Abstract
BackgroundandObjectives: This retrospective study evaluated the clinical impact of enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) on the clinical outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Moreover, by focusing on the use of a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), we investigated the medical personnel’s perceptions of wearing PAPR during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Materialsand Methods: According to the arrival time at the emergency department, the patients were categorized into a conventional PPE group (1 August 2019 to 20 January 2020) and an enhanced PPE group (21 January 2020, to 31 August 2020). The primary outcomes of this analysis were the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate. Additionally, subjective perception of the medical staff regarding the effect of wearing enhanced PPE during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was evaluated by conducting a survey. Results: This study included 130 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, with 73 and 57 patients in the conventional and enhanced PPE groups, respectively. The median time intervals to first intubation and to report the first arterial blood gas analysis results were longer in the enhanced PPE group than in the conventional PPE group (3 min vs. 2 min; p = 0.020 and 8 min vs. 3 min; p < 0.001, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in the ROSC rate (odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.38–1.67; p = 0.542) and 1 month survival (OR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.07–2.10; p = 0.266) between the two groups. In total, 67 emergent department (ED) professionals responded to the questionnaire. Although a significant number of respondents experienced inconveniences with PAPR use, they agreed that PAPR was necessary during the CPR procedure for protection and reduction of infection transmission. Conclusion: The use of enhanced PPE, including PAPR, affected the performance of CPR to some extent but did not alter patient outcomes. PAPR use during the resuscitation of OHCA patients might positively impact the psychological stability of the medical staff.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an ongoing global public health threat with significant morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4]. This pandemic poses considerable challenges, especially for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the emergency department (ED) who are in the front lines to treat suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients [5,6,7]
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the changes in clinical practice due to the COVID-19 outbreak, especially the use of enhanced protective equipment (PPE), on the outcomes of patients with of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)
A total of 130 OHCA patients were included in the study, of which whom 73 and 57 were classified into the conventional PPE and enhanced PPE groups, respectively
Summary
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an ongoing global public health threat with significant morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4] This pandemic poses considerable challenges, especially for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the emergency department (ED) who are in the front lines to treat suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients [5,6,7]. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, it is reasonable to wear enhanced PPE during the resuscitation of OHCA patients This retrospective study evaluated the clinical impact of enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) on the clinical outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. PAPR use during the resuscitation of OHCA patients might positively impact the psychological stability of the medical staff
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