Category: News

 

Aims: To evaluate the association of basic life support with survival after sports-related sudden cardiac arrest (SR-SCA).

Methods and results: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a search of several databases from each database inception to 31 July 2021 without language restrictions was conducted. Studies were considered eligible if they evaluated one of three scenarios in patients with SR-SCA: (i) bystander presence, (ii) bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or (iii) bystander automated external defibrillator (AED) use and provided information on survival. Risk of bias was evaluated using Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions. The primary outcome was survival at the longest follow up. The meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach was used to rate certainty in the evidence. In total, 28 non-randomized studies were included. The meta-analysis showed significant benefit on survival in all three groups: bystander presence [odds ratio (OR) 2.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.48-4.37; I2 = 25%; 9 studies-988 patients], bystander CPR (OR 3.84, 95% CI 2.36-6.25; I2 = 54%; 23 studies-2523 patients), and bystander AED use (OR 5.25, 95% CI 3.58-7.70; I2 = 16%; 19 studies-1227 patients). The GRADE certainty of evidence was judged to be moderate.

Conclusion: In patients with SR-SCA, bystander presence, bystander CPR, and bystander AED use were significantly associated with survival. These results highlight the importance of witness intervention and encourage countries to develop their first aid training policy and AED installation in sport settings.

 

Aims: Data on sports-related sudden cardiac arrest (SrSCA) among young adults in the general population are scarce. We aimed to determine the overall SrSCA incidence, characteristics, and outcomes in young adults.

Methods and results: Prospective cohort study of all cases of SrSCA between 2012 and 2019 in Germany and Paris area, France, involving subjects aged 18-35 years. Detection of SrSCA was achieved via multiple sources, including emergency medical services (EMS) reporting and web-based screening of media releases. Cases and aetiologies were centrally adjudicated. Overall, a total of 147 SrSCA (mean age 28.1 ± 4.8 years, 95.2% males) occurred, with an overall burden of 4.77 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.85-6.68] cases per million-year, including 12 (8.2%) cases in young competitive athletes. While bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated in 114 (82.6%), automated external defibrillator (AED) use by bystanders occurred only in a minority (7.5%). Public AED use prior to EMS arrival (odds ratio 6.25, 95% CI 1.48-43.20, P = 0.02) was the strongest independent predictor of survival at hospital discharge (38.1%). Among cases that benefited from both immediate bystander CPR and AED use, survival rate was 90.9%. Coronary artery disease was the most frequent aetiology (25.8%), mainly through acute coronary syndrome (86.9%).

Conclusion: Sports-related sudden cardiac arrest in the young occurs mainly in recreational male sports participants. Public AED use remains disappointingly low, although survival may reach 90% among those who benefit from both bystander CPR and early defibrillation. Coronary artery disease is the most prevalent cause of SrSCA in young adults.

 

Background: The HEARTSafe Communities program promotes community efforts to improve systems for treating sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The study hypothesis was that the rates of SCA survival to admission, discharge, and discharge with CPC score 1 or 2 are higher in HEARTSafe-designated communities than non-designated communities in Connecticut, USA. Secondary outcomes included bystander CPR and AED application.

Methods: The state Office of EMS supplied a list of towns that are HEARTSafe-designated, and dates of designation. The Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival provided data for all SCA from 2013 to 2017 in the 70 participating towns. For each SCA, it was determined whether the town was HEARTSafe-designated at the time.

Results: Of 2922 SCA cases, 1569 (54%) occurred in towns that were HEARTSafe-designated. Patients in designated towns were 1.15 times more likely to have AEDs applied by bystanders, and 1.15 times more likely to have CPR started by bystanders, than were patients in non-designated towns, but these differences were not significance (p = 0.66 and 0.28). The likelihood of surviving to admission was 1.33 times higher (p = 0.02) in designated towns. The likelihood of surviving to discharge was 1.33 times higher, and of surviving to discharge with CPC 1 or 2 was 1.4 times higher, but these differences were not significant (p = 0.17 and 0.13).

Conclusion: SCA survival rates do not differ between HEARTSafe and non-HEARTSafe communities in Connecticut. SCA patients in HEARTSafe communities are no more likely to receive bystander AED application or bystander CPR.

Sudden cardiac events during sports competition are rare but tragic occurrences that require a timely, comprehensive response by well-prepared athletic trainers and medical providers. This sequence should prioritize prompt emergency medical system activation, immediate initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated early defibrillation (AED), and comprehensive advanced life support efforts.» Exercise-induced cardiac remodeling, referred to as the “athlete’s heart,” refers to a host of adaptive changes that increase cardiac chamber size and wall thickness to allow for greater pressures and volumes during exercise. This remodeling phenotype may overlap with other inherited cardiomyopathies and cardiac abnormalities, which can complicate clinical care. The long-term implications of this electrical and structural remodeling on cardiac function are unknown.» Although the best screening strategies to optimize primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest is an evolving topic, the effectiveness of CPR and early defibrillation use in treating out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest has been well-established, despite their reported underuse.

 

Objective: To evaluate the provision of bystander interventions and rates of survival after exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Design: Systematic review.

Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, Sport Discus, Cochrane Library and grey literature sources were searched from inception to November/December 2020.

Study eligibility criteria: Observational studies assessing a population of exercise-related SCA (out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occurred during exercise or within 1 hour of cessation of activity), where bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and/or automated external defibrillator (AED) use were reported, and survival outcomes were ascertained.

Methods: Among all included studies, the median (IQR) proportions of bystander CPR and bystander AED use, as well as median (IQR) rate of survival to hospital discharge, were calculated.

Results: A total of 29 studies were included in this review, with a median study duration of 78.7 months and a median sample size of 91. Most exercise-related SCA patients were male (median: 92%, IQR: 86%-96%), middle-aged (median: 51, IQR: 39-56 years), and presented with a shockable arrest rhythm (median: 78%, IQR: 62%-86%). Bystander CPR was initiated in a median of 71% (IQR: 59%-87%) of arrests, whereas bystander AED use occurred in a median of 31% (IQR: 19%-42%) of arrests. Among the 19 studies that reported survival to hospital discharge, the median rate of survival was 32% (IQR: 24%-49%). Studies which evaluated the relationship between bystander interventions and survival outcomes reported that both bystander CPR and AED use were associated with survival after exercise-related SCA.

Conclusion: Exercise-related SCA occurs predominantly in males and presents with a shockable ventricular arrhythmia in most cases, emphasizing the importance of rapid access to defibrillation. Further efforts are needed to promote early recognition and a rapid bystander response to exercise-related SCA.

Billions of travelers pass through airports around the world every year. Airports are a relatively common location for sudden cardiac arrest when compared with other public venues. An increased incidence of cardiac arrest in airports may be due to the large volume of movement, the stress of travel, or adverse effects related to the physiological environment of airplanes. Having said that, airports are associated with extremely high rates of witnessed arrests, bystander interventions (eg. CPR and AED use), shockable arrest rhythms, and survival to hospital discharge. Large numbers of people, a high density of public-access AEDs, and on-site emergency medical services (EMS) resources are probably the major reasons why cardiac arrest outcomes are so favorable at airports. The success of the chain of survival found at airports may imply that applying similar practices to other public venues will translate to improvements in cardiac arrest survival. Airports might, therefore, be one model of cardiac arrest preparedness that other public areas should emulate.