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BACKGROUND: In the Prehospital Tranexamic Acid (TXA) for TBI Trial, TXA administered within two hours of injury in the out-of-hospital setting did not reduce mortality in all patients with moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). We examined the association between TXA dosing arms, neurologic outcome, and mortality in patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) on computed tomography (CT). METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of the Prehospital Tranexamic Acid for TBI Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov [NCT01990768]) that randomized adults with moderate/severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale<13) and systolic blood pressure > =90 mmHg within two hours of injury to a 2-gram out-of-hospital TXA bolus followed by an in-hospital saline infusion, a 1-gram out-of-hospital TXA bolus/1-gram in-hospital TXA infusion, or an out-of-hospital saline bolus/in-hospital saline infusion (placebo). This analysis included the subgroup with ICH on initial CT. Primary outcomes included 28-day mortality, 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) < = 4, and 6-month Disability Rating Scale (DRS). Outcomes were modeled using linear regression with robust standard errors. RESULTS: The primary trial included 966 patients. Among 541 participants with ICH, 28-day mortality was lower in the 2-gram TXA bolus group (17%) compared to the other two groups (1-gram bolus/1-gram infusion 26%, placebo 27%). The estimated adjusted difference between the 2-gram bolus and placebo groups was -8·5 percentage points (95% CI, -15.9 to -1.0) and between the 2-gram bolus and 1-gram bolus/1-gram infusion groups was -10.2 percentage points (95% CI, -17.6 to -2.9). DRS at 6 months was lower in the 2-gram TXA bolus group than the 1-gram bolus/1-gram infusion (estimated difference -2.1 [95% CI, -4.2 to -0.02]) and placebo groups (-2.2 [95% CI, -4.3, -0.2]). Six-month GOSE did not differ among groups. CONCLUSIONS: A 2-gram out-of-hospital TXA bolus in patients with moderate/severe TBI and ICH resulted in lower 28-day mortality and lower 6-month DRS than placebo and standard TXA dosing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management, Level II.

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BACKGROUND: People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are high-risk for short-term mortality and morbidity. Emergency department (ED) interventions can reduce those risks, but benefits wane without ongoing community follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an ED-based intensive community outreach program. METHODS: At two urban EDs between October 2019 and March 2020, we enrolled patients with OUD not currently on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) in a prospective cohort study evaluating a one-year intensive community outreach program, which provided ongoing addictions care, housing resources, and community support. We surveyed patients at intake and at scheduled outreach encounters at one, two, six, and twelve months. Follow-up surveys assessed OAT uptake, addictions care engagement, housing status, quality of life scores, illicit opioid use, and outreach helpfulness. We used descriptive statistics for each period and conducted sensitivity and subgroup analyses to account for missing data. RESULTS: Of 84 baseline participants, 29% were female and 32% were housed, with a median age of 33. Sixty participants (71%) completed at least one follow-up survey. Survey completion rates were 37%, 38%, 39%, and 40% respectively at one, two, six, and twelve months. Participants had a median of three outreach encounters. Among respondents, OAT was 0% at enrolment and ranged from 38% to 56% at follow-up; addictions care engagement was 22% at enrolment and ranged from 65% to 81% during follow-up; and housing was 40% at enrolment and ranged from 48% to 59% during follow-up. Improvements from baseline to follow-up occurred for all time periods. OAT and engagement in care benefits were maintained in sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Respondents rated the outreach program as helpful at all time periods, CONCLUSION: An ED-initiated intensive outreach program for patients with OUD not yet on OAT was associated with a persistent increase in OAT use and engagement in care, as well as housing.

