BackgroundResearch on ethnic and socioeconomic treatment differences following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) largely draws on register data. Due to the correlational nature of such data, it cannot be concluded whether detected differences reflect treatment bias/discrimination – whereby otherwise identical patients are treated differently solely due to sociodemographic factors. To be able to establish discrimination, experimental research is needed.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this experimental study was to examine whether simulated IHCA patients receive different treatment recommendations based on ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), holding all other factors (e.g., health status) constant. Another aim was to examine health care professionals’ (HCP) stereotypical beliefs about these groups.MethodsHCP (N = 235) working in acute care made anonymous treatment recommendations while reading IHCA clinical vignettes wherein the patient's ethnicity (Swedish vs. Middle Eastern) and SES had been manipulated. Afterwards they estimated to what extent hospital staff associate these patient groups with certain traits (stereotypes).ResultsNo significant differences in treatment recommendations for Swedish versus Middle Eastern or high versus low SES patients were found. Reported stereotypes about Middle Eastern patients were uniformly negative. SES-related stereotypes, however, were mixed. High SES patients were believed to be more competent (e.g., respected), but less warm (e.g., friendly) than low SES patients.ConclusionsSwedish HCP do not seem to discriminate against patients with Middle Eastern or low SES backgrounds when recommending treatment for simulated IHCA cases, despite the existence of negative stereotypes about these groups. Implications for health care equality and quality are discussed.

Aims: Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) face widespread prejudice in society. Whether SES disparities exist in treatment and survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is unclear. The aim of the current retrospective registry study was to examine SES disparities in IHCA treatment and survival, assessing SES at the patient level, and adjusting for major demographic, clinical, and contextual factors.

Methods and results: In total, 24 217 IHCAs from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation were analysed. Education and income constituted SES proxies. Controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, comorbidity, heart rhythm, aetiology, hospital, and year, primary analyses showed that high (vs. low) SES patients were significantly less likely to receive delayed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (highly educated: OR = 0.89, and high income: OR = 0.98). Furthermore, patients with high SES were significantly more likely to survive CPR (high income: OR = 1.02), to survive to hospital discharge with good neurological outcome (highly educated: OR = 1.27; high income: OR = 1.06), and to survive to 30 days (highly educated: OR = 1.21; and high income: OR = 1.05). Secondary analyses showed that patients with high SES were also significantly more likely to receive prophylactic heart rhythm monitoring (highly educated: OR = 1.16; high income: OR = 1.02), and this seems to partially explain the observed SES differences in CPR delay.

Conclusion: There are clear SES differences in IHCA treatment and survival, even when controlling for major sociodemographic, clinical, and contextual factors. This suggests that patients with low SES could be subject to discrimination when suffering IHCA.

Aims 

Previous research on racial/ethnic disparities in relation to cardiac arrest has mainly focused on black vs. white disparities in the USA. The great majority of these studies concerns out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The current nationwide registry study aims to explore whether there are ethnic differences in treatment and survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), examining possible disparities towards Middle Eastern and African minorities in a European context.

Methods and results

In this retrospective registry study, 24 217 patients from the IHCA part of the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation were included. Data on patient ethnicity were obtained from Statistics Sweden. Regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of ethnicity on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) delay, CPR duration, survival immediately after CPR, and the medical team’s reported satisfaction with the treatment. Middle Eastern and African patients were not treated significantly different compared to Nordic patients when controlling for hospital, year, age, sex, socioeconomic status, comorbidity, aetiology, and initial heart rhythm. Interestingly, we find that Middle Eastern patients were more likely to survive than Nordic patients (odds ratio = 1.52).

Conclusion

Overall, hospital staff do not appear to treat IHCA patients differently based on their ethnicity. Nevertheless, Middle Eastern patients are more likely to survive IHCA.

Introduction: Studies examining the factors linked to survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have either aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of OHCA in different parts of the world, or focused on certain factors and whether they were associated with survival. Unfortunately, this approach does not measure how strong each factor is in predicting survival after OHCA. Aim: To investigate the relative importance of 16 well-recognized factors in OHCA at the time point of ambulance arrival, and before any interventions or medications were given, by using a machine learning approach that implies building models directly from the data, and arranging those factors in order of importance in predicting survival. Methods: Using a data-driven approach with a machine learning algorithm, we studied the relative importance of 16 factors assessed during the pre-hospital phase of OHCA We examined 45,000 cases of OHCA between 2008 and 2016. Results: Overall, the top five factors to predict survival in order of importance were: initial rhythm, age, early Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR, time to CPR and CPR before arrival of EMS), time from EMS dispatch until EMS arrival, and place of cardiac arrest The largest difference in importance was noted between initial rhythm and the remaining predictors. A number of factors, including time of arrest and sex were of little importance. Conclusion: Using machine learning, we confirm that the most important predictor of survival in OHCA is initial rhythm, followed by age, time to start of CPR, EMS response time and place of OHCA. Several factors traditionally viewed as important e.g. sex, were of little importance.

AIM: To investigate characteristics and outcome among patients suffering in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) with the emphasis on gender and age.

METHODS: Using the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, we analyzed associations between gender, age and co-morbidities, etiology, management, 30-day survival and cerebral function among survivors in 14,933 cases of IHCA. Age was divided into three ordered categories: young (18-49years), middle-aged (50-64years) and older (65years and above). Comparisons between men and women were age adjusted.

RESULTS: The mean age was 72.7years and women were significantly older than men. Renal dysfunction was the most prevalent co-morbidity. Myocardial infarction/ischemia was the most common condition preceding IHCA, with men having 27% higher odds of having MI as the underlying etiology. A shockable rhythm was found in 31.8% of patients, with men having 52% higher odds of being found in VT/VF. After adjusting for various confounders, it was found that men had a 10% lower chance than women of surviving to 30days. Older individuals were managed less aggressively than younger patients. Increasing age was associated with lower 30-day survival but not with poorer cerebral function among survivors.

CONCLUSION: When adjusting for various confounders, it was found that men had a 10% lower chance than women of surviving to 30days after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Older individuals were managed less aggressively than younger patients, despite a lower chance of survival. Higher age was, however, not associated with poorer cerebral function among survivors.

