Basic Life Support Termination Of Resuscitation Research Articles

Identifying individuals satisfying the termination of resuscitation rule but having potential to achieve favourable neurological outcome following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

To develop a simple scoring model that identifies individuals satisfying the termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule but having potential to achieve favourable neurological outcome following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study analysed the All-Japan Utstein Registry from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019. We identified patients satisfying basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) TOR rules and determined factors associated with favourable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category scale of 1 or 2) for each cohort using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Scoring models were derived and validated to identify patient subgroups that might benefit from continued resuscitation efforts. Among 1,695,005 eligible patients, 1,086,092 (64.1%) and 409,498 (24.2%) satisfied BLS and ALS TOR rules, respectively. One month post-arrest, 2038 (0.2%) and 590 (0.1%) patients in the BLS and ALS cohorts, respectively, achieved favourable neurological outcome. A scoring model derived for the BLS cohort (2 points for age <17years or ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia rhythm; 1 point for age <80years, pulseless electrical activity rhythm, or transport time <25min) effectively stratified the probability of achieving 1-month favourable neurological outcome, with patients scoring <4 having a probability of <1%, whereas those scoring 4, 5, and 6 having probabilities of 1.1%, 7.1%, and 11.1%, respectively. In the ALS cohort, the probability increased with scores; however, it remained <1%. A simple scoring model comprising age, first documented cardiac rhythm, and transport time effectively stratified the likelihood of achieving favourable neurological outcome in patients satisfying the BLS TOR rule.

Modification of termination of resuscitation rule with compression time interval in South Korea

This study aimed to validate the predictive performance of the termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule and examine the compression time interval (CTI) as a criterion for modifying the rule. This retrospective observational study analyzed adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients attended by emergency medical service (EMS) providers in mixed urban–rural areas in Korea in 2020 and 2021. We evaluated the predictive performance of basic life support (BLS) and the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium (KoCARC) TOR rule using the false-positive rate (FPR) and positive predictive value (PPV). We modified the age cutoff criterion and examined the CTI as a new criterion. According to the TOR rule, 1827 OHCA patients were classified into two groups. The predictive performance of the BLS TOR rule had an FPR of 11.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.9–17.5) and PPV of 98.4% (97.6–99.2) for mortality, and an FPR of 3.6% (0.0–7.8) and PPV of 78.6% (75.9–81.3) for poor neurological outcomes at hospital discharge. The predictive performance of the KoCARC TOR rule had an FPR of 5.0% (1.1–8.9) and PPV of 98.9% (98.0–99.8) for mortality, and an FPR of 3.7% (0.0–7.8) and PPV of 50.0% (45.7–54.3) for poor neurological outcomes at hospital discharge. The modified cutoff value for age was 68 years, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve over 0.7. In the group that met the BLS TOR rule, the cutoff of the CTI for death was not determined and was 21 min for poor neurological outcomes. In the group that met the KoCARC TOR rule, the cutoff of the CTI for death and poor neurological outcomes at the time of hospital discharge was 25 min and 21 min, respectively. The BLS TOR and KoCARC TOR rules showed inappropriate predictive performance for mortality and poor neurological outcomes. However, the predictive performance of the TOR rule could be supplemented by modifying the age criterion and adding the CTI criterion of the KoCARC.

Application of adult prehospital resuscitation rules to pediatric out of hospital cardiac arrest

Prehospital termination of resuscitation (TOR) rules can be recommended for adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). This study aimed to investigate whether adult basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) TOR rules can predict neurologically unfavorable one-month outcome for pediatric OHCA patients. From a nationwide population-based observational cohort study, we extracted data of consecutive pediatric OHCA patients (0-17years old) from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2011. The BLS TOR rule has three criteria, whereas the ALS TOR rule includes two additional criteria. We selected pediatric OHCA patients that met all criteria for each TOR rule and calculated the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of each TOR rule for identifying pediatric OHCA patients who did not have neurologically favorable one-month outcome. Of the 12,740 pediatric OHCA patients eligible for the evaluation of the BLS TOR rule, 10,803 patients met the BLS TOR rule, with a specificity of 0.785 and a PPV of 0.987 for predicting a lack of neurologically favorable one-month survival. Of the 2,091 for the ALS TOR rule, 381 patients met the ALS TOR rule, with a specificity of 0.986 and a PPV of 0.997 for predicting neurologically unfavorable one-month outcome. The adult BLS and ALS TOR rules had a high PPV for predicting pediatric OHCA patients without a neurologically favorable survival at one month after onset.