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Background: The impact of extreme heat on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidence and outcomes is under-studied. We investigated OHCA incidence and outcomes over increasing temperatures. Methods: We included non-traumatic EMS (Emergency Medical Services)-assessed OHCAs in British Columbia during the warm seasons of 2020-2021. We fit a time-series quasi-Poisson generalized linear model to estimate the association between temperature and incidence of both EMS-assessed, EMS-treated, and EMS-untreated OHCAs. Second, we employed a logistic regression model to estimate the association between "heatwave" periods (defined as a daily mean temperature > 99th percentile for ≥ 2 consecutive days, plus 3 lag days) with survival and favourable neurological outcomes (cerebral performance category ≤ 2) at hospital discharge. Results: Of 5478 EMS-assessed OHCAs, 2833 were EMS-treated. OHCA incidence increased with increasing temperatures, especially exceeding a daily mean temperature of 25 °C Compared to the median daily mean temperature (16.9 °C), the risk of EMS-assessed (relative risk [RR] 3.7; 95%CI 3.0-4.6), EMS-treated (RR 2.9; 95%CI 2.2-3.9), and EMS-untreated (RR 4.3; 95%CI 3.2-5.7) OHCA incidence were higher during days with a temperature over the 99th percentile. Of EMS-treated OHCAs, during the heatwave (n = 179) and non-heatwave (n = 2654) periods, 4 (2.2%) and 270 (10%) survived and 4 (2.2%) and 241 (9.2%) had favourable neurological outcomes, respectively. Heatwave period OHCAs had decreased odds of survival (adjusted OR 0.28; 95%CI 0.10-0.79) and favourable neurological outcome (adjusted OR 0.31; 95%CI 0.11-0.89) at hospital discharge, compared to other periods. Conclusion: Extreme heat was associated with a higher incidence of OHCA, and lower odds of survival and favourable neurological status at hospital discharge.

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Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major health problem, with a poor survival rate of 2-11%. For the roughly 75% of OHCAs that are unwitnessed, survival is approximately 2-4.4%, as there are no bystanders present to provide life-saving interventions and alert Emergency Medical Services. Sensor technologies may reduce the number of unwitnessed OHCAs through automated detection of OHCA-associated physiological changes. However, no technologies are widely available for OHCA detection. This review identifies research and commercial technologies developed for cardiopulmonary monitoring that may be best suited for use in the context of OHCA, and provides recommendations for technology development, testing, and implementation. We conducted a systematic review of published studies along with a search of grey literature to identify technologies that were able to provide cardiopulmonary monitoring, and could be used to detect OHCA. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Engineering Village using MeSH keywords. Following inclusion, we summarized trends and findings from included studies. Our searches retrieved 6945 unique publications between January, 1950 and May, 2023. 90 studies met the inclusion criteria. In addition, our grey literature search identified 26 commercial technologies. Among included technologies, 52% utilized electrocardiography (ECG) and 40% utilized photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors. Most wearable devices were multi-modal (59%), utilizing more than one sensor simultaneously. Most included devices were wearable technologies (84%), with chest patches (22%), wrist-worn devices (18%), and garments (14%) being the most prevalent. ECG and PPG sensors are heavily utilized in devices for cardiopulmonary monitoring that could be adapted to OHCA detection. Developers seeking to rapidly develop methods for OHCA detection should focus on using ECG- and/or PPG-based multimodal systems as these are most prevalent in existing devices. However, novel sensor technology development could overcome limitations in existing sensors and could serve as potential additions to or replacements for ECG- and PPG-based devices.

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OBJECTIVES: Bystander-applied Automated External Defibrillators (AED) improve outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. AED placement is often driven by private enterprise or non-for-profit agencies, which may result in inequitable access. We sought to compare AED availability between four regions in British Columbia (BC). METHODS: We identified AEDs (confirmed to be operational) and emergency medical system (EMS)-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) from provincial registries. We compared AED availability between BC's four most populous regions. The primary outcome was the total regional weekly accessible AED-hours per 100,000 population. We also examined: AEDs per 100,000 population and per km2, the ratio of AEDs to OHCA, and the distance from each OHCA to the closest AED. RESULTS: From provincial registries, we included 879 AEDs from BC's four most populous regions, where 9333 EMS-treated OHCA occurred over a 5-year period. The most common AED location types were stores, public community centres, and office buildings. Ten percent of AEDs were accessible for all hours. Weekly accessible AED-hours/100,000 population in the four regions were: 3845, 1734, 1594, and 1299. AEDs/100,000 population ranged from 22 to 48, and AEDs/km2 ranged from 0.0048 to 0.20. The number of OHCAs per AED per year ranged from 1.1 to 2.8. The median OHCA-to-closest AED distance ranged from 503 (IQR 244, 947) to 925 (IQR 455, 1501) metres. The regional mean accessibility of individual AEDs ranged between 59 and 79 h per week. CONCLUSION: BC's four most populous regions demonstrate substantial variability in AED accessibility. Further benefit could be derived from AEDs if placed in locations accessible all hours. Our data may encourage community planning efforts to use data-based strategies to systematically place AEDs in optimal locations with strategies to maximize accessibility.