Introduction

Most cardiac arrest (CA) survivors report good health and quality of life. Life satisfaction on the other hand has not yet been studied in a large scale in the CA population. We aimed to explore life satisfaction as perceived by CA survivors with three research questions addressed: (1) how do CA survivors report their life satisfaction, (2) how are different domains of life satisfaction associated with overall life satisfaction, and (3) how are demographic and medical factors associated with overall life satisfaction?

Methods

This registry study had a cross-sectional design. Life satisfaction was assessed using the 11-item Life Satisfaction checklist (LiSat-11). The sample included 1435 survivors ≥18 years of age. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were used.

Results

Survivors were most satisfied with partner relation (85.6%), family life (82.2%), and self-care (77.8%), while 60.5% were satisfied with overall life. Satisfaction with psychological health was strongest associated with overall life satisfaction. Among medical and demographic factors, female sex and poor cerebral performance were associated with less overall life satisfaction.

Conclusions

Generally, CA survivors seem to perceive similar levels of overall life satisfaction as general populations, while survivors tend to be significantly less satisfied with their sexual life. Satisfaction with psychological health is of special interest to identify and treat. Additionally, female survivors and survivors with poor neurological outcome are at risk for poorer overall life satisfaction and need special attention by healthcare professionals.

In patients with heart failure (HF) who suffered in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), little is known about the characteristics, survival and neurological outcome. We used the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to study this, including patients aged >= 18 years suffering IHCA (2008-2019), categorised as HF alone, HF with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), AMI alone, or other. Odds ratios (OR) for 30-day survival, trends in 30-day survival, and the implication of HF phenotype was studied. 6378 patients had HF alone, 2111 had HF with AMI, 4210 had AMI alone. Crude 5-year survival was 9.6% for HF alone, 12.9% for HF with AMI and 34.6% for AMI alone. The 5-year survival was 7.9% for patients with HF and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >= 50%, 15.4% for LVEF < 40% and 12.3% for LVEF 40-49%. Compared with AMI alone, adjusted OR (95% CI) for 30-day survival was 0.66 (0.60-0.74) for HF alone, and 0.49 (0.43-0.57) for HF with AMI. OR for 30-day survival in 2017-2019 compared with 2008-2010 were 1.55 (1.24-1.93) for AMI alone, 1.37 (1.00-1.87) for HF with AMI and 1.30 (1.07-1.58) for HF alone. Survivors with HF had good neurological outcome in 92% of cases.

Background: Trauma is a main cause of death among young adults worldwide. Patients experiencing a traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) certainly have a poor prognosis but population-based studies are sparse. Primarily to describe characteristics and 30-day survival following a TCA as compared with a medical out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (medical CA). Methods: A cohort study based on data from the nationwide, prospective population-based Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR), a medical cardiac arrest registry, between 1990 and 2016. The definition of a TCA in the SRCR is a patient who is unresponsive with apnoea where cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or defibrillation have been initiated and in whom the Emergency Medical Services (EMS, mainly a nurse-based system) reported trauma as the aetiology. Outcome was overall 30-day survival. Descriptive statistics as well as multivariable logistic regression models were used. Results: In all, between 1990 and 2016, 1774 (2.4%) cases had a TCA and 72,547 had a medical CA. Overall 30-day survival gradually increased over the years, and was 3.7% for TCAs compared to 8.2% following a medical CA (p < 0.01). Among TCAs, factors associated with a higher 30-day survival were bystander witnessed and having a shockable initial rhythm (adjusted OR 2.67, 95% C.I. 1.15-6.22 and OR 8.94 95% C.I. 4.27-18.69, respectively). Discussion: Association in registry-based studies do not imply causality but TCA had short time intervals in the chain of survival as well as high rates of bystander-CPR. C onclusion: In a medical CA registry like ours, prevalence of TCAs is low and survival is poor. Registries like ours might not capture the true incidence. However, many individuals do survive and resuscitation in TCAs should not be seen futile.

Background

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been reported for out-hospital (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) separately, but potential differences between the two groups are unknown. The aim of this study is therefore to describe and compare HRQoL in patients surviving OHCA and IHCA.

Methods

Patients ≥18 years with Cerebral Performance Category 1–3 included in the Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation between 2014 and 2017 were included. A telephone interview was performed based on a questionnaire sent 3–6 months post cardiac arrest, including EQ-5D-5L and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Mann–Whitney U test and multiple linear- and ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to describe and compare HRQoL in OHCA and IHCA survivors. Adjustments were made for sex, age and initial rhythm.

Results

In all, 1369 IHCA and 772 OHCA survivors were included. Most OHCA and IHCA survivors reported no symptoms of with anxiety (88% and 84%) or depression (87% and 85%). IHCA survivors reported significantly more problems in the health domains mobility, self-care, usual activities and pain/discomfort (p < 0.001 for all) and scored lower general health measured by EQ-VAS (median 70 vs. 80 respectively, p < 0.001) compared with the OHCA survivors.

Conclusion

Survivors of IHCA reported significantly worse HRQoL compared to survivors of OHCA. Consequently, research data gathered from one of these populations may not be generalizable to the other.

Background: Insomnia symptoms seem to be common in cardiac arrest survivors but their associations with important outcomes such as self reported health and life satisfaction have not previously been reported during the early post-event period. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate whether symptoms of insomnia are associated with self-reported health and life satisfaction in cardiac arrest survivors six months after the event.Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional survey included cardiac arrest survivors =18 years. Participants were recruited six months after the event from five hospitals in southern Sweden, and completed a questionnaire including the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale, EQ-5D-5L, Health Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Satisfaction With Life Scale. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, linear regression, and ordinal logistic regression. The regression analyses were adjusted for demographic and medical factors.Results: In total, 212 survivors, 76.4% males, with a mean age of 66.6 years (SD = 11.9) were included, and of those, 20% reported clinical insomnia. Insomnia was significantly associated with all aspects of self-reported health (p < 0.01) and life satisfaction (p < 0.001), except mobility (p = 0.093), self-care (p = 0.676), and usual activities (p = 0.073).Conclusion: Insomnia plays a potentially important role for both health and life satisfaction in cardiac arrest survivors. Screening for sleep problems should be part of post cardiac arrest care and follow-up to identify those in need of further medical examination and treatment.

