway management, while EMS personnel-staffed ambulances could only provide advanced life support. In-hospital mortality and prehospital time until the hospital arrival were compared between patients who were classified based on the type of ambulance. Inverse probability weighting was conducted to adjust baseline characteristics including age, sex, comorbidities, mechanism of injury, vital signs at the scene, injury severity, and ambulance dispatch time. RESULTS Among 14,652 patients eligible for the study, 738 were transported by a physician-staffed ambulance. In-hospital mortality was higher in the physician-staffed ambulance than in the EMS personnel-staffed ambulance (201/699 [28.8%] vs. 2287/13,090 [17.5%]; odds ratio, 1.90 [1.61-2.26]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.22 [1.14-1.30]; p < 0.01), and the physician-staffed ambulance showed longer prehospital time (50 [36-66] vs. 37 [29-48] min, difference = 12 [11-12] min, p < 0.01). Such potential harm of the physician-staffed ambulance was only observed among patients who arrived at the hospital with persistent hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg on hospital arrival) in subgroup analyses. CONCLUSION Physician-staffed ambulances were associated with prolonged prehospital stay and increased in-hospital mortality among hypotensive trauma patients compared with EMS personnel-staffed ambulance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, level IV.

Informed by a series of systematic reviews, scoping reviews and evidence updates from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, the 2021 European Resuscitation Council Guidelines present the most up to date evidence-based guidelines for the practice of resuscitation across Europe. The guidelines cover the epidemiology of cardiac arrest; the role that systems play in saving lives, adult basic life support, adult advanced life support, resuscitation in special circumstances, post resuscitation care, first aid, neonatal life support, paediatric life support, ethics and education.

These European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Cardiac Arrest in Special Circumstances guidelines are based on the 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Science with Treatment Recommendations. This section provides guidelines on the modifications required to basic and advanced life support for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrest in special circumstances; specifically special causes (hypoxia, trauma, anaphylaxis, sepsis, hypo/hyperkalaemia and other electrolyte disorders, hypothermia, avalanche, hyperthermia and malignant hyperthermia, pulmonary embolism, coronary thrombosis, cardiac tamponade, tension pneumothorax, toxic agents), special settings (operating room, cardiac surgery, catheter laboratory, dialysis unit, dental clinics, transportation (in-flight, cruise ships), sport, drowning, mass casualty incidents), and special patient groups (asthma and COPD, neurological disease, obesity, pregnancy).

AIM Advanced life support courses have a clear educational impact; however, it is important to determine whether participation of one or more members of the resuscitation team in an accredited advanced life support course improves in-hospital cardiac arrest patient survival outcomes. METHODS We searched EMBASE.com, Medline, Cochrane and CINAHL from inception to 1 November 2022. Included studies were randomised or non-randomised interventional studies assessing the impact of attendance at accredited life support courses on patient outcomes. Accredited life support courses were classified into 3 contexts: Advanced Life Support (ALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Training (NRT), and Helping Babies Breathe (HBB). Existing systematic reviews were identified for each of the contexts and an adolopment process was pursued. Appropriate risk of bias assessment tools were used across all outcomes. When meta-analysis was appropriate a random-effects model was used to produce a summary of effect sizes for each outcome. RESULTS Of 2714 citations screened, 19 studies (1 ALS; 7 NRT; 11 HBB) were eligible for inclusion. Three systematic reviews which satisfied AMSTAR-2 criteria for methodological quality, included 16 of the studies we identified in our search. Among adult patients all outcomes including return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge and survival to 30 days were consistently better with accredited ALS training. Among neonatal patients there were reductions in stillbirths and early neonatal mortality. CONCLUSION These results support the recommendation that accredited advanced life support courses, specifically Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation Training, and Helping Babies Breathe improve patient outcomes.

Cardiac arrest in pregnancy is a rare entity. However, owing to its uncommon occurrence, there exist deficits in proper competences among practitioners regarding advanced life support procedure of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and requirement for peri-mortem caesarean section. We report a case of a 40-year-old multigravida patient with diagnosed pre-eclampsia, whose pregnancy was detected in the third trimester. She was non-compliant with oral antihypertensives and suffered from a cardiac arrest and underwent a peri-mortem caesarean section alongside simultaneous fetal and maternal resuscitation.