ABSTRAIT: OBJECTIFS: Les défibrillateurs externes automatisés (DEA) appliqués par les témoins améliorent les résultats en cas d'arrêt cardiaque hors hôpital. Le placement des DEA est souvent dirigé par une entreprise privée ou des organismes sans but lucratif, ce qui peut entraîner un accès inéquitable. Nous avons cherché à comparer la disponibilité des DEA entre quatre régions de la Colombie-Britannique. MéTHODES: Nous avons identifié les DEA (dont la mise en service a été confirmée) et les SMU (système médical d'urgence) traités par arrêt cardiaque hors hôpital (AHC) dans les registres provinciaux. Nous avons comparé la disponibilité des DEA entre les quatre régions les plus peuplées de la Colombie-Britannique. Le résultat principal était le nombre total d'heures de DEA accessibles hebdomadaires par région pour 100000 habitants. Nous avons également examiné : les DEA par 100000 habitants et par km2, le rapport entre les DEA et l'AHCA, et la distance entre chaque AHCA et le DEA le plus proche. RéSULTATS: À partir des registres provinciaux, nous avons inclus 879 DEA des quatre régions les plus peuplées de la Colombie-Britannique, où 9333 OHCA traités par les SMU se sont produits sur une période de 5 ans. Les types de DEA les plus courants étaient les magasins, les centres communautaires publics et les immeubles de bureaux. Dix pour cent des DEA étaient accessibles toutes les heures. La population hebdomadaire accessible en heures AED/100000 habitants dans les quatre régions était de 3845, 1734, 1594 et 1299. Le nombre de DEA/100 000 habitants variait de 22 à 48, et le nombre de DEA/km2 variait de 0,018 à 0,018. Le nombre de CASO par DEA par année variait de 1,1 à 2,8. La distance médiane entre le DEA OHCA et le DEA le plus proche variait de 503 mètres (IQR 244, 947) à 925 mètres (IQR 455, 1501). L'accessibilité moyenne régionale des DEA individuels variait entre 59 et 79 heures par semaine. CONCLUSION: Les quatre régions les plus populeuses de la Colombie-Britannique présentent une variabilité importante de l'accessibilité aux DEA. D'autres avantages pourraient découler des DEA s'ils sont placés dans des endroits accessibles toutes les heures. Nos données peuvent encourager les efforts de planification communautaire à utiliser des stratégies fondées sur les données pour placer systématiquement les DEA dans des endroits optimaux avec des stratégies pour maximiser l'accessibilité.

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BACKGROUND: The prognostic association between dysnatremia and outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is not well understood. Given hypernatremia is associated with poor outcomes in critical illness and hyponatremia may exacerbate cerebral edema, we hypothesized that dysnatremia on OHCA hospital admission would be associated with worse neurological outcomes. METHODS: We studied adults (≥19 years) with non-traumatic OHCA between 2009 and 2016 who were enrolled in the British Columbia Cardiac Arrest Registry and survived to hospital admission at 2 quaternary urban hospitals. We stratified cases by admission serum sodium into hyponatremic (<135 mmol/L), normonatremic (135-145 mmol/L), and hypernatremic (>145 mmol/L) groups. We used logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, shockable rhythm, admission serum lactate, and witnessed arrest, to estimate the association between admission sodium and favorable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category 1-2 or modified Rankin scale 0-3). RESULTS: Of 414 included patients, 63 were hyponatremic, 330 normonatremic, and 21 hypernatremic. In each respective group, 21 (33.3%), 159 (48.2%), and 3 (14.3%) experienced good neurological outcomes. In univariable models, hyponatremia (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.93) and hypernatremia (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05-0.65) were associated with lower odds of good neurological outcomes compared to the normonatremia group. After adjustment, only hypernatremia was associated with lower odds of good neurological outcomes (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Hypernatremia at admission was independently associated with decreased probability of good neurological outcomes at discharge post-OHCA. Future studies should focus on elucidating the pathophysiology of dysnatremia following OHCA.