Background

Self-reported health and life satisfaction are considered important outcomes in people surviving cardiac arrest. However, most previous studies have reported limited aspects on health, often based on composite scores, and few studies have focused on life satisfaction. Investigating health aspects with a broad and detailed perspective is important to increase the knowledge of life after cardiac arrest from the perspective of survivors. In addition, the knowledge of potential differences in health among survivors related to place of arrest (in-hospital cardiac arrest; IHCA or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; OHCA) is scarce. The aim was to describe and compare self-reported health and life satisfaction in IHCA and OHCA survivors.

Methods

This observational cross-sectional study included adult cardiac arrest survivors six months after resuscitation, treated at five Swedish hospitals between 2013 and 2018. Participants received a study specific questionnaire including Health Index (HI), EQ-5D 5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L), Minimal Insomnia Sleeping Scale (MISS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). In order to present characteristics descriptive statistics were applied. The Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fishers' exact test were used to compare differences in self-reported health and life satisfaction between in-hospital- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors

Results

In total, 212 survivors participated. Based on scale scores and general measures, the median scores of health and life satisfaction among survivors were high: HI total = 29, EQ VAS = 80, and SWLS = 20. According to HI, most problems were reported for tiredness (37.3 %) and strength (26.4 %), while pain/discomfort (57.5 %) and anxiety/depression (42.5 %) where most common according to EQ-5D-5L. Except for EQ-5D-5L mobility (p = 0.023), MSPSS significant other (p = 0.036), and MSPSS family (p = 0.043), no health differences in relation to place of arrest were identified.

Conclusions

Although general health and life satisfaction were good among cardiac arrest survivors, several prevalent health problems were reported regardless of place of arrest. To achieve an improved understanding of health in cardiac arrest survivors, it is important to assess specific symptoms as a complement to composite scores of general, physical, emotional, and social health.

Background: Most resuscitation guidelines have recommendations regarding maximum delay times from collapse to calling for the rescue team and initiation of treatment following cardiac arrest. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between adherence to guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and survival with a focus on delay to treatment. Methods: We used the Swedish Registry for CPR to study 3212 patients with a shockable rhythm and 9113 patients with non-shockable rhythm from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017. Adult patients older than or equal to 18 years with a witnessed IHCA where resuscitation was initiated were included. We assessed trends in adherence to guidelines and their associations with 30-day survival and neurological function. Adherence to guidelines was defined as follows: time from collapse to calling for the rescue team and CPR within 1 min for non-shockable rhythms. For shockable rhythms, adherence was defined as the time from collapse to calling for the rescue team and CPR within 1 min and defibrillation within 3 min. Results: In patients with a shockable rhythm, the 30-day survival for those treated according to guidelines was 66.1%, as compared to 46.5% among those not treated according to guidelines on one or more parameters, adjusted odds ratio 1.84 (95% CI 1.52-2.22). Among patients with a non-shockable rhythm the 30-day survival for those treated according to guidelines was 22.8%, as compared to 16.0% among those not treated according to guidelines on one or more parameters, adjusted odds ratio 1.43 (95% CI 1.24-1.65). Neurological function (cerebral performance category 1-2) among survivors was better among patients treated in accordance with guidelines for both shockable (95.7% vs 91.1%, <0.001) and non-shockable rhythms (91.0% vs 85.5%, p < 0.008). Adherence to the Swedish guidelines for CPR increased slightly 2008-2017. Conclusions: Adherence to guidelines was associated with increased probability of survival and improved neurological function in patients with a shockable and non-shockable rhythm, respectively. Increased adherence to guidelines could increase cardiac arrest survival.

Objective

We studied characteristics, survival, causes of cardiac arrest, conditions preceding cardiac arrest, predictors of survival and trends in the prevalence of COVID-19 among in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) cases.

Design and setting

Registry-based observational study.

Participants

We studied all cases (>= 18 years of age) of IHCA receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation during 15 March 2020 to 31 December 2020. A total of 1613 patients were included and divided into the following groups: ongoing infection (COVID-19+; n=182), no infection (COVID-19-; n=1062) and unknown/not assessed (n=369).

Main outcomes and measures

We studied monthly trends in proportions of COVID-19 associated IHCAs, causes of IHCA in relation to COVID-19 status, clinical conditions preceding the cardiac arrest and predictors of survival.

Results

The rate of COVID-19+ patients suffering an IHCA increased to 23% during the first pandemic wave (April), then abated to 3% in July, and then increased to 19% during the second wave (December). Among COVID-19+ cases, 43% had respiratory insufficiency or infection as the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest, compared with 18% among COVID-19- cases. The most common clinical sign preceding cardiac arrest was hypoxia (57%) among COVID-19+ cases. OR for 30-day survival for COVID-19+ cases was 0.50 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.76), compared with COVID-19- cases.

Conclusion

During pandemic peaks, up to one-fourth of all IHCAs are complicated by COVID-19, and these patients have halved chance of survival, with women displaying the worst outcomes.

Purpose: Most cardiac arrest research has focused on survival in an out-of-hospital context. The knowledge of health and quality of life is sparse, especially regarding in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) survivors. The aim of the current study was therefore to describe neurologic outcome, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety and symptoms of depression among IHCA survivors.

Materials and methods: This study has a cross-sectional design. Data from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was used. In the register, data is collected 3–6 months after resuscitation by using a questionnaire including two questions about activities in daily life and mental/intellectual recovery, the EQ-5D-5L and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In addition, Cerebral Performance Category (CPC)-scoring is performed.

Results: Between the 11th of June 2013 and the 7th of May 2015, 488 IHCA survivors with a mean age of 69 ± 13 were included. A majority were men (62%), had a cerebral function of CPC 1 (87%) and no need of assistance from other people in daily life (71%). A large proportion had not made a complete mental/intellectual recovery (27%). Pain/discomfort was the dimension in EQ-5D-5L where most survivors reported problems (64%), while least problems were reported in the dimension self-care (24%). The individual variations of present health state (EQ-VAS) were substantial (range 0–100), with a mean value of 66 ± 22. Anxiety and symptoms of depression were reported by 16% and 15% respectively.

