Aim Outcomes for pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are poor. Our objective was to determine temporal trends in incidence and mortality for pediatric OHCA. Methods Adjusted incidence and hospital mortality rates of pediatric non-traumatic OHCA patients from 2007-2012 were analyzed using the 9 region Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium - Epidemiological Registry (ROC-Epistry) database. Children were divided into 4 age groups: perinatal (< 3 days), infants (3 days - 1 year), children (1 - 11 years), and adolescents (12 - 19 years). ROC regions were analyzed post-hoc. Results We studied 1,738 children with OHCA. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of OHCA was 8.3 per 100,000 person-years (75.3 for infants vs. 3.7 for children and 6.3 for adolescents, per 100,000 person-years, p<0.001). Incidence rates differed by year (p<0.001) without overall linear trend. Annual survival rates ranged from 6.7-10.2%. Survival was highest in the perinatal (25%) and adolescent (17.3%) groups. Stratified by age group, survival rates over time were unchanged (all p>0.05) but there was a non-significant linear trend (1.3% increase) in infants. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, infants, unwitnessed event, initial rhythm of asystole, and region were associated with worse survival, all p<0.001. Survival by region ranged from 2.6-14.7%. Regions with the highest survival had more cases of EMS-witnessed OHCA, bystander CPR, and increased EMS-defibrillation (all p<0.05). Conclusions Overall incidence and survival of children with OHCA in ROC regions did not significantly change over a recent 5 year period. Regional variation represents an opportunity for further study to improve outcomes.

Objective To determine if arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide abnormalities in the first 24 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) are associated with increased mortality in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods We used data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC), including adult OHCA with sustained ROSC ≥1 h after Emergency Department arrival and at least one arterial blood gas (ABG) measurement. Among ABGs measured during the first 24 h of hospitalization, we identified the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 ≥ 300 mmHg), hypoxemia (PaO2 < 60 mmHg), hypercarbia (PaCO2 > 50 mmHg) and hypocarbia (PaCO2 < 30 mmHg). We evaluated the associations between oxygen and carbon dioxide abnormalities and hospital mortality, adjusting for confounders. Results Among 9186 OHCA included in the analysis, hospital mortality was 67.3%. Hyperoxemia, hypoxemia, hypercarbia, and hypocarbia occurred in 26.5%, 19.0%, 51.0% and 30.6%, respectively. Initial hyperoxemia only was not associated with hospital mortality (adjusted OR 1.10; 95% CI: 0.97–1.26). However, final and any hyperoxemia (1.25; 1.11–1.41) were associated with increased hospital mortality. Initial (1.58; 1.30–1.92), final (3.06; 2.42–3.86) and any (1.76; 1.54–2.02) hypoxemia (PaO2 < 60 mmHg) were associated with increased hospital mortality. Initial (1.89; 1.70–2.10); final (2.57; 2.18–3.04) and any (1.85; 1.67–2.05) hypercarbia (PaCO2 > 50 mmHg) were associated with increased hospital mortality. Initial (1.13; 0.90–1.41), final (1.19; 1.04–1.37) and any (1.01; 0.91–1.12) hypocarbia (PaCO2 < 30 mmHg) were not associated with hospital mortality. Conclusions In the first 24 h after ROSC, abnormal post-arrest oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions are associated with increased out of-hospital cardiac arrest mortality.

Background Survival is less than 10% for pediatric patients following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It is not known if more time on the scene of the cardiac arrest and advanced life support interventions by emergency services personnel are associated with improved survival. Aim This study was performed to determine which times on the scene and which prehospital interventions were associated with improved survival. Methods We studied patients aged 3 days to 19 years old with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, using the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium cardiac arrest database from 11 North American regions, from 2005 to 2012. We evaluated survival to hospital discharge according to on-scene times (< 10, 10 to 35 and > 35 minutes). Results Data were available for 2244 patients (1017 infants, 594 children and 633 adolescents). Infants had the lowest rate of survival (3.7%) compared to children (9.8%) and adolescents (16.3%). Survival improved over the 7 year study period especially among adolescents. Survival was highest in the 10 to 35 minute on-scene time group (10.2%) compared to the > 35 minute group (6.9%) and the < 10 minute group (5.3%, p=0.01). Intravenous or intra-osseous access attempts and fluid administration were associated with improved survival, whereas advanced airway attempts were not associated with survival and resuscitation drugs were associated with worse survival. Conclusions In this observational study, a scene time of 10 to 35 minutes was associated with the highest survival, especially among adolescents. Access for fluid resuscitation was associated with increased survival but advanced airway and resuscitation drugs were not.

Advanced airway management – such as endotracheal intubation (ETI) or supraglottic airway (SGA) insertion – is one of the most prominent interventions in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation. While randomized controlled trials are currently in progress to identify the best advanced airway technique in OHCA, the mechanisms by which airway management may influence OHCA outcomes remain unknown. We provide a conceptual model describing potential mechanisms linking advanced airway management with OHCA outcomes.