Previous studies on sex differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) had limited scope and yielded conflicting results. We aimed to provide a comprehensive overall view on sex differences in ...care utilization, and outcome of OHCA.
We performed a population-based cohort-study, analysing all emergency medical service (EMS) treated resuscitation attempts in one province of the Netherlands (2006-2012). We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for the association of sex and chance of a resuscitation attempt by EMS, shockable initial rhythm (SIR), and in-hospital treatment using logistic regression analysis. Additionally, we provided an overview of sex differences in overall survival and survival at successive stages of care, in the entire study population and in patients with SIR. We identified 5717 EMS-treated OHCAs (28.0% female). Women with OHCA were less likely than men to receive a resuscitation attempt by a bystander (67.9% vs. 72.7%; P < 0.001), even when OHCA was witnessed (69.2% vs. 73.9%; P < 0.001). Women who were resuscitated had lower odds than men for overall survival to hospital discharge OR 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48-0.67; 12.5% vs. 20.1%; P < 0.001, survival from OHCA to hospital admission (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.99; 33.6% vs. 36.6%; P = 0.033), and survival from hospital admission to discharge (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.40-0.60; 33.1% vs. 51.7%). This was explained by a lower rate of SIR in women (33.7% vs. 52.7%; P < 0.001). After adjustment for resuscitation parameters, female sex remained independently associated with lower SIR rate.
In case of OHCA, women are less often resuscitated by bystanders than men. When resuscitation is attempted, women have lower survival rates at each successive stage of care. These sex gaps are likely explained by lower rate of SIR in women, which can only partly be explained by resuscitation characteristics.
In recent years, a wider use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to treat out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was advocated in The Netherlands. We aimed to establish whether survival with ...favorable neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has significantly increased, and, if so, whether this is attributable to AED use.
We performed a population-based cohort study, including patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from cardiac causes between 2006 and 2012, excluding emergency medical service-witnessed arrests. We determined survival status at each stage (to emergency department, to admission, and to discharge) and examined temporal trends using logistic regression analysis with year of resuscitation as an independent variable. By adding each covariable subsequently to the regression model, we investigated their impact on the odds ratio of year of resuscitation. Analyses were performed according to initial rhythm (shockable versus nonshockable) and AED use. Rates of survival with favorable neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increased significantly (N=6133, 16.2% to 19.7%; P for trend=0.021), although solely in patients presenting with a shockable initial rhythm (N=2823; 29.1% to 41.4%; P for trend<0.001). In this group, survival increased at each stage but was strongest in the prehospital phase (odds ratio, 1.11 95% CI, 1.06-1.16). Rates of AED use almost tripled during the study period (21.4% to 59.3%; P for trend <0.001), thereby decreasing time from emergency call to defibrillation-device connection (median, 9.9 to 8.0 minutes; P<0.001). AED use statistically explained increased survival with favorable neurologic outcome by decreasing the odds ratio of year of resuscitation to a nonsignificant 1.04.
Increased AED use is associated with increased survival in patients with a shockable initial rhythm. We recommend continuous efforts to introduce or extend AED programs.
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are placed in public, but the majority of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur at home.
In residential areas, 785 AEDs were placed and 5735 volunteer ...responders were recruited. For suspected OHCA, dispatchers activated nearby volunteer responders with text messages, directing two-thirds to an AED first and one-third directly to the patient. We analysed survival (primary outcome) and neurologically favourable survival to discharge, time to first defibrillation shock, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before Emergency Medical Service (EMS) arrival of patients in residences found with ventricular fibrillation (VF), before and after introduction of this text-message alert system. Survival from OHCAs in residences increased from 26% to 39% {adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.5 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-2.0}. RR for neurologically favourable survival was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.99-2.0). No CPR before ambulance arrival decreased from 22% to 9% (RR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.7). Text-message-responders with AED administered shocks to 16% of all patients in VF in residences, while defibrillation by EMS decreased from 73% to 39% in residences (P < 0.001). Defibrillation by first responders in residences increased from 22 to 40% (P < 0.001). Use of public AEDs in residences remained unchanged (6% and 5%) (P = 0.81). Time from emergency call to defibrillation decreased from median 11.7 to 9.3 min; mean difference -2.6 (95% CI: -3.5 to -1.6).
Introducing volunteer responders directed to AEDs, dispatched by text-message was associated with significantly reduced time to first defibrillation, increased bystander CPR and increased overall survival for OHCA patients in residences found with VF.
There have been few studies on the effectiveness of bystander automated external defibrillator (AED) use in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The objective of this study was to determine whether actual ...use of onsite or dispatched AED reduces the time to first shock compared with no AED use and thereby improves survival.