Conclusions: Although the majority of the IHCA survivors reported good neurologic outcome, satisfactory HRQoL, no anxiety or symptoms of depression, the results indicate major individual differences, with a substantial group reporting serious problems. Our findings stress the importance of structured post resuscitation care and follow-up, in order to identify and support those in need.

AIM: To describe health status and psychological distress among in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) survivors in relation to gender.

METHODS: This national register study consists of data from follow-up registration of IHCA survivors 3-6 months post cardiac arrest (CA) in Sweden. A questionnaire was sent to the survivors, including measurements of health status (EQ-5D-5L) and psychological distress (HADS).

RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2015, 594 IHCA survivors were included in the study. The median values for EQ-5D-5L index and EQ VAS among survivors were 0.78 (q1-q3=0.67-0.86) and 70 (q1-q3=50-80) respectively. The values were significantly lower (p&lt;0.001) in women compared to men. In addition, women reported more problems than men in all dimensions of EQ-5D-5L, except self-care. A majority of the respondents reported no problems with anxiety (85.4%) and/or symptoms of depression (87.0%). Women reported significantly more problems with anxiety (p&lt;0.001) and symptoms of depression (p&lt;0.001) compared to men. Gender was significantly associated with poorer health status and more psychological distress. No interaction effects for gender and age were found.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of survivors reported acceptable health status and no psychological distress, a substantial proportion reported severe problems. Women reported worse health status and more psychological distress compared to men. Therefore, a higher proportion of women may be in need of support. Health care professionals should make efforts to identify health problems among survivors and offer individualised support when needed.

Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated differences in characteristics and outcome between men and women in cardiac arrest (CA) populations. However, most studies have focused only on survival outcome. Knowledge about patient reported health and psychological distress among CA survivors is sparse, in particular among those suffering in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). The aim was to describe health status and psychological distress among IHCA survivors in relation to sex. Methods: This national register study presents follow-up data of IHCA survivors from 64% of the eligible hospitals in Sweden. A questionnaire was sent to the survivors, 3-6 months post CA, including measures of health status (EQ-5D) and psychological distress (HADS). Results: Between 2013 and 2015, 594 IHCA survivors were included. Women reported more problems in all dimensions of EQ-5D, except for Self-care. They also had worse health status (EQ-index) (0.75 vs 0.79, p&lt;0.001). The median value for EQ-VAS was 70 (q1-q3=50-80), significantly lower for women compared to men (65 vs 75, p&lt;0.001). A majority reported no problems with anxiety (85.4%) and/or symptoms of depression (87.0%). Women reported significantly more problems with anxiety (median 3 vs 2, p&lt;0.001) and symptoms of depression (median 3 vs 2, p&lt;0.001) compared to men. Being women was significantly associated with lower health status and more psychological distress in the regression models. No interaction effects for sex and age were found. Conclusions: Although the majority of the survivors reported acceptable health status and no psychological distress, a substantial group reported serious problems. Women reported worse health status and more psychological distress compared to men. Therefore, a higher proportion of women may be in need of support. All IHCA survivors should be screened for health problems during the post cardiac arrest follow-up, and offered support when needed.

Purpose: A cardiac arrest can cause brain injury with cognitive dysfunctions, emotional reactions and negative effects on activities in daily life. However, most research has focused on survival and the knowledge about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among survivors is limited. In addition, almost all studies are performed in an out-of-hospital context. The aim of the current study was therefore to describe HRQoL among in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) survivors.

Methods: This study has a cross-sectional design. In collaboration with the Swedish national register for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, data was collected 3-6 months after resuscitation by using a questionnaire including EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and single questions on activities in daily life and mental/intellectual recovery. In addition, the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) was scored.

Results: In total, 286 IHCA survivors with a mean age of 67±12 were included. A majority of the survivors were men (65%), had a cerebral function of CPC 1 (88%) and had no need of assistance from other people in daily life (70%). A large proportion of the survivors had not made a complete mental and/or intellectual recovery (34%), causing problems in daily life for 65% of them. Pain was the dimension in EQ-5D where most survivors reported problems of some degree (64%). Problems within the dimensions anxiety/depression and mobility were reported by more than half of the survivors (53% vs. 51%). In the dimensions personal care and activities in daily life problems were reported by less than half of the survivors (24% vs. 49%). The individual variations of present health measured by the EQ-VAS were substantial (range 0-100), with a mean value of 67±22. Symptoms of anxiety and depression (measured by HADS) were reported by 15% and 16% respectively.

Conclusions: Although the majority of the IHCA survivors reported satisfactory HRQoL, the results indicate major individual differences, with a substantial group reporting serious problems. Our findings stress the importance of assessing HRQoL among IHCA survivors and the need of follow-up and structured post cardiac arrest care.

Background: Studies investigating sex disparities related to treatment and outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) have produced divergent findings and have typically been unable to adjust for outstanding confounding variables.

Objectives: The aim was to examine sex differences in treatment and survival following IHCA, using a comprehensive set of control variables including e.g., age, comorbidity, and patient-level socioeconomic status. Methods: This retrospective study was based on data from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Statistics Sweden. In the primary analyses, logistic regression models and ordinary least square regressions were estimated.

Results: The study included 24,217 patients and the majority (70.4%) were men. In the unadjusted analyses, women had a lower chance of survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempt, at hospital discharge (with good neurological function) and at 30 days (p<0.01). In the adjusted regression models, female sex was associated with a higher chance of survival after the CPR attempt (B = 1.09, p<0.01) and at 30-days (B = 1.09, p<0.05). In contrast, there was no significant association between sex and survival to discharge with good neurological outcome. Except for treatment duration (B=-0.07, p<0.01), no significant associations between sex and treatment were identified.

Conclusions: No signs of treatment disparities or discrimination related to sex were identified. However, women had a better chance of surviving IHCA compared to men. The finding that women went from having a survival disadvantage (unadjusted analysis) to a survival advantage (adjusted analysis) attests to the importance of including a comprehensive set of control variables, when examining sex differences.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore associations between comorbidities and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) survivors.

