Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest - November 8, 2024

Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is an assortment of current events and news related to emergency cardiac care and resuscitation. Produced by Code One Training Solutions, Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is published every Friday throughout the year.

In the sorrow of the vast mediocrity that drowns us from everywhere, I find solace in knowing that somewhere, in a small room, some stubborn people struggle to neutralize the decay.

Odysseas Elytis

Research unveils method for defibrillation using less energy

In a paper published this week in Chaos, by AIP (American Institute of Physics) Publishing, researchers from Sergio Arboleda University in Bogotá, Colombia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta used an electrophysiological computer model of the heart’s electrical circuits to examine the effect of the applied voltage field in multiple fibrillation-defibrillation scenarios. They discovered far less energy is needed than is currently used in state-of-the-art defibrillation techniques.
The authors applied an adjoint optimization method, which aims to achieve a desired result, defibrillation in this case, by solving the electrophysiologic model for a given voltage input and looping backward through time to determine the correction to the voltage profile that will successfully defibrillate irregular heart activity while reducing the energy the most.

Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241105/Research-unveils-method-for-defibrillation-using-less-energy.aspx

Do’s and Do NOTs for bystander CPR

NYPD bodycam footage from the Jordan Neely trial underscores the importance of hands-only CPR and AED use when faced with an unresponsive subject
On May 1, 2023, NYPD officers responded to a New York City subway train after Daniel Penny, a former Marine, held Jordan Neely, a homeless man, in a chokehold for 6-minutes. When officers arrived, Neely was unresponsive. Police and EMS were unable to resuscitate Neely and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Penny is standing trial for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Neither Penny’s response to Neely’s erratic actions after boarding the train, nor his assessment or treatment of Neely are the focus of this article. Instead, this incident is an opportunity to review the assessment of a person who is unresponsive and the importance of delivering chest compressions as soon as possible and using an AED.

Read on: https://www.police1.com/police-products/medical/aeds/dos-and-do-nots-for-bystander-cpr

Incidence and Outcomes After Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest at Train Stations in Denmark

Train stations have a higher incidence of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) compared with other public locations. Furthermore, early defibrillation after OHCA is associated with survival rates of up to 56%. Acknowledging these factors, earlier European resuscitation guidelines recommended deploying automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at high‐risk sites such as airports and train stations.
This observational study analyzed OHCAs at all train stations in Denmark from 2016 to 2020. Our data include OHCAs geocoded to train station locations.

Learn more about this study: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.035733

Intraosseous and Intravenous Epinephrine Administration Routes in Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Survival and Neurologic Outcomes

The rate of survival after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest varies depending on the timeliness and effectiveness of prehospital interventions. This study was conducted to compare out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest outcomes between intravenous and intraosseous routes and between upper and lower extremity routes for drug administration.
Researchers retrospectively analyzed data (collected using the Utstein template) from 1220 patients who had experienced out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest in Taiwan’s Taoyuan City between January 2021 and August 2023.

Learn more here: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.124.036739

Bystander defibrillations have lasting positive effects

Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics are emphasising the importance of early intervention for cardiac arrest cases, following a study that found a defibrillator shock from a bystander can vastly improve survivors’ quality of life 12 months on.
The data was released as part of AV’s month-long Shocktober campaign, which highlights the life-saving importance of learning CPR and knowing how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
The Victorian study interviewed 1520 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients who had a shockable heart rhythm and survived 12 months after cardiac arrest.
Of the participants, about 72 per cent were first shocked by paramedics, about 18 per cent were shocked by first responders and about 10 per cent by bystanders.

Learn about their findings: https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/surfcoasttimes/living/bystander-defibrillations-have-lasting-positive-effects/

Community ‘Defib Dash’ to fund 20 AEDs

Local life-saving campaigners from Southport Saviours are set to take on their ambitious ‘Defib Dash’ across town this November.
Taking place on Sunday, 24 November 2024, Southport Saviours are inviting everyone to join in, whether by running, walking, or cycling, to support a cause that could genuinely be a matter of life and death for those in the community.
Southport Saviours has already made a significant impact by installing 20 defibrillators across the town, providing round-the-clock access to these life-saving devices.

See more: https://theguideliverpool.com/join-southport-saviours-defib-dash-this-november-and-help-save-lives

Kirkland’s New AED Installation

Through a donation from Project 100, the city of Kirkland has installed an automated external defibrillator at Crestwoods Park.
The AED is mounted on the restroom building between two ballfields. It is housed in a SaveStation cabinet, which includes heating and ventilation for year-round use, an alarm, built-in camera, and 24/7 monitoring. There are step-by-step, verbal instructions to help guide users through an emergency, a release from the city said.
“Seconds matter in a cardiac emergency,” said Councilmember John Tymczyszyn in a press statement. “We’re grateful to Project 100 for this donation, which will help make Crestwoods safer for all park visitors and may potentially save lives.”