INTRODUCTION: The survival rate of patients after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is poor. The implementation of novel technologies to conventional cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may improve clinical outcomes. Aim: To evaluate efficacy of extended CPR (ECPR) performed by physicians in the simulated scenario of IHCA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: High-fidelity simulations were performed in a simulation room equipped with a full spectrum of emergency devices. Earlier, the physicians (n = 60, five courses) participated in a threeday training in the use of extracorporeal techniques. Eventually, 12 participants were divided into 4-member teams that were involved in three stages (assessed in terms of duration and quality) of scenario such as 1. Advanced Life Support (ALS) activities; 2. preparation of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation device (ECMO); 3. cannulation and activation of ECMO. RESULTS: All teams completed successfully scenario within recommended time of 60 minutes (ranged from 33 min. 55 sec. to 37 min.) after IHCA. In details, decision to activate ECMO team was taken between 8 min. 45 sec. and 14 min. 15 sec of scenario, ECMO device prepared within 10 min. 5 sec. to 15 min. 30 sec. whereas peripheral vessels cannulated in 4 min. 14 sec. to 6 min. 10 sec. Of note, all evaluated times were the shortest for teams with decisive leaders. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of ECPR procedure is possible within recommended time after IHCA. It has also been shown that training with application of high-fidelity simulation techniques is of paramount importance in achievement and maintenance of ECPR skills, not only manual but also in effective communication.

Background Nurses are presumably the first to see an in-hospital cardiac arrest patient. This study proposed measuring nursing students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills performance in advanced life support (ALS), 6 months after training, by sending videos taken during their final skills test after the ALS training. Methods This is an experimental study using a randomised control group design. This study was conducted from June to December 2018, and the subjects of the study were 4th year students, recruited through a bulletin board at a nursing university. The participants’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and skill performance in ALS were evaluated immediately after the training, and participants were videotaped during the final skills test. Thereafter, the videos were sent to the experimental group through a mobile phone messenger application, once a month, from the third month after training. Approximately six months after training day, a follow-up test was conducted for the measured variables using a blinded method. The paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to compare the two groups pre-and post-intervention. The statistical significance level was set at p Results Six months after the ALS training, knowledge scores decreased significantly in both groups (p p = 0.089), while it decreased by 10 points in the control group, from 50.67 to 39 (p p Conclusion Self-study with videos taken during an ALS skills test helps enhance the sustainable effects of training such as knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills performance.

Nurses are basic group in health care settings, and their competences have a major role in the quality of health services. Aim: To examine the nurses awareness regarding their competence in managing patients' situations and exploring the competence level among them. Design: Descriptive explorative design was used. Subjects: Convenient sample comprised of 150 nurses who had at least two years of experience who work in medical, surgical, ICUs and gynecological units at Quena University Hospital. Tools: Nurse Competence Scale was used for data collection. Results: Main result for this study indicated that about 68.7 % of studied nurseshad a good level of competence of managing patient situations, while; only 14.7 % had excellent level. The highest mean score of managing patient situations domains was related to; reporting the results to the physician and other healthcare members while, the lowest was related to; updating nursing care plan. Conclusion: Education level, years of experience in units, obtaining any certification or sharing in advanced life support program like CPR and achieve training in different specialty were factors linked to nurses clinical competence and influenced it. Recommendations: Nursing Managers must plan educational programs to develop nurses' competence from good level to excellent, and provide opportunity for nurses to achieve training in different specialties as incentive for professional growth and nursing administrators should organize nurses for success by establishing systems for warranting chances for knowledge and skills acquirement required for safety nursing practice and the high health level services.