Methods: This registry study is based on data from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR) collected during 2014–2017. HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L, the EQ Visual Analogue Scale (EQ VAS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In total, 1,278 IHCA survivors were included in the study, 3–6 months after the cardiac arrest (CA). Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The comorbidities analysed in this study were the patients’ status for diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, previous stroke, respiratory insufficiency, and heart failure.

Results: Overall, the IHCA survivors reported high levels of HRQoL, but there was great variation within the population, e.g., EQ VAS median (q1- q3) = 70 (50–80). Survivors with one or more comorbidities reported worse HRQoL in 6 out of 8 outcomes (p < 0.001). All studied comorbidities were each associated with worse HRQoL, but no comorbidity was associated with every outcome measure. Previous stroke and respiratory insufficiency were significantly associated with every outcome measure except for HADS Anxiety. The linear regression models explained 4–8% of the total vari- ance in HRQoL (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Since IHCA survivors with comorbidities report worse HRQoL compared to those without comorbidities, it is important to pay directed attention to them when developing and providing post-CA care, especially in those with respiratory insufficiency and previous stroke.

Background: Recent decades have shown major improvements in survival rates after cardiac arrest. However, few interventions have been tested in order to improve the care for survivors and their family members. In many countries, including Sweden, national guidelines for post cardiac arrest care and follow-up programs are not available and current practice has not previously been investigated. The aim of this survey was therefore to describe current post cardiac arrest care and follow-up in Sweden.

Methods: An internet based questionnaire was sent to the resuscitation coordinators at all Swedish emergency hospitals (n = 74) and 59 answers were received. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics and free text responses were analysed using manifest content analysis.

Results: Almost half of the hospitals in Sweden (n = 27, 46 %) have local guidelines for post cardiac arrest care and follow-up. However, 39 % of them reported that these guidelines were not always applied. The most common routine is a follow-up visit at a cardiac reception unit. If the need for neurological or psychological support are discovered the routines are not explicit. In addition, family members are not always included in the follow-up.

Conclusions: Although efforts are already made to improve post cardiac arrest care and follow-up, many hospitals need to focus more on this part of cardiac arrest treatment. In addition, evidence-based national guidelines will have to be developed and implemented in order to achieve a more uniform care and follow-up for survivors and their family members. This national survey highlights this need, and might be helpful in the implementation of such guidelines.

Background: There is a lack of knowledge about factors associated with health-related quality of life in cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses. In addition, survivors and spouses are likely to affect each other’s health-related quality of life.

Aims: The aim was to investigate if a distressed personality and perceived control among cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses were associated with their own and their partner’s health-related quality of life.

Methods: This dyadic cross-sectional study used the actor–partner interdependence model to analyse associations between a distressed personality (type D personality), perceived control (control attitudes scale), and health-related quality of life (EQ index and EQ visual analogue scale).

Results: In total, 126 dyads were included in the study. Type D personality and perceived control in cardiac arrest survivors were associated with their own health-related quality of life. In their spouses, a significant association was found for type D personality but not for perceived control. In addition, type D personality and perceived control in survivors were associated with health-related quality of life in their spouses.

Conclusions: Type D personality and perceived control are factors that might be considered during post cardiac arrest, because of the associations with health-related quality of life in survivors and spouses. More research is needed to test psychosocial interventions in the cardiac arrest population in order to improve health-related quality of life.

Objectives: To describe in-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) events with regard to sex and to investigate if sex is associated with survival. Background: Previous studies exploring differences between sexes are incongruent with regard to clinical outcomes. In order to provide equality and improve care, further investigations into these aspects are warranted. Methods: This registry study included 286 CAs. To investigate if sex was associated with survival, logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The proportion of CA with a resuscitation attempt compared to CA without resuscitation was higher among men. There were no associations between sex and survival when controlling for previously known predictors and interaction effects. Conclusions: Sex does not appear to be a predictor for survival among patients suffering CA where resuscitation is attempted. The difference regarding proportion of resuscitation attempts requires more attention. It is important to consider possible interaction effects when studying the sex perspective. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Background: The aim was to explore factors associated with health status and psychological distress among ICD-implanted CA survivors.  

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included all eligible adult ICD-implanted CA survivors in the Swedish ICD and Pacemaker Registry, 2011-2012. Health status and psychological distress were measured with the EQ-5D-5L (EQ index & EQ VAS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) respectively. Linear regression analyses were used to explore associations between explanatory- and outcome variables.

Results: In total, 990 patients (22% women) with a median age of 68 (q1-q3=60-74) were included. Time since the CA varied between 6 months to 23 years. The median values for EQ index and EQ VAS were 0.85 (q1-q3=0.73-1.00) and 80 (q1-q3=69-90) respectively. Gender, comorbidity, receiving ICD-shock/-s, perceived control and personality were independently associated with health status. The final models explained 25% (EQ index) and 30% (EQ VAS) of the total variance (according to the R² values). The median values for HADS Anxiety and HADS Depression were 3 (q1-q3=1-6) and 2 (q1-q3=1-4) respectively. Age, gender, comorbidity, living alone, ICD-related concerns, perceived control and personality were independently associated with psychological distress. The final models explained 51% (HADS Anxiety) and 44% (HADS Depression) of the total variance.

Conclusion: Age, gender, living alone, comorbidity, receiving ICD-shock/-s, ICD-related concerns, perceived control and personality were associated with health status and/or psychological distress. These results contribute to a better understanding of the life situation among CA survivors, and may be important to develop individualized post CA care. 

Aim

To explore factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among cardiac arrest (CA) survivors treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in relation to gender, and to compare their HRQoL with a general population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 990 adults treated with an ICD after suffering CA. All participants received a questionnaire including demographics, comorbidities and instruments to measure HRQoL (EQ-5D-3L and HADS), ICD-related concerns (ICDC), perceived control (CAS), and type D personality (DS-14). HRQoL (EQ-5D-3L) was compared to a general Swedish population, matched for age and gender. Linear regression analyses were used to explore factors associated with HRQoL.