Source: https://www.425magazine.com/wellness/kirkland-automated-external-defibrilator-crestwoods-park/article_bc2ce5a4-9c63-11ef-9e4a-b74571862271.html

Automated External Defibrillators Now Required at All City, Larger Township, and County Sports and Recreation Locations in Ohio

The Ohio legislature recently passed House Bill 47, effective October 24, 2024, which now requires, among other things, the controlling authority of all sports and recreation locations maintained and operated by Ohio cities, larger townships, and counties under R.C. §§755.12 to 755.18 to place an automated external defibrillator (AED) at each such location under its control.
For purposes of the legislation, “sports and recreation locations” include indoor recreation centers and facilities, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and playing fields that are designated, operated, and maintained for those uses. The Bill does not apply to Ohio villages, townships with a population under 5,000, and parks districts created under R.C. Chapter 1545.

Read on: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/automated-external-defibrillators-now-7581960/

Sweetwater Union high school students receive CPR training | NBC 7 San Diego

Ninth and tenth grade students from the Sweetwater Union High School District trained for a real-world emergency. It’s part of an initiative to teach one million San Diegans to perform CPR. NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada explains why this skill could make a difference in a matter of life or death.

Estevan unveils first outdoor AED SaveStation at Churchill Park

Community leaders gathered to inaugurate the new installation, designed to provide 24/7 access to an AED in cases of sudden cardiac arrest – a condition in which an immediate response is essential to survival.
The opening ceremony saw attendance from Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig, city councillors and staff, and members of the Estevan Police Service, Estevan Fire Rescue Service and Estevan EMS.
Ludwig addressed the group, expressing his gratitude for the community’s collective effort in making the SaveStation possible, including support from CPKC Rail, which contributed over $11,000 in grant funding.

Source: https://www.sasktoday.ca/southeast/estevan-mercury/estevan-unveils-first-outdoor-aed-savestation-at-churchill-park-9733581

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) is currently publishing a number of Draft Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations (CoSTRs) for public comment.

The International Advisory Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) is dedicated to saving lives globally through resuscitation. ILCOR’s mission is driven by our dedicated Task Forces. These teams of international experts in cardiovascular and emergency care conduct thorough reviews of the latest scientific research, resulting in guidelines and recommendations that shape emergency care practices around the world. Whether in hospitals or non-hospital settings, their work ensures that everyone receives the most effective treatments when it matters most, no matter where they live.

Check out their latest drafts (known as CoSTRs) available for public comment: https://costr.ilcor.org/

ENCORE: Communities are calling on their municipalities to support holistic, locally tailored, community-led public safety solutions for SCA

Communities are calling on their municipalities to support holistic, locally tailored, community-led public safety solutions that combine improved accountability with greater investments in prevention and interventional capacity.
These solutions should focus on improving citizen and visitor safety through data collection and sharing strategies, and creating community-led collaborations that foster mutual trust and optimize the integrated use of available local resources.
The Citizen CPR Foundation encourages the establishment of a diverse, community based team for the purposes of providing leadership, accountability and culture of collaboration with a focus on issues related to sudden cardiac arrest. By bringing the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, they will create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of both organizations and the community.

Learn more about their HEARTSafe program here: https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf

VIDEO ARCHIVE- How Historical Body Identification Created the CPR Dummy

The history of CPR training and the CPR dummy goes a long way back into Paris history. Her face is one of the most well-known in the world. But who was she and how did her face become a model for the CPR dummy we still use today.

SPOTLIGHT: The Laerdal Foundation

The Laerdal Foundation was established in 1980 in collaboration with the University of Oslo to provide financial support to practically oriented research projects that can help prevent needless deaths from sudden cardiac arrest, trauma, and during birth. The Board will prioritize applications in the focus areas defined in its strategy, that are considered to have a high potential to improve patient outcomes. The Board further believes there is particular opportunity for helping save lives at birth in low-resource settings and have therefore earmarked 50% of the grants to the category Saving Lives at Birth in Low-Resource Settings. The Foundation shares the mission with the Laerdal company of helping save lives but operates independently from the Laerdal companies under the regulation of the Norwegian Foundation’s Act.

Learn more: https://laerdalfoundation.org/

Did you catch something in the news related to resuscitation recently that you would like to see in this digest? Want to spotlight an event or activity aimed at improving cardiac arrest outcomes?

Feel free to email david@code1web.com