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BACKGROUND: Multiple jurisdictions reported a significant increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidence over the past decade, however the reasons for this remain unclear. We investigated how drug-associated OHCA (DA-OHCA) contributed to overall OHCA incidence, and whether the likelihood of treatment by emergency medical services (EMS) was associated with DA-OHCA classification. METHODS: Using a large provincial cardiac arrest registry, we included consecutive, non-traumatic adult OHCA from 2016-2022. We classified as drug-associated if there were historical accounts of non-prescription drug use within the preceding 24 hours or evidence of paraphernalia at the scene. We examined year-by-year trends in OHCA and DA-OHCA incidence. We also investigated the association between DA-OHCA and odds of EMS treatment using an adjusted logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of 33,365 EMS-assessed cases, 1,985/18,591 (11%) of EMS-treated OHCA and 887/9,200 (9.6%) of EMS-untreated OHCA were DA-OHCA. Of EMS-treated DA-OHCA, the median age was 40 years (IQR 31-51), 1,059 (53%) had a known history of non-prescription drug use, and 570 (29%) were public-location. From 2016 to 2022, EMS-treated OHCA incidence increased from 60 to 79 per 100,000 person-years; EMS-treated DA-OHCA incidence increased from 3.7 to 9.1 per 100,000 person-years. The proportion of overall OHCA classified as DA-OHCA increased from 6.1% to 11.5%. DA-OHCA was associated with greater odds of EMS treatment (AOR 1.34; 95%CI 1.13-1.58). CONCLUSION: Although EMS-treated DA-OHCA incidence increased by nearly three-fold, it comprised a minority of the overall OHCA increase during the study period. DA-OHCA was associated with an increased likelihood of EMS treatment.

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Clinical networks (CNs) can promote innovation and collaboration across providers and stakeholders. However, little is known about the structure and operations of CNs, particularly in emergency care. As Canada advances learning health systems (LHSs), foundational research is essential to enable future comparisons across CNs to identify those that contribute to positive system change. Drawing from the results of our international survey, we provide a description of 32 emergency care CNs worldwide, including their structure, operations and sustainability. Future research should consider the context of such networks, how they may contribute to an LHS and how they impact patient outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: Few studies have measured ventilation during early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before advanced airway placement. Resuscitation guidelines recommend pauses after every 30 chest compressions to deliver ventilations. The effectiveness of bag-valve-mask ventilation delivered during the pause in chest compressions is unknown. We sought to determine: (1) the incidence of lung inflation with bag-valve-mask ventilation during 30:2 CPR; and (2) the association of ventilation with outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: We studied patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from 6 sites of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium CCC study (Trial of Continuous Compressions versus Standard CPR in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest). We analyzed patients assigned to the 30:2 CPR arm with ≥2 minutes of thoracic bioimpedance signal recorded with a cardiac defibrillator/monitor. Detectable ventilation waveforms were defined as having a bioimpedance amplitude ≥0.5 Ω (corresponding to ≥250 mL VT) and a duration ≥1 s. We defined a chest compression pause as a 3- to 15-s break in chest compressions. We compared the incidence of ventilation and outcomes in 2 groups: patients with ventilation waveforms in <50% of pauses (group 1) versus those with waveforms in ≥50% of pauses (group 2). RESULTS: Among 1976 patients, the mean age was 65 years; 66% were male. From the start of chest compressions until advanced airway placement, mean±SD duration of 30:2 CPR was 9.8±4.9 minutes. During this period, we identified 26 861 pauses in chest compressions; 60% of patients had ventilation waveforms in <50% of pauses (group 1, n=1177), and 40% had waveforms in ≥50% of pauses (group 2, n=799). Group 1 had a median of 12 pauses and 2 ventilations per patient versus group 2, which had 12 pauses and 12 ventilations per patient. Group 2 had higher rates of prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (40.7% versus 25.2%; P<0.0001), survival to hospital discharge (13.5% versus 4.1%; P<0.0001), and survival with favorable neurological outcome (10.6% versus 2.4%; P<0.0001). These associations persisted after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, lung inflation occurred infrequently with bag-valve-mask ventilation during 30:2 CPR. Lung inflation in ≥50% of pauses was associated with improved return of spontaneous circulation, survival, and survival with favorable neurological outcome.

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AIM: Humeral and tibial intraosseous (IO) vascular access can deliver resuscitative medications for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), however the optimal site is unclear. We examined the association between IO tibia vs. humerus as the first-attempted vascular access site with OHCA outcomes. METHODS: We used prospectively-collected data from the British Columbia Cardiac Arrest registry, including adult OHCAs treated with IO humerus or IO tibia as the first-attempted intra-arrest vascular access. We fit logistic regression models on the full study cohort and a propensity-matched cohort, to estimate the association between IO site and both favorable neurological outcomes (Cerebral Performance Category 1-2) and survival at hospital discharge. RESULTS: We included 1041 (43%) and 1404 (57%) OHCAs for whom IO humerus and tibia, respectively, were the first-attempted intra-arrest vascular access. Among humerus and tibia cases, 1010 (97%) and 1369 (98%) had first-attempt success, and the median paramedic arrival-to-successful access interval was 6.7 minutes (IQR 4.4-9.4) and 6.1 minutes (IQR 4.1-8.9), respectively. In the propensity-matched cohort (n = 2052), 31 (3.0%) and 44 (4.3%) cases had favourable neurological outcomes in the IO humerus and IO tibia groups, respectively; compared to IO humerus, we did not detect an association between IO tibia with favorable neurological outcomes (OR 1.44; 95% CI 0.90-2.29) or survival to hospital discharge (OR 1.29; 95% CI 0.83-2.01). Results using the full cohort were similar. CONCLUSIONS: We did not detect an association between the first-attempted intra-arrest IO site (tibia vs. humerus) and clinical outcomes. Clinical trials are warranted to test differences between vascular access strategies.

