Association of Prehospital Physician Presence During Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest With Neurologic Outcomes

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the association of prehospital physician presence with neurologic outcomes of pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Data from the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine-OHCA Registry.

Interventions: None.

Patients: Pediatric patients (age 17 yr old or younger) registered in the database between June 2014 and December 2019.

Measurement and main results: We used logistic regression models with stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to estimate the associated treatment effect of a prehospital physician with 1-month neurologically intact survival. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and 1-month survival after OHCA. A total of 1,187 patients (276 in the physician presence group and 911 in the physician absence group) were included (median age 3 yr [interquartile range 0-14 yr]; 723 [61%] male). Comparison of the physician presence group, versus the physician absence, showed 1-month favorable neurologic outcomes of 8.3% (23/276) versus 3.6% (33/911). Physician presence was associated with greater odds of 1-month neurologically intact survival after stabilized IPTW adjustment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.98, 95% CI 1.08-3.66). We also found an association in the secondary outcome between physician presence, opposed to absence, and in-hospital ROSC (aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.04). However, we failed to identify an association with 1-month survival (aOR 1.49, 95% CI 0.97-2.88).

Conclusions: Among pediatric patients with OHCA, prehospital physician presence, compared with absence, was associated almost two-fold greater odds of 1-month favorable neurologic outcomes.