Predictive performances of ALS and BLS termination of resuscitation rules in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for different resuscitation protocols

BackgroundResuscitation guidance has advanced; however, the predictive performance of the termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule has not been validated for different resuscitation protocols published by the American Heart Association (AHA).MethodsA retrospective study validating the basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) TOR rules was conducted using an Utstein-style database in Tainan city, Taiwan. Adult patients with nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, (using the AHA 2010 resuscitation protocol) and from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, (using the AHA 2015 resuscitation protocol) were included. The characteristics of rule performance were calculated, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value.ResultsAmong 1260 eligible OHCA patients in 2015, 757 met the BLS TOR rule and 124 met the ALS TOR rule. The specificity and PPV for predicting unfavorable neurological outcomes were 61.1% and 99.0%, respectively, for the BLS TOR rule and 93.8% and 99.2%, respectively, for the ALS TOR rule. A total of 970 OHCA patients were enrolled in 2020, of whom 438 met the BLS TOR rule and 104 met the ALS TOR rule. The specificity and PPV for predicting unfavorable neurological outcomes were 85.7% and 100%, respectively, for the BLS TOR rule and 99.5% and 100%, respectively, for the ALS TOR rule.ConclusionsBoth the BLS and ALS TOR rules performed better when using the 2015 AHA resuscitation protocols compared to the 2010 protocols, with increased PPVs and decreased false-positive rates in predicting survival to discharge and good neurological outcomes at discharge. The BLS and ALS TOR rules can perform differently while the resuscitation protocols are updated. As the concepts and practices of resuscitation progress, the BLS and ALS TOR rules should be evaluated and validated accordingly.

External validation of multimodal termination of resuscitation rules for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in the COVID-19 era

BackgroundFutile resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 era can lead to risk of disease transmission and unnecessary transport. Various existing basic or advanced life support (BLS or ALS, respectively) rules for the termination of resuscitation (TOR) have been derived and validated in North America and Asian countries. This study aimed to evaluate the external validation of these rules in predicting the survival outcomes of OHCA patients in the COVID-19 era.MethodsThis was a multicenter observational study using the WinCOVID-19 Daegu registry data collected during February 18–March 31, 2020. The subjects were patients who showed cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac etiology. The outcomes of each rule were compared to the actual patient survival outcomes. The sensitivity, specificity, false positive value (FPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) of each TOR rule were evaluated.ResultsIn total, 170 of the 184 OHCA patients were eligible and evaluated. TOR was recommended for 122 patients based on the international basic life support termination of resuscitation (BLS-TOR) rule, which showed 85% specificity, 74% sensitivity, 0.8% FPV, and 99% PPV for predicting unfavorable survival outcomes. When the traditional BLS-TOR rules and KoCARC TOR rule II were applied to our registry, one patient met the TOR criteria but survived at hospital discharge. With regard to the FPV (upper limit of 95% confidence interval < 5%), specificity (100%), and PPV (> 99%) criteria, only the KoCARC TOR rule I, which included a combination of three factors including not being witnessed by emergency medical technicians, presenting with an asystole at the scene, and not experiencing prehospital shock delivery or return of spontaneous circulation, was found to be superior to all other TOR rules.ConclusionAmong the previous nine BLS and ALS TOR rules, KoCARC TOR rule I was most suitable for predicting poor survival outcomes and showed improved diagnostic performance. Further research on variations in resources and treatment protocols among facilities, regions, and cultures will be useful in determining the feasibility of TOR rules for COVID-19 patients worldwide.