Neck injuries are an important cause of combat mortality and morbidity. This study's objective was to examine the characteristics and causes of neck injuries among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and emphasize the best treatment protocols for the advanced life support providers in the prehospital combat environment.The IDF Trauma Registry (IDF-TR) includes prehospital data regarding casualties treated by the IDF's medical forces. This study was a retrospective, observational study that included all casualties who were injured between January 2006 and December 2018.Between January 2016 and December 2018, 3294 casualties were recorded. During the study period, 1% (41/3,394) of all injury casualties in the registry were isolated neck injuries compared to 94% (3185/3,394) without neck injury. 42% (14/41) percent of the neck casualties were classified as urgent compared to 26% (830/3185, P = 0.09) in the no neck group. The most frequent type of injury mechanism in the neck casualties was penetrating injury (54% 22/41), mostly due to shrapnel (68% 15/22). 60% of neck injured personnel were injured during the 2nd Lebanon War and Operation Protective Edge in high-intensity conflicts. As for life-saving interventions, advanced airway interventions were performed in 12% of neck injured group (5/41) compared to 3% (104/3185, P = 0.02) in the no neck group. We revealed that cricothyroidotomy was performed in almost 10% (4/41) of neck injured casualties compared to only 1% (19/3185, P0.0001) in no neck casualties. As for damage control resuscitation, neck injury casualties received higher amounts of Fresh Dried Plasma 7% (3/41) Vs. 1% (32/3185, P = 0.02) and Tranexamic acid 15% (6/41) Vs. 4% (124/3185, P = 0.01) compared to non-neck casualties.Military neck injuries are a significant cause of substantial disability and result in incompatibility with combat duties in previously healthy soldiers. Prompt medical care, especially urgent hemodynamic and airway management, is paramount in these injuries. Routine use of designated neck protection might lower the number of neck injuries, mitigate their severity, and even decrease mortality.Level III (Retrospective study with up to two negative criteria).

Despite the increased survival opportunities for extremely preterm infants, their long-term cognitive outcomes remain poor, with increased incidence of cognitive impairments in childhood and reduced opportunities to attend higher education in young adulthood compared to their term-born peers. Given that a considerable fraction of preterm infants develop cognitive impairments even without apparent sentinel events at birth and cerebral lesions on MRI assessed at term equivalent age, future strategies to improve the outcome may need to address cerebral dysfunction, which cannot be explained by the classical understanding of the injury cascade triggered by hypoxia-ischaemia around birth. Developmental care has been proposed to minimize neurodevelopmental impairments related to preterm birth. However, considerable modes of cares, environmental settings and procedures provided by the developmental care of current style appear to offer little benefit to the sound development of infants. Although it is obvious that advanced life support and neuroprotective treatments fall far short in compensating for the burden of preterm birth, researchers need to make further effort to fill the knowledge gap in the cerebral function of foetuses and newborn infants before establishing evidence-based developmental care. Clinicians need to develop an ability to translate the findings from basic and translational studies incorporating their potential biases and limitations. Care for newborn infants needs to be reassessed, including but not limited to developmental care, in the context that any sensory input and motor reaction of preterm infants may ultimately affect their cognitive functioning.

Background We conducted a rapid review of current international and Australian advanced life support (ALS) guidelines for cardiac arrest associated with anaphylaxis to (1) assess the variation and (2) determine if a systematic review update of ALS guideline recommendations is warranted. Method A search and comparison of key recommendations was conducted for major international and Australian clinical guidelines, including member societies and councils of the World Allergy Organisation and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). Systematic database searches (Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO international register of systematic reviews and ClinicalTrials.gov databases) was conducted to identify existing and in-progress research published on the topic of anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest. Results Eight international guidelines were identified from Australia/New Zealand, Europe, United States and Canada, and 5 national guidelines were identified for Australia. There was general consensus across all guidelines for the use of adrenaline, oxygen, patient positioning and glucagon. There was variation across international and Australian guidelines for adrenaline dosing and frequency, antihistamines and corticosteroid recommendations. Most recommendations were based on low-level evidence, and the review of published systematic reviews and clinical trials identified new evidence in the last decade. Conclusions We found significant variation between current ALS guideline recommendations for treating anaphylaxis. While there is no new evidence to suggest a systematic review of guideline recommendations is needed, there may be an opportunity to produce more consistent international guideline recommendations and educational materials.