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BACKGROUND: Advances in vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) technologies may enable drone-like crewed air ambulances to rapidly respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in urban areas. We estimated the impact of incorporating VTOL air ambulances on OHCA response intervals in two large urban centres in France and Canada. METHODS: We included adult OHCAs occurring between Jan. 2017-Dec. 2018 within Greater Paris in France and Metro Vancouver in Canada. Both regions utilize tiered OHCA response with basic (BLS)- and advanced life support (ALS)-capable units. We simulated incorporating 1-2 ALS-capable VTOL air ambulances dedicated to OHCA response in each study region, and computed time intervals from call reception by emergency medical services (EMS) to arrival of the: (1) first ALS unit ("call-to-ALS arrival interval"); and (2) first EMS unit ("call-to-first EMS arrival interval"). RESULTS: There were 6,217 OHCAs included during the study period (3,760 in Greater Paris and 2,457 in Metro Vancouver). Historical median call-to-ALS arrival intervals were 21 min [IQR 16-29] in Greater Paris and 12 min [IQR 9-17] in Metro Vancouver, while median call-to-first EMS arrival intervals were 11 min [IQR 8-14] and 7 min [IQR 5-8] respectively. Incorporating 1-2 VTOL air ambulances improved median call-to-ALS arrival intervals to 7-9 min and call-to-first EMS arrival intervals to 6-8 min in both study regions (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: VTOL air ambulances dedicated to OHCA response may improve EMS response intervals, with substantial improvements in ALS response metrics.

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BACKGROUND: British Columbia 8-1-1 callers who are advised by a nurse to seek urgent medical care can be referred to virtual physicians (VPs) for supplemental assessment and advice. Prior research indicates callers' subsequent health service use may diverge from VP advice. We sought to 1) estimate concordance between VP advice and subsequent health service use, and 2) identify factors associated with concordance to understand potential drivers of discordant cases. METHODS: We linked relevant provincial administrative databases to obtain inpatient, outpatient, and emergency service use by callers. We developed operational definitions of concordance collaboratively with researcher, patient, VP, and management perspectives. We used Kaplan-Meier curves to describe health service use post-VP consultation and Cox regression to estimate the association of caller factors (rurality, demography, attachment to primary care) and call factors (reason, triage level, time of day) with concordance as hazard ratios. RESULTS: We analyzed 17,188 calls from November 16, 2020 to April 30, 2021. Callers advised to attend an emergency department (ED) immediately were the most concordant (73%) while concordance was lowest for those advised to seek Family Physician (FP) care either immediately (41%) or within 7 days (47%). Callers unattached to FPs were less likely to schedule an FP visit (hazard ratio = 0.76 [95%CI: 0.68-0.85]). Rural callers were less likely to attend an ED within 48 h when advised to go immediately (0.53 [95%CI:0.46-0.61]) compared to urban callers. Rural callers advised to see an FP, either immediately (1.28 [95%CI:1.01-1.62]) or within 7 days (1.23 [95%CI: 1.11-1.37]), were more likely to do so than urban callers. INTERPRETATION: Concordance between VP advice and subsequent caller health service use varies substantially by category of advice and caller rurality. Concordance with advice to "Go to ED" is high overall but to access primary care is below 50%, suggesting potential issues with timely access to FP care. Future research from a patient/caller centered perspective may reveal additional barriers and facilitators to concordance.