Abstract 234: Validation of a Termination-of-resuscitation Rule for Patients with Refractory Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest at an Emergency Department in Japan

Introduction: In Japan, emergency medical service (EMS) providers are prohibited from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) termination in the field and must transport all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients to a hospital, regardless of the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We previously developed a termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule for emergency department physicians (ED-TOR) treating OHCA patients using data from the All-Japan Utstein Registry between 2005 and 2009, when CPR was performed according to the 2005 guidelines. The ED-TOR rule recommends CPR termination when patients in the emergency department meet all of the following criteria: initial unshockable rhythm, arrest unwitnessed by bystanders and no prehospital ROSC. Hypothesis: We aimed to validate the ED-TOR rule using more recent data, where CPR was performed according to the 2010 and 2015 guidelines, comparing the relevance of the ED-TOR rule with the universal basic life support TOR (BLS-TOR) rule, which consists of the following criteria: no prehospital ROSC, unwitnessed arrest by EMS providers and no shock received. Methods: We analysed 552,554 OHCA patients (age ≥ 18 years) treated by EMS providers. OHCA patients witnessed by EMS providers were excluded. Data were obtained from a prospectively recorded All-Japan Utstein Registry from 2013 to 2017. The study endpoints were specificity and a positive predictive value (PPV) for predicting 1-month mortality after OHCA with the ED-TOR and BLS-TOR rules. Results: The overall 1-month survival rate was 4.3% (23,733/552,554). The proportions of OHCA patients who fulfilled the ED-TOR and BLS-TOR criteria were 59.6% and 83.8%, respectively. The specificity and PPV of the ED-TOR and BLS-TOR rules for predicting 1-month mortality were 93.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92.8%-93.5%) and 99.5% (95% CI, 99.5%-99.5%) and 82.6% (95% CI, 82.1%-83.1%) and 99.1% (95% CI, 99.1%-99.1%), respectively. Conclusions: The ED-TOR rule was successfully validated using more recent data from a Japanese registry where CPR was performed according to the 2010 and 2015 guidelines. The ED-TOR rule was slightly superior to the BLS-TOR rule in Japanese EMS systems showing high specificity and PPV for predicting 1-month mortality.

P498External validation of a field termination-of-resuscitation rule for refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Japan

Abstract Background A universal basic life support termination-of-resuscitation (BLS-TOR) rule was developed to identify patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) eligible for field termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In Japan, however, emergency medical service (EMS) providers are not allowed field termination of CPR and must transport all patients with OHCA to hospitals, regardless of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Therefore, we previously developed a Japanese TOR (JP-TOR) rule in the field for refractory OHCAs using data from the All-Japan Utstein registry between 2011 and 2015, when CPR was performed according to the 2010 guidelines. The JP-TOR rule recommends CPR termination when patients meet all the following criteria: initial asystole, unwitnessed arrest, age ≥81 years, no bystander interventions before EMS arrival, and no ROSC after EMS-initiated CPR for 14 min. Purpose To validate the JP-TOR rule using more recent data where CPR was performed according to the 2015 guidelines, comparing the relevance of JP-TOR rule with the BLS-TOR rule, which consists of the following criteria: no prehospital ROSC after 6-min EMS-initiated CPR, arrest unwitnessed by EMS providers, and no shock received. Methods We analysed the records of 242,184 patients (age ≥18 years) who experienced OHCA treated by EMS providers. Data were obtained from a prospectively recorded Japanese nationwide Utstein-style database from 2016 to 2017. The primary endpoints were specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for predicting the 1-month mortality after OHCA with the JP-TOR and BLS-TOR rules. Results The overall 1-month survival rate was 5.3% (12,847/242,184). The proportions of patients with OHCA fulfilled the JP-TOR and BLS-TOR criteria were 10.4% and 89.3%, respectively. The specificity and PPV of the JP-TOR and BLS-TOR rules for predicting 1-month mortality were 99.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 99.4%–99.5%) and 99.8% (95% CI, 99.7%–99.8%) and 44.7% (95% CI, 43.8%–45.5%) and 96.7% (95% CI, 96.6%–96.8%), respectively. Conclusions The JP-TOR rule for EMS providers treating patients with OHCA in the field was successfully validated using more recent data from a Japanese registry where CPR was performed according to the 2015 guidelines. The JP-TOR rule was superior to the BLS-TOR rule in Japanese EMS systems, having both high specificity and PPV of &amp;gt;99% for predicting 1-month mortality. The JP-TOR rule may help EMS providers decide whether to terminate resuscitation efforts for unresuscitable patients with OHCA in the field. Prospective validation studies and establishment of prehospital EMS protocol are required before implementing this rule in Japan.