We performed a population-based cohort study of 2833 consecutive patients with a nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest before emergency medical system arrival between 2006 and 2009. The primary outcome, neurologically intact survival to discharge, was compared by use of multivariable logistic regression analysis. An onsite AED had been applied in 128 of the 2833 cases, a dispatched AED in 478, and no AED in 2227. Onsite AED use reduced the time to first shock from 11 to 4.1 minute. Neurologically intact survival was 49.6% for patients treated with an onsite AED compared with 14.3% without an AED (unadjusted odds ratio, 5.63; 95% confidence interval, 3.91-8.10). The odds ratio remained statistically significant after adjustment for confounding (odds ratio, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.77-4.18). Dispatched AED use reduced the time from call to first shock to 8.5 minutes. Neurologically intact survival was 17.2% for patients treated with a dispatched AED (unadjusted odds ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-1.39). Every year, onsite AEDs saved 3.6 lives per 1 million inhabitants; dispatched AEDs saved 1.2 lives.
The use of an onsite AED leads to a doubling of neurologically intact survival. In our system, the survival benefit of dispatched AED use was much smaller than that of onsite AED use.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) accounts for half of all cardiac deaths in Europe. In recent years, large-scale SCA registries have been set up to enable observational studies into risk factors and the ...effect of treatment approaches. The increasing scale and variety of data sources, coupled with the implementation of a new European data protection legal framework, causes researchers to struggle with how to handle these 'big data'. Data protection in the SCA setting is especially complex since patients become at least temporarily incapacitated, and are thus unable to provide prospective informed consent, and because the majority of patients do not survive. A narrative review employing a systematic literature search was conducted to thematically analyse ethical aspects of non-interventional emergency medicine and critical care research. Although the identified issues may apply to a wider patient population, we describe them within the context of SCA research. Potential harms were found to include: privacy breaches, genetic discrimination and issues associated with the disclosure of individual findings, study design and application of research results. Measures proposed to mitigate harms were: alternative informed consent models including deferred or waived consent and data governance approaches promoting data security, responsible sharing and public engagement. The themes identified in this study may serve as a basis for a much-needed ethical framework regarding research with data from patients with acute and critical illness such as SCA.
This crossover randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated differences in short-term entero-endocrine response to a mixed-meal tolerance test preceded by nutrient sensing between participants with ...pre-diabetes (pre-T2D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, differences in gut and oral microbiome composition between participants with a high and low entero-endocrine response were investigated. Ten participants with pre-T2D and ten with T2D underwent three test days with pre-loads consisting of either swallowing water (control), or rinsing with a non-nutritive sweetener solution, or swallowing the sweetener solution before a mixed-meal tolerance test. Blood glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucagon, glucose, insulin and peptide YY (PYY) were determined at t = -20, 0, 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 minutes. The composition of the oral and gut microbiome at baseline were also determined. The entero-endocrine response differed by pre-loads, e.g. a lower PYY response after swallowing the non-nutritive sweetener (-3585.2pg/mL 95% CI: -6440.6; -729.8; p = 0.01). But it also differed by T2D status, e.g. a higher glucose, glucagon and PYY response was found in participants with T2D, compared to those with pre-T2D. Evidence for associations between the oral and gut microbiome composition and the entero-endocrine response was limited. Still, the level of entero-endocrine response was associated with several oral microbiome measures. Higher oral anterior alpha-diversity was associated with a lower PYY response (e.g. Inverse Simpson index -1357pg/mL 95% CI -2378; -336; 1.24), and higher oral posterior alpha-diversitywith a higher GIP response (e.g. Inverse Simpson index 6773pg/mL 95% CI 132; 13414) in models adjusted for sex, age and T2D status. Non-nutritive pre-loads influence the entero-endocrine response to a mixed-meal, and this effect varies based on (pre-)T2D status. The entero-endocrine response is likely not associated with the gut microbiome, and there is limited evidence for association with the alpha-diversity of the oral microbiome composition.
People with epilepsy are at increased risk for sudden death. The most prevalent cause of sudden death in the general population is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). ...SCA may contribute to the increased incidence of sudden death in people with epilepsy. We assessed whether the risk for SCA is increased in epilepsy by determining the risk for SCA among people with active epilepsy in a community-based study.
This investigation was part of the Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies (ARREST) in the Netherlands. It was designed to assess SCA risk in the general population. All SCA cases in the study area were identified and matched to controls (by age, sex, and SCA date). A diagnosis of active epilepsy was ascertained in all cases and controls. Relative risk for SCA was estimated by calculating the adjusted odds ratios using conditional logistic regression (adjustment was made for known risk factors for SCA). We identified 1019 cases of SCA with ECG-documented VF, and matched them to 2834 controls. There were 12 people with active epilepsy among cases and 12 among controls. Epilepsy was associated with a three-fold increased risk for SCA (adjusted OR 2.9 95%CI 1.1-8.0., p=0.034). The risk for SCA in epilepsy was particularly increased in young and females.
Epilepsy in the general population seems to be associated with an increased risk for SCA.