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OBJECTIVES: Many emergency department (ED) patients with opioid use disorder are candidates for home buprenorphine/naloxone initiation with to-go packs. We studied patient opinions and acceptance of buprenorphine/naloxone to-go packs, and factors associated with their acceptance. METHODS: We identified patients at two urban EDs in British Columbia who met opioid use disorder criteria, were not presently on opioid agonist therapy and not in active withdrawal. We offered patients buprenorphine/naloxone to-go as standard of care and then administered a survey to record buprenorphine/naloxone to-go acceptance, the primary outcome. Survey domains included current substance use, prior experience with opioid agonist therapy, and buprenorphine/naloxone related opinions. Patient factors were examined for association with buprenorphine/naloxone to-go acceptance. RESULTS: Of the 89 patients enrolled, median age was 33 years, 27% were female, 67.4% had previously taken buprenorphine/naloxone, and 19.1% had never taken opioid agonist therapy. Overall, 78.7% believed that EDs should dispense buprenorphine/naloxone to-go packs. Thirty-eight (42.7%) patients accepted buprenorphine/naloxone to-go. Buprenorphine/naloxone to-go acceptance was associated with lack of prior opioid agonist therapy, less than 10 years of opioid use and no injection drug use. Reasons to accept included initiating treatment while in withdrawal; reasons to reject included prior unsatisfactory buprenorphine/naloxone experience and interest in other treatments. CONCLUSION: Although less than half of our study population accepted buprenorphine/naloxone to-go when offered, most thought this intervention was beneficial. In isolation, ED buprenorphine/naloxone to-go will not meet the needs of all patients with opioid use disorder. Clinicians and policy makers should consider buprenorphine/naloxone to-go as a low-barrier option for opioid use disorder treatment from the ED when integrated with robust addiction care services.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: De nombreux patients des services d'urgence (SU) atteints d'un trouble lié à la consommation d'opioïdes sont des candidats à l'initiation à la buprénorphine/naloxone à domicile avec des trousses à emporter. Nous avons étudié les opinions des patients et l'acceptation des paquets de buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter, ainsi que les facteurs associés à leur acceptation. MéTHODES: Nous avons identifié des patients à deux urgences urbaines de la Colombie-Britannique qui répondaient aux critères relatifs aux troubles liés à l'utilisation d'opioïdes, qui ne suivaient pas actuellement un traitement aux agonistes des opioïdes et qui n'étaient pas en sevrage actif. Nous avons offert aux patients la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter comme norme de soins, puis nous avons administré une enquête pour enregistrer l'acceptation de la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter, le critère de jugement principal. Les domaines d'enquête comprenaient la consommation actuelle de substances, l'expérience antérieure avec le traitement aux agonistes opioïdes et les opinions liées à la buprénorphine/naloxone. Les facteurs du patient ont été examinés pour déterminer l'association avec l'acceptation de la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter. RéSULTATS: Sur 89 patients inscrits, l'âge médian était de 33 ans, 27,0% étaient des femmes, 67,4% avaient déjà pris de la buprénorphine/naloxone et 19,1% n'avaient jamais pris de traitement aux agonistes opioïdes. Dans l'ensemble, 78,7% des répondants étaient d'avis que les SU devraient distribuer des paquets de buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter. Trente-huit (42,7%) patients ont accepté la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter. L'acceptation de la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter était associée à l'absence de traitement antérieur par agonistes opioïdes, à moins de 10 ans d'utilisation d'opioïdes et à l'absence de consommation de drogues injectables. Les raisons d'accepter comprenaient le fait de commencer un traitement pendant le sevrage; les raisons de rejeter comprenaient une expérience antérieure insatisfaisante de buprénorphine/naloxone et un intérêt pour d'autres traitements. CONCLUSION: Bien que moins de la moitié de notre population à l'étude ait accepté la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter lorsqu'elle lui était offerte, la plupart ont pensé que cette intervention était bénéfique. Isolément, la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter à l'urgence ne répondra pas aux besoins de tous les patients atteints de troubles liés à l'utilisation d'opioïdes. Les cliniciens et les décideurs devraient considérer la buprénorphine/naloxone à emporter comme une option à faible barrière pour le traitement des troubles liés à la consommation d'opioïdes par l'urgence lorsqu'elle est intégrée à de solides services de soins de la toxicomanie.