In this retrospective analysis, the Newborn Life Support (NLS) test scenario performance of participants of the Dutch Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS) course was assessed. Characteristics of participants and total amount of failures were collected. Failures were subdivided in (1) errors of omission; (2) errors of commission; and (3) unspecified if data was missing. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to assess differences between participant groups. In total, 23 out of 86 participants (27%) failed their NLS test scenario. Life support course instructors in general (20/21) passed their test scenario more often compared to other participants (43/65) (p = 0.008). In total 110 fail items were recorded; the most common errors being not assessing heart rate (error of omission) (n = 47) and inadequate performance of airway management (error of commission) (n = 24).Conclusion: A substantial part of NALS participants failed their NLS test scenario. Errors of omission could be reduced by the availability of a checklist/NLS algorithm. Life support course instructors possibly make less errors of commission due to retention of skills by teaching these skills at least twice a year. Therefore, our study suggests that neonatal basic life support skills should be retained by local assurance of training programmes. What is Known:• Retention of skills after life support courses decreases after three months.• Adherence to newborn life support guidelines is suboptimal. What is New:• NLS performance is suboptimal in participants for advanced neonatal life support.• Most common failures are not assessing heart rate and inadequate airway management.

Background: Pre-hospital emergency care workers (PECWs) often struggle to cope with an increasingly hostile environment while on duty. As a result, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst PECWs is on the rise and negatively affects their ability to treat patients. Further, PTSD could cloud PECWs’ clinical decision-making and judgement. This ultimately places strain on emergency care departments’ resources and directly affects patient care and service delivery. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which PECWs experience PTSD symptoms in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). Methods: A quantitative design and convenience sampling method were used. The research population for this study was all operational PECWs employed by the Eastern Cape Department of Health within the emergency medical services (EMS) in NMB. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire comprising two sections; the first section focused on respondents’ demographic information, and the second section was a validated PTSD questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were reviewed using Microsoft Excel. Results: Sixty-eight PECWs took part in the study. It was identified that of the 68 respondents, 41 (60.3%) showed symptoms of PTSD and could possibly be diagnosed with PTSD. The mean PTSD score was 42.01±17.354, ranging in the category of ‘possible diagnosis of PTSD’. The highest mean PTSD scores were reported among respondents who identified themselves as female (p

Adult advanced life support guidelines 2021 provided by the European Resuscitation Council in its largest extent do not differ significantly from equivalent guidelines published six years ago. However, some important points were further emphasized, and some protocols show new additions and structural changes. According to the new guidelines, there is a greater recognition that patients with both in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have premonitory signs, and that many of these arrests may be preventable. High-quality chest compressions with minimal interruption, early defibrillation, and treatment of reversible causes remained high priority steps in resuscitation process. New guidelines also recommend that, if an advanced airway is required, rescuers with a high tracheal intubation success rate should use this technique. With regard to using diagnostic procedures, medications, and special methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, newest guidelines also made new suggestions. According to these guidelines, when adrenaline is used, it should be used as soon as possible when the cardiac arrest rhythm is non-shockable, and after three defibrillation attempts for a shockable cardiac arrest rhythm. The guidelines recognise the increasing role of point-of-care ultrasound in peri-arrest care for diagnosis, but emphasis that it requires a skilled operator, and the need to minimise interruptions during chest compression. Additionally, 2015 guidelines suggested use of point-of-care ultrasound in diagnosing several various conditions with potential of causing cardiac arrest. However, 2021 guidelines limited indications in diagnosing only cardiac causes, such as tamponade or pneumothorax. The guidelines also reflect the increasing evidence for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a rescue therapy for selected patients with cardiac arrest when conventional advanced life support measures are failing or to facilitate specific interventions. Additionally, newest guidelines made significant changes in the order of steps used in the In/hospital resuscitation algorithm, as well as changes in several very important steps of treating tachycardias and high heart rate associated arrhythmias.

