Out-of-Hospital Pediatric Cardiac Arrest: An Epidemiologic Review and Assessment of Current Knowledge
Received 13 December 2004; received in revised form 21 March 2005, 12 May 2005 and 27 May 2005; accepted 31 May 2005. published online 08 August 2005.
Study objective
We systematically summarize pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest epidemiology and assess knowledge of effects of specific out-of-hospital interventions.
Methods
We conducted a comprehensive review of published articles from 1966 to 2004, available through MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EmBase, and the Cochrane Registry, describing outcomes of children younger than 18 years with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Patient characteristics, process of care, and outcomes were compared using pediatric Utstein outcome report guidelines. Effects of out-of-hospital care processes on survival outcomes were summarized.
Results
Forty-one studies met inclusion criteria; 8 complied with Utstein reporting guidelines. Included in the review were 5,363 patients: 12.1% survived to hospital discharge, and 4% survived neurologically intact. Trauma patients (n=2,299) had greater overall survival (21.9%, 6.8% intact); a separate examination of studies with more rigorous cardiac arrest definition showed poorer survival (1.1% overall, 0.3% neurologically intact). Submersion injury–associated arrests (n=442) had greater overall survival (22.7%, 6% intact). Pooled data analysis of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and witnessed arrest status showed increased likelihood of survival (relative risk 1.99, 95% confidence interval 1.54 to 2.57) for witnessed arrests. The effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation is difficult to determine because of study heterogeneity.
Conclusion
Outcomes from out-of-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest are generally poor. Variability may exist in survival by patient subgroups, but differences are hard to accurately characterize. Conformity with Utstein guidelines for reporting and research design is incomplete. Witnessed arrest status remains associated with improved survival. The need for prospective controlled trials remains a high priority.
SEE EDITORIAL, P. 523.
From the Division of Critical Care Medicine (Donoghue, Nadkarni), Division of Emergency Medicine (Donoghue), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; the Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Arizona School of Medicine, Tucson, AZ (Berg); the Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada (Osmond); and the Department of Emergency Medicine (Osmond, Stiell), Ottawa Health Research Institute (Wells, Nesbitt, Stiell), Department of Epidemiology (Wells, Stiell), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Address for reprints: Aaron J. Donoghue, MD, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104; 215-590-1289, fax 215-590-4454
Supervising editors: Peter C. Wyer, MD; Michael L. Callaham, MD
Funding and support: The authors report this study was supported by National Institutes of Health grant 5R21HD 044975-02.
ABSTRACT