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BACKGROUND: Biosensor technologies have been proposed as a solution to provide recognition and facilitate earlier responses to unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) cases. We sought to estimate the effect of recognition on survival and modelled the potential incremental impact of increased recognition of unwitnessed cases on survival to hospital discharge, to demonstrate the potential benefit of biosensor technologies. METHODS: We included cases from the British Columbia Cardiac Arrest Registry (2019-2020), which includes Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-assessed OHCAs. We excluded cases that would not have benefitted from early recognition (EMS-witnessed, terminal illness, or do-not-resuscitate). Using a mediation analysis, we estimated the relative benefits on survival of a witness recognizing vs. intervening in an OHCA; and estimated the expected additional number of survivors resulting from increasing recognition alone using a bootstrap logistic regression framework. RESULTS: Of 13,655 EMS-assessed cases, 11,412 were included (6314 EMS-treated, 5098 EMS-untreated). Survival to hospital discharge was 191/8879 (2.2%) in unwitnessed cases and 429/2533 (17%) in bystander-witnessed cases. Of the total effect attributable to a bystander witness, recognition accounted for 84% (95% CI: 72, 86) of the benefit. If all previously unwitnessed cases had been bystander witnessed, we would expect 1198 additional survivors. If these cases had been recognized, but no interventions performed, we would expect 912 additional survivors. CONCLUSION: Unwitnessed OHCA account for the majority of OHCAs, yet survival is dismal. Methods to improve recognition, such as with biosensor technologies, may lead to substantial improvements in overall survival.

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In British Columbia (BC) and across the territories of over 200 First Nations and 39 Métis Nation Chartered communities, the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a group of partner organizations to rapidly establish seven virtual care pathways under the Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) network. They aimed to address inequitable access and multiple barriers to healthcare faced by rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, and provide pan-provincial services. Mixed-method evaluation assessed implementation, patient and provider experience, quality improvement, cultural safety, and sustainability. Pathways supported 38,905 patient encounters and offered 29,544 hours of peer-to-peer support from April 2020 to March 2021. Mean monthly encounter growth was 178.0% (standard deviation = 252.1%). Ninety percent of patients were satisfied with the care experience; 94% of providers enjoyed delivering virtual care. Consistent growth suggests that the virtual pathways met the needs of providers and patients in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, and supported virtual access to care in BC.

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Objective: We investigated sex differences in 1-year survival in a cohort of patients who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) to hospital discharge. We hypothesized that female sex is associated with higher 1-year posthospital discharge survival. Methods: A retrospective analysis of linked data (2011-2017) from clinical databases in British Columbia (BC) was conducted. We used Kaplan-Meier curves, stratified by sex, to display survival up to 1-year, and the log-rank test to test for significant sex differences. This was followed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis to investigate the association between sex and 1-year mortality. The multivariable analysis adjusted for variables known to be associated with survival, including variables related to OHCA characteristics, comorbidities, medical diagnoses, and in-hospital interventions. Results: We included 1278 hospital-discharge survivors; 284 (22.2%) were female. Females had a lower proportion of OHCA occurring in public locations (25.7% vs. 44.0%, P < 0.001), a lower proportion with a shockable rhythm (57.7% vs. 77.4%, P < 0.001), and fewer hospital-based acute coronary diagnoses and interventions. One-year survival for females and males was 90.5% and 92.4%, respectively (log-rank P = 0.31). Unadjusted (hazard ratio [HR] males vs. females 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-1.24, P = 0.31) and adjusted (HR males vs. females 1.14, 95% CI 0.72-1.81, P = 0.57) models did not detect differences in 1-year survival by sex. Conclusion: Females have relatively unfavorable prehospital characteristics in OHCA and fewer hospital-based acute coronary diagnoses and interventions. However, among survivors to hospital discharge, we found no significant difference between males and females in 1-year survival, even after adjustment.

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BACKGROUND: British Columbia's 8-1-1 telephone service connects callers with nurses for health care advice. As of Nov. 16, 2020, callers advised by a registered nurse to obtain in-person medical care can be subsequently referred to virtual physicians. We sought to determine health system use and outcomes of 8-1-1 callers urgently triaged by a nurse and subsequently assessed by a virtual physician. METHODS: We identified callers referred to a virtual physician between Nov. 16, 2020, and Apr. 30, 2021. After assessment, virtual physicians assigned callers to 1 of 5 triage dispositions (i.e., go to emergency department [ED] now, see primary care provider within 24 hours, schedule an appointment with a health care provider, try home treatment, other). We linked relevant administrative databases to ascertain subsequent health care use and outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 5937 encounters with virtual physicians involving 5886 8-1-1 callers. Virtual physicians advised 1546 callers (26.0%) to go to the ED immediately, of whom 971 (62.8%) had 1 or more ED visits within 24 hours. Virtual physicians advised 556 (9.4%) callers to seek primary care within 24 hours, of whom 132 (23.7%) had primary care billings within 24 hours. Virtual physicians advised 1773 (29.9%) callers to schedule an appointment with a health care provider, of whom 812 (45.8%) had primary care billings within 7 days. Virtual physicians advised 1834 (30.9%) callers to try a home treatment, of whom 892 (48.6%) had no health system encounters over the next 7 days. Eight (0.1%) callers died within 7 days of assessment with a virtual physician, 5 of whom were advised to go to the ED immediately. Fifty-four (2.9%) callers with a "try home treatment" disposition were admitted to hospital within 7 days of a virtual physician assessment, and no callers who were advised home treatment died. INTERPRETATION: This Canadian study evaluated health service use and outcomes arising from the addition of virtual physicians to a provincial health information telephone service. Our findings suggest that supplementation of this service with an assessment from a virtual physician safely reduces the overall proportion of callers advised to seek urgent in-person visits.