Factors for modifying the termination of resuscitation rule in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

False positive rate (FPR) of the current basic life support (BLS) termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients (not witnessed; no return of spontaneous circulation prior to transport; and no shocks were delivered) has been ethically challenging. We validated the current BLS TOR rule with using nationwide Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium (KoCARC) registry and identified the factors for modifying the rules. This prospective, multicenter, registry-based study was performed using the nontraumatic OHCA registry data between October 2015 and June 2017. Independent factors associated with poor neurologic outcome were identified to propose new KoCARC TOR rules by using multivariable analysis. The diagnostic performances of the TOR rules were calculated respectively. Among 4,360 OHCA patients, 2,801 (64.2%) satisfied all 3 criteria of the BLS TOR rule. The FPR and positive predictive value of the BLS TOR rule were 5.9% and 99.3%. Asystole as initial rhythm and age > 60 years were found as new factors for modifying the TOR rule. New KoCARC TOR rules, combination of asystole and age > 60 years with current TOR rule, showed lower FPR (0.3%-2.1%) and higher positive predictive value (99.7%-99.9%) for predicting poor neurologic outcome at discharge. In this recent nationwide cohort, the current BLS TOR rule showed high FPR (5.9%) for predicting poor neurologic outcome. We anticipate that our new KoCARC TOR rules, application of 2 new factors (asystole as initial rhythm and age > 60 years) with BLS TOR rule, could reduce unwarranted death.

Implementation of the universal BLS termination of resuscitation rule in a rural EMS system

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often the first medical providers to begin resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. The universal Basic Life Support Termination of Resuscitation (BLS-TOR) rule is a validated clinical prediction tool used to identify patients in which continued resuscitation efforts are futile. The primary aim is to compare the rate of transport of OHCA cases before and after the implementation of a BLS-TOR protocol and to determine the compliance rate of EMS personnel with the new protocol in a largely volunteer, rural system. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the statewide EMS electronic patient care report system. Cases were identified by searching for any incident that had a primary impression of "cardiac arrest" or a primary symptom of "cardiorespiratory arrest" or "death." Data were collected from the two years prior to and following implementation of the BLS-TOR rule from January 1, 2012 through March 31, 2016. There were 702 OHCA cases were identified, with 329 cases meeting inclusion criteria. The transport rate was 91.1% in the pre-intervention group compared with 69.4% in the post-intervention group (χ2=24.8; p<0.001). EMS compliance rate with the BLS-TOR rule was 66.7%. Of the 265 patients transported during the study, 87 patients met (post-intervention group; n=22) or retrospectively met (pre-intervention group; n=65) the BLS-TOR requirements for field termination of resuscitation. None of these patients survived to hospital discharge. Rural EMS systems may benefit from implementation and utilization of the universal BLS-TOR rule.

Should we resuscitate or not-that is the question!

Sudden cardiac arrest is a major public health problem; every year about 350,000 people die in Europe after such an event (1). The 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) as well as the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) describe basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) rules for termination of resuscitation (TOR) (2). Several studies have evaluated the generalizability of the TOR rules in BLS and ALS emergency medical services (EMS) systems ( Table 1 ) (3-12). The BLS TOR rule suggests that resuscitative efforts may be aborted in patients whose arrest was not witnessed by EMS, in whom return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is not achieved in the field and when no shocks are delivered ( Table 1 ). The ALS TOR rule can be applied when the arrest was not witnessed, when bystander CPR was not provided, when no ROSC is achieved despite ALS care in the field, and when no shocks are delivered. Recent studies demonstrated that ALS EMS providers can also use the BLS TOR rule ( Table 1 ). This has been included as the “universal termination of resuscitation (TOR) rule” in the ERC guidelines (2). However, an ongoing debate exists whether TOR rules can be applied to victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) of both cardiac and non-cardiac etiologies.

