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Published on: April 14, 2023
Utilization and Effect of Direct Medical Oversight during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Tristen M Zimmerman1, Matthew R Neth1, Mary E Tanski1
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon.
Direct medical oversight (DMO) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) rarely leads to survival. Most patients receiving DMO have poor prognoses, suggesting potential for reduced unnecessary transports and DMO contacts.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Direct medical oversight (DMO) is a common practice in US emergency medical services (EMS) for real-time physician guidance.
- Characterizing DMO recommendations during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) is crucial for understanding its impact on patient care and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze DMO recommendations during OHCA events.
- To evaluate the effect of DMO on EMS transport decisions and patient survival rates.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of DMO call recordings from OHCA cases in Portland, Oregon (2018-2021).
- Data linked to the Portland Cardiac Arrest Epidemiologic Registry (PDX Epistry).
- Primary outcomes: DMO recommendations (transport, field resuscitation, termination of resuscitation [TOR]). Secondary outcomes: transport decisions, survival to admission/discharge.
Main Results:
- EMS requested TOR for 72% of 239 OHCA cases.
- DMO recommended transport, continued resuscitation, or TOR in 21.8%, 18.0%, and 60.2% of cases, respectively.
- Only 1 of 239 patients survived to hospital discharge with good neurologic outcome.
Conclusions:
- OHCA patients receiving DMO, particularly those with poor prognostic signs or requesting TOR, have very low survival rates.
- Findings suggest potential for reducing unnecessary DMO contact and patient transports.
- Further research is needed to identify OHCA patients who benefit from DMO contact.
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