Assuntos

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Cardiac arrest (CA) is associated with a low rate of survival with favourable neurologic recovery. The most common mechanism of death after successful resuscitation from CA is withdrawal of life-sustaining measures on the basis of perceived poor neurologic prognosis due to underlying hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Neuroprognostication is an important component of the care pathway for CA patients admitted to hospital but is complex, challenging, and often guided by limited evidence. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to evaluate the evidence underlying factors or diagnostic modalities available to determine prognosis, recommendations were generated in the following domains: (1) circumstances immediately after CA; (2) focused neurologic exam; (3) myoclonus and seizures; (4) serum biomarkers; (5) neuroimaging; (6) neurophysiologic testing; and (7) multimodal neuroprognostication. This position statement aims to serve as a practical guide to enhance in-hospital care of CA patients and emphasizes the adoption of a systematic, multimodal approach to neuroprognostication. It also highlights evidence gaps.

Assuntos

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Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The SCA-to-resuscitation interval is a key determinant of patient outcomes, highlighting the clinical need for reliable and timely detection of SCA. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a non-invasive optical technique, may have utility for this application. We investigated transcutaneous NIRS as a method to detect pentobarbital-induced changes during cardiac arrest in eight Yucatan miniature pigs. NIRS measurements during cardiac arrest were compared to invasively acquired carotid blood pressure and partial oxygen pressure (PO2) of spinal cord tissues. We observed statistically significant decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) 64.68 mmHg ± 13.08, p < 0.0001), spinal cord PO2 (38.16 mmHg ± 20.04, p = 0.0028), and NIRS-derived tissue oxygen saturation (TSI%) (14.50% ± 3.80, p < 0.0001) from baseline to 5 min after pentobarbital administration. Euthanasia-to-first change in hemodynamics for MAP and TSI (%) were similar [MAP (10.43 ± 4.73 s) vs TSI (%) (12.04 ± 1.85 s), p = 0.3714]. No significant difference was detected between NIRS and blood pressure-derived pulse rates during baseline periods (p > 0.99) and following pentobarbital administration (p = 0.97). Transcutaneous NIRS demonstrated the potential to identify rapid hemodynamic changes due to cardiac arrest in periods similar to invasive indices. We conclude that transcutaneous NIRS monitoring may present a novel, non-invasive approach for SCA detection, which warrants further investigation.

Assuntos

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BACKGROUND: After resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the amount of time that should be dedicated to pre-transport stabilization is unclear. We examined whether the time spent on-scene after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was associated with patient outcomes. METHODS: We examined consecutive adult EMS-treated OHCAs from the British Columbia Cardiac Arrest registry (January 1/2019-June 1/2021) that had on-scene ROSC (sustained to scene departure). The primary outcome was favourable neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category ≤ 2) at hospital discharge; secondary outcomes were re-arrest during transport and hospital-discharge survival. Using adjusted logistic regression models, we estimated the association between the post-resuscitation on-scene interval (divided into quartiles) and outcomes. RESULTS: Of 1653 cases, 611 (37%) survived to hospital discharge, and 523 (32%) had favourable neurological outcomes. The median post-resuscitation on-scene interval was 18.8 minutes (IQR:13.0-25.5). Compared to the first post-resuscitation on-scene interval quartile, neither the second (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.19; 95% CI 0.72-1.98), third (AOR 1.10; 95% CI 0.67-1.81), nor fourth (AOR 1.54; 95% CI 0.93-2.56) quartiles were associated with favourable neurological outcomes; however, the fourth quartile was associated with a greater odds of hospital-discharge survival (AOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.05-2.85), and both the third (AOR 0.40; 95% CI 0.22-0.72) and fourth (AOR 0.44;95% CI 0.24-0.81) quartiles were associated with a lower odds of intra-transport re-arrest. CONCLUSION: Among resuscitated OHCAs, increased post-resuscitation on-scene time was not associated with improved neurological outcomes, but was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge and decreased intra-transport re-arrest.

Assuntos