Results

The CA survivors reported better HRQoL in EQ index and less pain/discomfort compared to the general population (p < 0.001). In contrast, they reported more problems in mobility and usual activities (p < 0.01). Problems with anxiety and depression were reported by 15.5% and 7.4% respectively. The following factors were independently associated with all aspects of worse HRQoL: being unemployed, suffering more comorbidity, perceiving less control, and having a type D personality. Further, being female and suffering ICD-related concerns were independently associated with worse HRQoL in three of the four final regression models.

Conclusions

This extensive population-based study showed that most CA survivors living with an ICD rate their HRQoL as acceptable. In addition, their HRQoL is similar to a general population. Women reported worse HRQoL compared to men. Several factors associated with HRQoL were identified, and might be used when screening patients for health problems and when developing health promoting interventions.

Aim: The aim was to investigate the clinical performance of two different types of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Methods: Three investigators reviewed 2938 rhythm analyses performed by AEDs in 240 consecutive patients (median age 72, q1-q3 = 62-83) who had suffered cardiac arrest between January 2011 and March 2015. Two different AEDs were used (AED A n = 105, AED B n = 135) in-hospital (n = 91) and out-of-hospital (n = 149). Results: Among 194 shockable rhythms, 17 (8.8%) were not recognized by AED A, while AED B recognized 100% (n = 135) of shockable episodes (sensitivity 91.2 vs 100%, p < 0.01). In AED A, 8 (47.1%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors while 9 (52.9%) were caused by external artifacts. Among 1039 non-shockable rhythms, AED A recommended shock in 11 (1.0%), while AED B recommended shock in 63 (4.1%) of 1523 episodes (specificity 98.9 vs 95.9, p < 0.001). In AED A, 2 (18.2%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors (AED B, n = 40, 63.5%), while 9 (81.8%) were caused by external artifacts (AED B, n = 23, 36.5%). Conclusions: There were significant differences in sensitivity and specificity between the two different AEDs. A higher sensitivity of AED B was associated with a lower specificity while a higher specificity of AED A was associated with a lower sensitivity. AED manufacturers should work to improve the algorithms. In addition, AED use should always be reviewed with a routine for giving feedback, and medical personnel should be aware of the specific strengths and shortcomings of the device they are using. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Purpose: To investigate the performance of two different types of automated external defibrillators (AED) in out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Performance criteria in terms of sensitivity and specificity have been established but real life data are sparse.

Materials and methods: Three investigators reviewed 2938 rhythm analyses performed by AED in 240 consecutive patients (38.3% women) suffering cardiac arrest between January 2011 and March 2015. The mean age was 70.1 ± 17.0 (3 months–104 years). Two different AED were used (AED A n = 105, AED B n = 135) in-hospital (n = 91) and out-of-hospital (n = 149).

Results: Among 194 shockable rhythms, 17 (8.8%) were not recognized by AED A, while AED B recognized 100% (n = 135) of shockable episodes (p < 0.001). In AED A, 8 (47.1%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors while 9 (52.9%) were caused by external artifacts. Among 1039 non-shockable rhythms, AED A recommended shock in 11 (1.0%), while AED B recommended shock in 63 (4.1%) of 1523 episodes (p < 0.001). In AED A, 2 (18.2%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors (AED B, n = 40, 63.5%) while 9 (81.8%) were caused by external artifacts (AED B, n = 23, 36.5%). Fine ventricular fibrillation was analyzed as a separate category since guidelines do not recommend shock in these cases. AED A advised shock in 24 (80%) of 30 episodes, while AED B advised shock in 8 (47%) of 17 episodes (p < 0.027).

Conclusions: Significant differences in performance could be detected between two different AED. A higher sensitivity of AED B was associated with a lower specificity while a higher specificity of AED A was associated with a lower sensitivity. Caregivers should be aware of the specific shortcomings of the device they are using. AED manufacturers should try to improve the algorithms in order to minimize the gap between sensitivity and specificity.

Background: Frailty is associated with poor 30-days survival after in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA). The aim was to assess how pre-arrest frailty was associated with long-term survival, neurological function and patient-reported outcomes in elderly survivors after IHCA.Methods: Patients aged >= 65 years with IHCA at Karolinska University Hospital between 2013-2021 were studied. Frailty was assessed by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) based on clinical records and categorised into non-frail (1-4) or frail (5-7). Survival was assessed in days. Neurological function was assessed by the Cerebral Performance Category scale (CPC). A telephone interview was performed six months post-IHCA and included the questionnaires EuroQoL-5 Dimensions-5 Levels and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.Results: Totally, 232 (28%) out of 817 eligible patients survived to 30-days. Out of 232, 65 (28%) were frail. Long-term survival was better for non-frail than frail patients (6 months (92% versus 75%, p-value < 0.01), 3 years (74% vs 22%, p-value < 0.01)). The vast majority of both non-frail and frail patients had unchanged CPC from admittance to discharge from hospital (87% and 85%, respectively, p-value 0.52). The 121 non-frail patients reported better health compared to 27 frail patients (EQ-VAS median 70 versus 50 points, p-value < 0.01) and less symptoms of depression than frail (16% and 52%, respectively, p-value < 0.01).Conclusion: Frail patients suffering IHCA survived with the same neurological function they had at admittance. Although one in five frail patients survived to three years, frailty was associated with a marked decrease in long-term survival as well as increased symptoms of depression and poorer general health.

Introduction: A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), has been associated with survival. The patient's underlay affects chest compression depth. Depth and rate can be assessed by feedback systems to guide rescuers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the quality of chest compressions by healthcare professionals using real-time audiovisual feedback during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Method: An observational descriptive study was performed including 63 cardiac arrest events with a resuscitation attempt. Data files were recorded by Zoll AED Pro, and reviewed by RescueNet Code Review software. The events were analysed according to depth, rate, quality of chest compressions and underlay. Results: Across events, 12.7% (median) of the compressions had a depth of 5-6 cm. Compression depth of >6 cm was measured in 70.1% (median). The underlay could be identified from the electronic patient records in 54 events. The median compression depth was 4.5 cm (floor) and 6.7 cm (mattress). Across events, 57.5% (median) of the compressions were performed with a median frequency of 100-120 compressions/min and the most common problem was a compression rate of <100 (median=22.3%). Conclusions: Chest compression quality was poor according to the feedback system. However, the distribution of compression depth with regard to underlay points towards overestimation of depth when treating patients on a mattress. Audiovisual feedback devices ought to be further developed. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their devices.