Activated blood platelet products facilitate myocardial intracellular Ca2+ overload, thereby provoking afterdepolarizations and increasing susceptibility of ischemic myocardium to ventricular ...fibrillation (VF). These effects are counteracted in vitro by acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), but no prior study investigated whether ASA is associated with decreased out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) risk on a population level. Therefore, we studied whether ASA and other antiplatelet drugs (carbasalate calcium, clopidogrel) are associated with decreased risk of OHCA.
We conducted a population-based case-control study among individuals (772 OHCA-cases with documented VT/VF, 2444 non-OHCA-controls) who had used antiplatelet drugs in the year before index-date (OHCA-date), and studied the association between current antiplatelet drug use and OHCA-risk with multivariable logistic regression analysis.
ASA use was associated with reduced OHCA-risk (adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) 0.6 0.5-0.8), and more so in women (ORadj 0.3 0.2-0.6) than in men (ORadj 0.7 0.5-0.95, Pinteraction 0.021). Carbasalate calcium was associated with decreased OHCA-risk in women (ORadj 0.5 0.3-0.9), but not in men (ORadj 1.3 0.96-1.7, Pinteraction 0.005). Clopidogrel was not associated with reduction in OHCA-risk. Risk reduction associated with ASA in patients with OHCA was similar in the presence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (ORadj 0.6 0.4-0.9) and in the absence of AMI (ORadj 0.7 0.4-1.2).
ASA use was associated with reduced OHCA-risk in both sexes, and more so in women, while carbasalate calcium only protected women. Clopidogrel was not associated with reduced OHCA-risk.
Despite major advancements in cardiovascular medicine, sudden cardiac death (SCD) continues to be an enormous medical and societal challenge, claiming millions of lives every year. Efforts to prevent ...SCD are hampered by imperfect risk prediction and inadequate solutions to specifically address arrhythmogenesis. Although resuscitation strategies have witnessed substantial evolution, there is a need to strengthen the organisation of community interventions and emergency medical systems across varied locations and health-care structures. With all the technological and medical advances of the 21st century, the fact that survival from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains lower than 10% in most parts of the world is unacceptable. Recognising this urgent need, the Lancet Commission on SCD was constituted, bringing together 30 international experts in varied disciplines. Consistent progress in tackling SCD will require a completely revamped approach to SCD prevention, with wide-sweeping policy changes that will empower the development of both governmental and community-based programmes to maximise survival from SCA, and to comprehensively attend to survivors and decedents’ families after the event. International collaborative efforts that maximally leverage and connect the expertise of various research organisations will need to be prioritised to properly address identified gaps. The Commission places substantial emphasis on the need to develop a multidisciplinary strategy that encompasses all aspects of SCD prevention and treatment. The Commission provides a critical assessment of the current scientific efforts in the field, and puts forth key recommendations to challenge, activate, and intensify efforts by both the scientific and global community with new directions, research, and innovation to reduce the burden of SCD worldwide.
Investigate whether aiding sleep by online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can improve glycemic and metabolic control, mood, quality of life (QoL) and insomnia symptoms in people ...with type 2 diabetes and assess the mediating role of lifestyle factors.
Adults with type 2 diabetes and insomnia symptoms were randomly assigned to CBT-I or care as usual. At baseline, three and six months we assessed HbA1c as primary outcome and glycemic control, metabolic outcomes, sleep, mood and QoL as secondary outcomes. Mixed models were used to determine within-person and between-persons differences in outcomes and mediation analysis for lifestyle factors.
We randomized 29 participants to CBT-I and 28 to care as usual. Intention-to-treat analysis showed no significant differences in glycemic control, metabolic outcomes, anger, distress or QoL, but showed a significantly larger decrease in insomnia (−1.37(2.65: 0.09)) and depressive symptoms (−0.92(-1.77: 0.06)) and increase in BMI (0.29 kg/m2(0.00:0.57)) in the intervention compared to the control group. Only half of the intervention participants completed the CBT-I. Per protocol analysis showed a not statistically significant decrease in HbA1c (−2.10 mmol/l(-4.83:0.63)) and glucose (−0.39 mmol/l(-1.19:0.42)), metabolic outcomes and increase in QoL. Furthermore, the intervention group showed a significant decrease in insomnia (−2.22(-3.65: 0.78)) and depressive symptoms (−1.18(-2.17: 0.19)) compared to the control group. Lifestyle factors partially mediated the effect of the intervention.
CBT-I might improve insomnia symptoms and mood, and perhaps improves glycemic control, albeit not significant, in people with type 2 diabetes and insomnia symptoms, compared to care as usual.
•Insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent in people with type 2 diabetes.•Can we improve glycemic status by improving sleep through CBT-I?•CBT-I improves insomnia symptoms and mood, and might improve glycemic control and QoL.•Lifestyle factors partially mediated the effect of CBT-I.
PDF
