Describing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to improve recognition: An analysis of online cardiac arrest videos

Introductions   Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OOHCA) often go untreated by lay-rescuers. One barrier to response is poor recognition. This study’s purpose is to describe OOHCA using publicly available videos.   Materials and Methods   26 of the internet’s most popular video-hosting and social media platforms were consecutively searched in English and Chinese August 3rd to January 20th, 2018 until each site returned 100 consecutive unrelated videos.   Video inclusion required: i) medium to high definition video quality (>360p and >10 frames per second), ii) that cardiac arrest be confirmed from two sources (i.e. news, social media, etc.), iii) 100% reviewer agreement on pre-arrest and post-arrest signs, and iv) arrest have non-traumatic etiology.   Results   821 videos were identified; 165 videos met inclusion criteria and underwent content analysis. 68, victims (41%) exhibited pre-arrest signs: 34 (21%) had unsteady gait; 42 (26%) touched their head or neck; and 33 (20%) hip-flexed or squatted prior to collapse. After collapse, 97 (59%) exhibited signs of life such as agonal breathing (71, 43%) or posturing/convulsions (39, 24%).   Most common lay-responses were: 38 (28%) victims were shaken, 28 (17%) received chest compression(s), 18 (11%) had their head held, 17 (10%) were unsuccessfully lifted to a standing position, 9 (5%) had their legs raised, and 5 (3%) had an AED applied.   Discussion   Analysis suggests three times as many victims of cardiac arrest show some signs of life compared to no signs of life, and that bystander response is poor. Publicly available videos offer rich examples of what OOCHA collapse and resuscitation look like and could inform training

Chloroquine Administration in Breastfeeding Mothers Associates with Increased HIV-1 Plasma Viral Loads

Chloroquine (CQ) and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been proposed to be effective at treating COVID-19 patients. We, and others, have previously reported on the capacity of CQ to reduce HIV-1 replication in vitro. We tested CQ administration in post-partum mothers on influencing HIV-1 viral loads in human milk as a means of lowering mother to child transmission. A Phase I/II, randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate chloroquine administration to reduce HIV-1 RNA levels in human milk: the CHARGE study. Thirty HIV-1 positive pregnant Rwandese women (CQ n = 20; placebo n = 10) were enrolled in a 16-week study, with the treatment group receiving a 200 mg oral dose of CQ daily. Base-line plasma viral load (pVL) measurements and CD4 counts were determined prior to delivery, and pVL, breast milk VL (bmVL) and CQ levels measured during treatment. For women receiving treatment, CQ concentration was higher in breast milk compared to plasma (over 2.5-fold), with a positive correlation between the levels in the two compartments (P \u3c 0.003). A link between high CQ concentrations in plasma and high CD4 counts (P \u3c 0.001) was observed. Surprisingly, we found a significant increase in pVL after CQ treatment in over half of the mothers (n=11; P \u3c 0.001) and with no alteration to bmVL measurements. No specific amino acid alterations in the gp120 envelope sequences could be associated with CQ administration. CQ usage is associated with a significant increase to pVL in early breastfeeding mothers from Rwanda which cautions against the use of CQ in such individuals. Our results highlight a discrepancy between CQ effects on modulating HIV-1 replication in vitro versus in vivo and indicate caution when prescribing CQ to postpartum HIV-1 untreated mothers. This discrepancy should be taken into consideration when testing CQ or HCQ treatment in COVID-19 clinical trials, especially relating to the post-partum setting

Chloroquine Administration in Breastfeeding Mothers Associates with Increased HIV-1 Plasma Viral Loads

2Abstract Chloroquine (CQ) and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been proposed to be effective at treating COVID-19 patients. We, and others, have previously reported on the capacity of CQ to reduce HIV-1 replication in vitro. We tested CQ administration in post-partum mothers on influencing HIV-1 viral loads in human milk as a means of lowering mother to child transmission. A Phase I/II, randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate chloroquine administration to reduce HIV-1 RNA levels in human milk: the CHARGE study. Thirty HIV-1 positive pregnant Rwandese women (CQ n = 20; placebo n = 10) were enrolled in a 16-week study, with the treatment group receiving a 200 mg oral dose of CQ daily. Base-line plasma viral load (pVL) measurements and CD4 counts were determined prior to delivery, and pVL, breast milk VL (bmVL) and CQ levels measured during treatment. For women receiving treatment, CQ concentration was higher in breast milk compared to plasma (over 2.5-fold), with a positive correlation between the levels in the two compartments (P < 0.003). A link between high CQ concentrations in plasma and high CD4 counts (P < 0.001) was observed. Surprisingly, we found a significant increase in pVL after CQ treatment in over half of the mothers (n=11; P < 0.001) and with no alteration to bmVL measurements. No specific amino acid alterations in the gp120 envelope sequences could be associated with CQ administration. CQ usage is associated with a significant increase to pVL in early breastfeeding mothers from Rwanda which cautions against the use of CQ in such individuals. Our results highlight a discrepancy between CQ effects on modulating HIV-1 replication in vitro versus in vivo and indicate caution when prescribing CQ to post-partum HIV-1 untreated mothers. This discrepancy should be taken into consideration when testing CQ or HCQ treatment in COVID-19 clinical trials, especially relating to the post-partum setting

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Family Centred Cardiac Arrest Care (Main Page)

“What care do patient’s family members need during and after their loved one has a cardiac arrest?” - question #5 of the James Lind Foundation Priority Setting Partnership on Cardiac Arrest Research led by Dr. Katie Dainty. (source: www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/priority-setting-partnerships/cardiac-arrest/) This is the question we are attempting to address in an international program of research that partners with the families of persons who have experienced cardiac arrest. Our co-investigators and collaborators with lived experience participate in all stages of project development and execution. During the early phase of the project (from 2020 to 2023) we focus on the early phase of cardiac arrest care, from the time of recognition of cardiac arrest to the time the deceased's body becomes inaccessible or the survivor becomes responsive (emerges from coma and/or therapeutic hypothermia). We wish to describe the care needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest care of a loved-one and how those care needs can be met. You can join our team and get involved if you have lived experience of cardiac arrest care as either a survivor or a family member of a person who experienced a cardiac arrest. This work is facilitated in part by Matthew J Douma. Email:[email protected] and Twitter @matthewjdouma - reach out to me to get involved