Predictive performance of universal termination of resuscitation rules in an Asian community: are they accurate enough?

IntroductionPrehospital termination of resuscitation (TOR) rules have not been widely validated outside of Western countries. This study evaluated the performance of TOR rules in an Asian metropolitan with a mixed-tier...

Current termination of resuscitation (TOR) guidelines predict neurologically favorable outcome in Japan

It is unclear whether the basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) pre-hospital termination of resuscitation (TOR) rules developed in North America can be applied successfully to patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in other countries. To assess the performance of the BLS and ALS TOR in Japan. Retrospective nationwide, population-based, observational cohort study of consecutive OHCA patients with emergency responder resuscitation attempts from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2009 in Japan. The BLS TOR rule has 3 criteria whereas the ALS TOR rule includes 2 additional criteria. We extracted OHCA patients meeting all criteria for each TOR rule, and calculated the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of each TOR rule for identifying OHCA patients who did not have neurologically favorable one-month survival. During the study-period, 151,152 cases were available to evaluate the BLS TOR rule, and 137,986 cases to evaluate the ALS TOR rule. Of 113,140 patients that satisfied all three criteria for the BLS TOR rule, 193 (0.2%) had a neurologically favorable one-month survival. The specificity of BLS TOR rule was 0.968 (95% CI: 0.963-0.972), and the PPV was 0.998 (95% CI: 0.998-0.999) for predicting lack of neurologically favorable one-month survival. Of 41,030 patients that satisfied all five criteria for the ALS TOR rule, just 37 (0.1%) had a neurologically favorable one-month survival. The specificity of ALS TOR rule was 0.981 (95% CI: 0.973-0.986), and the PPV was 0.999 (95% CI: 0.998-0.999) for predicting lack of neurologically favorable one-month survival. The prehospital BLS and ALS TOR rules performed well in Japan with high specificity and PPV for predicting lack of neurologically favorable one-month survival in Japan. However, the specificity and PPV were not 1000 and we have to develop more specific TOR rules.

Modified clinical decision rule for termination-of-resuscitation in cases of refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Two international termination-of-resuscitation (TOR) rules for the emergency medical services (EMS) personnel have been proposed to identify nonsurvivors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The first is for use by responders providing basic life support (BLS) which includes three criteria: not witnessed by EMS personnel, no shocks are administered and no return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The other is for use by responders providing advanced life support (ALS) which adds two criteria: unwitnessed by a bystander and no bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Simpler criteria as a universal TOR rule may be desirable for any level of EMS personnel. We performed this study to validate two TOR rules and a modified BLS TOR rule which includes three criteria: unwitnessed arrest, no shocks administered and no ROSC achieved before arrival at hospital for predicting refractory OHCAs.

Abstract 177: Regional Cerebral Oxygen Saturation as a Novel Termination of Resuscitation Rule in Cases of Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background: To better utilize medical resources, basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) pre-hospital termination-of-resuscitation (TOR) rules have been developed, validated, and implemented in North America. Recently, “regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) ≤15%”, as no detectable cortical oxygen value (N-value), has been considered to be a strong predictor of poor neurological outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Objective: To assess the impact of the N-value as a novel TOR rule. Method: This study was a prospective cohort study. Of 418 OHCA patients, 186 consecutive non-traumatic, cardiac arrest on arrival (CAOA) patients were prospectively registered. The rSO2 were measured with sensors placed on either side of their forehead using a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device (INVOS, Covidien, US) immediately on hospital arrival. We monitored rSO2 values at least for more than one minute and used the lower of the 2 measured rSO2 values for analysis. Clinical staff performed ordinary post-cardiac-arrest interventions (PCAIs) regardless of rSO2 values. Primary outcome measure was good neurological outcome (CPC =&lt;2) at hospital discharge according to the “Utstein-style”. We calculated the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of N-value TOR rule and BLS/ALS TOR rules for identifying CAOA patients without good neurological outcome. Results: Among 186 CAOA patients in the PCAIs era, 18 patients (9.7%) had good neurological outcome at hospital discharge, and the specificity and PPV of N-value, BLS and ALS TOR rules were high. However, N-value TOR rule had relatively high specificity and PPV compared with BLS TOR rule and relatively high sensitivity compared with ALS TOR rule. In addition, NIRS provides non-invasive and objective rSO2 values immediately. Conclusion: The N-value TOR rule may be of considerable help to make decisions to cease futile resuscitative efforts in CAOA patients after OHCA.