Workarounds are commonplace in health care settings. An increase in the use of electronic health records (EHR) has led to an escalation of workarounds as health care professionals cope with systems which are inadequate for their needs. Closely related to this, the documentation of vital signs in EHR has been problematic. The accuracy and completeness of vital sign documentation has a direct impact on the recognition of deterioration in a patient’s condition. We examined work flow processes to identify workarounds related to vital signs in a 372-bed hospital in Sweden. In three clinical areas, a qualitative study was performed with data collected during observations and interviews and analysed through thematic content analysis. We identified paper workarounds in the form of hand-written notes and a total of eight pre-printed paper observation charts. Our results suggested that nurses created workarounds to allow a smooth workflow and to ensure patients safety.

Tidig upptäckt och snabb hantering av riskpatienter har betraktats som det ’första steget i kedjan till överlevnad’ i hjärtlungräddning (HLR)[1]. Patienter uppvisar ofta tecken på försämring av kliniskt tillstånd under perioden före oväntad hjärtstopp [2]. För att förbättra identifieringen av försämring i kliniskt tillstånd hos patienter har många varianter på system för snabb respons införts med fokus på mätning, rapportering och hantering av patienter med avvikande vitalparametrar [3]. Datorjournaler journaler används allt mer inom vården för i stort sett all dokumentation. Däremot är kunskapen begränsad kring betydelsen av dokumentationen i datorjournalen för att upptäcka försämring av patienternas kliniska tillstånd. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka dokumentationen av vitala parametrar i datorjournalen för sjukhusvårdade patienter, som efter inläggning drabbats av oväntat hjärtstopp.

Vital sign documentation is crucial to detecting patient deterioration. Little is known about the documentation of vital signs in electronic health records. This study aimed to examine documentation of vital signs in electronic health records. We examined the vital signs documented in the electronic health records of patients who had suffered an in-hospital cardiac arrest and on whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation was attempted between 2007 and 2011 (n = 228), in a 372-bed district general hospital. We assessed the completeness of vital sign data compared to VitalPACTM Early Warning Score and the location of vital signs within the electronic health records. There was a noticeable lack of completeness of vital signs. Vital signs were fragmented through various sections of the electronic health records. The study identified serious shortfalls in the representation of vital signs in the electronic health records, with consequential threats to patient safety. 

Workarounds are commonplace in health care settings. An increase in the use of electronic health records (EHR) has led to an escalation of workarounds as health care professionals cope with systems which are inadequate for their needs. Closely related to this, the documentation of vital signs in EHR has been problematic. The accuracy and completeness of vital sign documentation has a direct impact on the recognition of deterioration in a patient’s condition. We examined work flow processes to identify workarounds related to vital signs in a 372-bed hospital in Sweden. In three clinical areas a qualitative study was performed with data collected during observations and interviews and analysed through thematic content analysis. We identified paper workarounds in the form of hand-written notes and a total of eight pre-printed paper observation charts. Our results suggested that nurses created workarounds to allow a smooth workflow and to ensure patients safety.

Aims and objectives

To investigate reasons for inadequate documentation of vital signs in an electronic health record.

Background

Monitoring vital signs is crucial to detecting and responding to patient deterioration. The ways in which vital signs are documented in electronic health records have received limited attention in the research literature. A previous study revealed that vital signs in an electronic health record were incomplete and inconsistent.

Design

Qualitative study.

Methods

Qualitative study. Data were collected by observing (68 hr) and interviewing nurses (n = 11) and doctors (n = 3), and analysed by thematic analysis to examine processes for measuring, documenting and retrieving vital signs in four clinical settings in a 353-bed hospital.

Results

We identified two central reasons for inadequate vital sign documentation. First, there was an absence of firm guidelines for observing patients’ vital signs, resulting in inconsistencies in the ways vital signs were recorded. Second, there was a lack of adequate facilities in the electronic health record for recording vital signs. This led to poor presentation of vital signs in the electronic health record and to staff creating paper “workarounds.”

Conclusions

This study demonstrated inadequate routines and poor facilities for vital sign documentation in an electronic health record, and makes an important contribution to knowledge by identifying problems and barriers that may occur. Further, it has demonstrated the need for improved facilities for electronic documentation of vital signs.

Relevance to clinical practice

Patient safety may have been compromised because of poor presentation of vital signs. Thus, our results emphasised the need for standardised routines for monitoring patients. In addition, designers should consult the clinical end-users to optimise facilities for electronic documentation of vital signs. This could have a positive impact on clinical practice and thus improve patient safety.

Aim: To increase survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA), great efforts are made to improve the number of voluntary first responders (VFR). However, evidence of the potential utility of such efforts is sparse, especially in rural areas. Therefore, the aim was to describe and compare response times for emergency medical services (EMS), fire and rescue services (FRS), and VFR during OHCA in relation to population density.

Methods: This observational and comparative study was based on data including positions and time stamps for VFR and response times for EMS and FRS in a region in southern Sweden.ResultsIn total, 285 OHCAs between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2021 were analysed. VFR had the shortest median response time in comparison to EMS and FRS in all studied population densities. The overall median (Q1–Q3) time gain for VFR was 03:07 (01:39–05:41) minutes. A small proportion (19.2%) of alerted VFR accepted the assignments. This is most problematic in rural and sub-rural areas, where there were low numbers of alerted VFR. Also, FRS had shorter response time than EMS in all studied population densities except in urban areas.

Conclusion: The differences found in median response times between rural and urban areas are worrisome from an equality perspective. More focus should be placed on recruiting VFR, especially in rural areas since VFR can potentially contribute to saving more lives. Also, since FRS has a shorter response time than EMS in rural, sub-rural, and sub-urban areas, FRS should be dispatched more frequently.

Halvautomatiska defibrillatorer är en viktig del i kampen mot plötslig hjärtdöd. 

