Neurological Outcome of Chest Compression-Only Bystander CPR in Asphyxial and Non-Asphyxial Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: According to guidelines and bystander skill, two different methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are feasible: standard CPR (S-CPR) with mouth-to-mouth ventilations and chest compression-only CPR (CO-CPR) without rescue breathing. CO-CPR appears to be most effective for cardiac causes, but there is a lack of evidence for asphyxial causes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Thus, the aim of our study was to compare CO-CPR versus S-CPR in adult OHCA from medical etiologies and assess neurologic outcome in asphyxial and non-asphyxial causes.Methods: Using the French National OHCA Registry (RéAC), we performed a multicenter retrospective study over a five-year period (2013 to 2017). All adult-witnessed OHCA who had benefited from either S-CPR or CO-CPR by bystanders were included. Non-medical causes as well as professional rescuers as witnesses were excluded. The primary end point was 30-day neurological outcome in a weighted population for all medical causes, and then for asphyxial, non-asphyxial and cardiac causes. Results: Of the 8 619 subjects included for all medical causes, 6 742 had a non-asphyxial etiology, including 5 904 of cardiac causes, and 1 710 had an asphyxial OHCA. 8.6%; 95% CI [8.1-9.3] of subjects had a good neurological outcome (i.e. cerebral performance category of 1 or 2). Bystanders who performed S-CPR began more often immediately (89.0%; 95% CI [87.3-90.5] versus 78.2%; 95% CI [77.2-79.2]) and in younger subjects (64.1 years versus 65.7; p < 0.001). In the weighted population, subjects receiving bystander-initiated CO-CPR had an adjusted relative risk (aRR) of 1.04; 95% CI [0.79-1.38] of having a good neurological outcome at 30 days for all medical causes, 1.28; 95% CI [0.92-1.77] for asphyxial etiologies, 1.08; 95% CI [0.80-1.46] for non-asphyxial etiologies and 1.09; 95% CI [0.93-1.28] for cardiac-related OHCA.Conclusions: We observed no significant difference in neurological outcome when lay bystanders of OHCA initiated CO-CPR or S-CPR, whether the cause was asphyxial or not. CO-CPR should probably be promoted in adults because it has many advantages (easier to learn and lower infection risk).

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on functional outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a post-hoc analysis of a French and North-American dataset

“…We used data entered into the French National OHCA Registry (RéAC) from July 2011 to March 2018. RéAC included all patients with OHCA managed by emergency medical services (EMSs) in France and has been described elsewhere [23–27]. Each mobile EMS unit in France is staffed by at least an ambulance driver, a nurse and a senior emergency physician equipped with the skills and material needed to provide on-scene advanced life support.…”