Objective The Novel Coronavirus19 (COVID19) arrived in northern New Jersey (NJ) in early March 2020, peaked at the beginning of April, and then declined. Starting in March, some patients who called 911 and required advanced life support (ALS) may have decompensated more rapidly than would have been expected, possibly because of concomitant COVID19 infection and/or delays in seeking medical care because of fear of exposure to the virus, and social isolation. In this study, our goal was to determine if there was an increase in prehospital ALS pronouncements and a decrease in ED visits for potentially serious conditions such as MI and stroke during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in northern NJ. Methods study design Retrospective cohort of prehospital patients pronounced dead by paramedics and patients with MI and stroke in the EDs of receiving hospitals of these paramedics. Study Setting and Population: Ten ground ALS units in northern NJ and nine receiving hospital EDs. Each ALS unit is staffed by two NJ-certified mobile intensive care paramedics and respond with a paramedic flycar in a two-tiered dispatch system. Data Analysis: We identified prehospital pronouncements using the EMSCharts electronic record (Zoll Medical, Chelmsford, Massachusetts). We tabulated the number of pronouncements by week from January 1 to June 30 in 2019 and 2020. We tabulated the combined total number of pronouncements and ED visits by month along with visits for MI and stroke and calculated the changes during the same timeframe. We used Chi-square to test for statistical significance for the monthly changes from 2019 to 2020. Results For January through June in 2019 and 2020, there were 12,210 and 13,200 ALS dispatches, and 366 and 555 prehospital pronouncements, respectively. In 2020, pronouncements rose from a weekly baseline of 13 in early March, reached a peak of 45 at the beginning of April, then returned to the baseline level by the end of May. April 2020, the month with the most pronouncements, had 183% more pronouncements than April 2019 but total ED visits and visits for MI and stroke were 49%, 46% and 42% less, respectively (p, Highlights • Beginning in March 2020 three events occurred simultaneously. • Coronavirus 19 arrived in northern New Jersey. • Prehospital paramedic pronouncements increased. • ED visits for myocardial infarction and stroke decreased. • The concurrence of these events suggests a possible etiologic connection.

Introduction The inter-healthcare transfer of the critically ill neonate is a critical aspect of larger neonatal intensive care, as it influences the safe transport of neonates from the receiving to the referring hospital. It is crucial then that the transfer process be safe and efficient so as not to compromise the already fragile condition of the neonate. The aim of the study was to understand the challenges advanced life support (ALS) paramedics face during neonatal transfers and to understand how the process could be made safer and more efficient. The objectives related to understanding the transfer process, the challenges linked to the critically ill neonate and the difficulties associated with the ambulance vehicle and equipment. Methods Using a qualitative research approach we sought the views of ALS paramedics at the forefront of transfers nationally. In-depth interviews were held with eight paramedics in KwaZulu-Natal and four focus group discussions with ALS paramedics in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State and the Western Cape in South Africa. A total of 35 ALS paramedics were involved in these group discussions. Results The study uncovered several challenges that paramedics face related to poor organisational preparation for transfer of the critically ill neonate, and other crucial issues that compromise the transfer such as inadequate or defective equipment. Conclusion There is a need for greater scrutiny of the transfer process and a commitment from stakeholders to begin addressing the challenges confronting the safe transfer of critically ill neonates.

Introduction Good quality basic life support (BLS) is associated with improved outcome from cardiac arrest. Chest compression fraction (CCF) is a BLS quality indicator, which may be influenced by the type of airway used. We aimed to assess CCF according to the airway strategy in the PARAMEDIC2 study: no advanced airway, supraglottic airway (SGA), tracheal intubation, or a combination of the two. Our hypothesis was that tracheal intubation was associated with a decrease in the CCF compared with alternative airway management strategies. Methods PARAMEDIC2 was a multicentre double-blinded placebo-controlled trial of adrenaline vs placebo in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Data showing compression rate and ratio from patients recruited by London Ambulance Service (LAS) as part of this study was collated and analysed according to the advanced airway used during the resuscitation attempt. Results CPR process data were available from 286/ 2058 (13.9%) of the total patients recruited by LAS. The mean compression rate for the first 5 min of data recording was the same in all groups (P = 0.272) and ranged from 104.2 (95% CI of mean: 100.5, 107.8) min−1 to 108.0 (95% CI of mean: 105.1, 108.3) min−1. The mean compression fraction was also similar across all groups (P = 0.159) and ranged between 74.7% and 78.4%. There was no difference in the compression rates and fractions across the airway management groups, regardless of the duration of CPR. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the compression fraction associated with the airway management strategy.