Höga krav på sensitivitet och specificitet vid rytmtolkning ska säkerställa effektivt och säkert bruk. 

Vi rapporterar fem fall där brister i specificitet hos defibrillatorn ledde till defibrillering av icke-defibrillerbara rytmer.

Systematisk undersökning av halvautomatiska defibrillatorers prestationsförmåga vid rytmtolkning är nödvändig och skulle kunna bidra till utveckling av förbättrade analysalgoritmer och utbildningsprogram.

Aims: To describe self-reported mental health, bonding with the infant, family wellbeing, and family functioning among mothers and non-birthing parents with children receiving neonatal intensive care and to explore factors associated with bonding with the child, family wellbeing, and family functioning. Methods: This cross-sectional study included families from three different units in Sweden. Parents received a questionnaire that included self-reported measures of the study variables. Results: In total, 75 mothers and 72 non-birthing parents were included. Nearly 40% of the parents reported anxiety symptoms, whereas depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms were uncommon. Mothers reported more mental health issues than non-birthing parents. In the regression analyses depression was associated with problems with bonding and family wellbeing, no other significant associations were identified. Conclusion: Symptoms of anxiety were common but might be a natural and transient reaction. Identifying depression is important to be able to provide targeted family support.

Knowledge about psychological distress in older cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is sparse, and the lack of comparisons with general populations make it difficult to draw any strong conclusions about prevalence and potential changes caused by CA. Our aim was to compare psychological distress between older CA survivors and a general population. This study included survivors 65–80 years old and an age‐ and sex‐matched general population. Data on survivors was collected from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure psychological distress. Data were analyzed with non‐ parametric statistics. The final sample included 1,027 CA survivors and 1018 persons from the general population. In both groups, the mean age was 72 years (SD = 4) and 28% were women. The prevalence of anxiety was 9.9% for survivors and 9.5% for the general population, while the corresponding prevalence for depression was 11.3% and 11.5% respectively. Using the cut‐off scores, no significant differences between the groups were detected. However, CA survivors reported significantly lower symptom levels using the subscale scores (ΔMdn = 1, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the CA survivors did not report higher symptom levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. However, since psychological distress is related to poor quality‐of‐life and recovery, screening for psychological distress remains important.

Purpose: Emotional distress, in terms of anxiety and depression, is common among patients who survive a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) is one of the most used instruments to assess emotional distress in SCA survivors. However, it has not to our knowledge been psychometrically tested in this group of patients. The aim was therefore to evaluate the measurement properties of the HAD in SCA survivors.

Materials and methods: Data from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was used. In the register, data is collected 3–6 months after resuscitation by using a questionnaire including HAD. Data quality was evaluated according to the distribution of item and scale score and missing data patterns. A principal component factor analysis was conducted to explore the factor structure. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha.

Results: The sample consisted of 498 in-hospital survivors with a mean age of 69.3 ± 12.6 years. All items demonstrated problems with floor effects. The scale scores for both anxiety and depression deviated significantly from a normal distribution (p < 0.001). The factor analysis reproduced the hypothesized two-factor structure, which explained 59% of the total variance. The factor loadings varied between 0.547 and 0.778 for anxiety and between 0.651 and 0.780 for depression. Cronbach's alpha was 0.874 and 0.875 for anxiety and depression respectively.

Conclusions: The HAD demonstrated good measurement properties among SCA survivors. Despite problems with floor effects, the two HAD scales, anxiety and depression, seem to be uni-dimensional measures with good internal consistency. Therefore, the HAD can be recommended to assess emotional distress among SCA survivors.

Background: Non-shockable initial rhythm is a known risk factor for high mortality at cardiac arrest (CA). However, knowledge on its association with self-reported health in CA survivors is still incomplete.

Aim: To examine the associations between initial rhythm and self-reported health in CA survivors.

Methods: This nationwide study used data from the Swedish Register for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 3–6 months post CA. Health status was measured using EQ-5D-5L and psychological distress by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine differences in self-reported health between groups of different initial rhythms. To control for potential confounders, age, sex, place of CA, aetiology, witnessed status, time to CPR, time to defibrillation, and neurological function were included as covariates in multiple regression analyses for continuous and categorical outcomes.

Results: The study included 1783 adult CA survivors. Overall, the CA survivors reported good health status and symptoms of anxiety or depression were uncommon (13.7% and 13.9% respectively). Survivors with PEA and asystole reported significantly more problems in all dimensions of health status (p = 0.037 to p < 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.034), and depression (p = 0.017) compared to VT/VF. Overall, these differences did not remain in the adjusted regression analyses.

Conclusions: Initial rhythm is not associated with self-reported health when potential confounders are controlled. Initial rhythm seems to be an indicator of unfavourable factors causing the arrest, or factors related to characteristics and treatment. Therefore, initial rhythm may be used as a proxy for identifying patients at risk for poor outcomes such as worse health status and psychological distress.

Background: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) is commonly used to assess emotional distress in different group of patients. Despite emotional distress is common in sudden cardiac arrest survivors (SCA), HAD have not to our best knowledge been psychometrically evaluated in this patient group.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HAD, with focus on factor structure, internal consistency and differential item functioning (DIF) for sex and age, in SCA survivors.

Methods: Data from the national Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation were used, including HAD ratings from in-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, collected 3-12 months after resuscitation. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the hypothesized two factor structure for Anxiety and Depression, respectively. Ordinal version of Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency reliability of the two factors. Multiple indicator multiple causes CFA models (MIMIC) were used to detect presence of DIF.

Results: The sample consisted of 604 in-hospital cardiac arrest survivors (mean age 69.4±12.6), 384 men and 220 women. The suggested two-factor model was confirmed after item 7 was allowed to cross-load on Depression. The internal consistency was satisfactory for both Anxiety (.92) and Depression (.91). No DIF for sex and age was demonstrated.

Conclusion: This study shows that the HAD Anxiety and Depression subscales are unidimensional. Both scales can also be used to make invariant comparisons between groups of different sex and age. Therefore, HAD can be used to assess psychological distress (anxiety and depression) in SCA survivors.