Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation for paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England: An observational registry cohort study

Introduction: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) is strongly advocated by resuscitation councils for paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). However, there are limited reports on rates of BCPR in children and its relationship with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or survival outcomes.

Objective: We describe the rate of BCPR and its association with any ROSC and survival- to- hospital-discharge.

Methods: We conducted retrospective analysis of prospectively collected paediatric (<18 years of age) OHCA cases in England; we included specialist registry patients treated by emergency medical services (EMS) with known BCPR status and outcome between January 2014 and November 2018. Data included patient demographics, aetiology, witness status, initial rhythm, EMS, season, time of day and bystander status. Associations between BCPR, and any ROSC and survival-to-hospital-discharge outcomes were explored using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: There were 2363 paediatric OHCAs treated across 11 EMS regions. BCPR was performed in 69.6% (1646/2363) of the cases overall (range 57.7% (206/367) to 83.7% (139/166) across EMS regions). Only 34.9% (550/1572) of BCPR cases were witnessed. Overall, any ROSC was achieved in 22.8% (523/2289) and survival to hospital discharge in 10.8% (225/2066). Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for any ROSC was significantly improved following BCPR compared to no BCPR (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.03-1.81), but adjusted odds ratio for survival-to-hospital-discharge were similar (aOR 1.01, 95% CI 0.66-1.55).

Conclusions: BCPR was associated with improved rates of any ROSC but not survival-to-hospital-discharge. Variations in EMS BCPR rates may indicate opportunities for regional targeted increase in public BCPR education.