Clinical Decision Rules for Termination of Resuscitation in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a low probability of survival to hospital discharge. Four clinical decision rules (CDRs) have been validated to identify patients with no probability of survival. Three of these rules focus on exclusive prehospital basic life support care for OHCA, and two of these rules focus on prehospital advanced life support care for OHCA. Can a CDR for the termination of resuscitation identify a patient with no probability of survival in the setting of OHCA? Six validation studies were selected from a PubMed search. A structured review of each of the studies is presented. In OHCA receiving basic life support care, the BLS-TOR (basic life support termination of resuscitation) rule has a positive predictive value for death of 99.5% (95% confidence interval 98.9-99.8%), and decreases the transportation of all patients by 62.6%. This rule has been appropriately validated for widespread use. In OHCA receiving advanced life support care, no current rule has been appropriately validated for widespread use. The BLS-TOR rule is a simple rule that identifies patients who will not survive OHCA. Further research is required to identify similarly robust CDRs for patients receiving advanced life support care in the setting of OHCA.

Summary of the Methodology for the Validation Study for a Termination of Resuscitation Clinical Prediction Rule

Basic life support (BLS) providers are the most common type of emergency responder in the world. Thus, many patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in North America receive only BLS care (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation) from emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Current practice is for every cardiac arrest patient receiving only BLS care to be transported to the emergency department (ED) with lights and sirens. The survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is approximately 5%; therefore, most patients are pronounced dead in the field or in the ED. Emergency ambulance transport to the ED and futile resuscitation of patients experiencing cardiac arrest is potentially hazardous to paramedics and the public. Accordingly, care of these patients is not an efficient use of ED resources because these patients generally do not survive. Patients experiencing cardiac arrest demand the immediate attention of the physician and ED staff and may divert care from potentially more salvageable patients. More importantly, the time spent with grieving families is often compromised by the competing time-sensitive needs of other ED patients. The literature demonstrates that most family members are satisfied with the experience of out-ofhospital termination of resuscitation and the manner used for breaking bad news. American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation acknowledged that there is a need to develop Termination of Resuscitation (TOR) protocols for EMTs in situations in which advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) is not rapidly available. To date, research supporting TOR guidelines has been limited to patients who received full prehospital ACLS care, inhospital patients experiencing cardiac arrest, prehospital cardiac arrests treated by EMT-Ps, all patients experiencing cardiac arrest resuscitated by EMTs, and a subset of patients presenting in asystole. None are validated in the prehospital setting. The implementation of a Basic Life Support Termination of Resuscitation (BLS TOR) clinical prediction rule for patients who fail to respond to BLS care would decrease the number of futile resuscitations directed to the ED by EMTs. We recently derived a clinical prediction rule through retrospective case review for the termination of BLS resuscitative efforts by EMTs who had been trained in the use of automated external defibrillation. This rule suggests that continued BLS cardiac resuscitation is futile and can be terminated in the field if the following 3 conditions are met: 1) no return of spontaneous circulation, 2) no shock given before transport, and 3) cardiac arrest not witnessed by EMS personnel (Fig. 1). The decision rule was 100% sensitive (95% confidence interval CI 99.3–100) and the negative predictive value was 100% (95% CI 99.3–100) in determining which patients survived to discharge when applied retrospectively to the study population.