Association Between Resuscitative Time on the Scene and Survival After Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background: The optimal timing for transporting pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who do not achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is unclear. Therefore, we assessed the association between resuscitation time on the scene and 1-month survival. Methods and Results: Data from the All-Japan Utstein Registry from 2013 through 2015 for 3,756 pediatric OHCA patients (age <18 years) who did not achieve ROSC prior to departing the scene were analyzed. Overall, the proportion of 1-month survival for on-scene resuscitation time <5, 5–9, 10–14, and ≥15 min was 13.6% (104/767), 10.2% (170/1,666), 8.6% (75/870), and 4.0% (18/453), respectively. Among specific age groups, the proportion of 1-month survival for on-scene resuscitation time of <5, 5–9, 10–14, and ≥15 min was 12.6% (54/429), 8.7% (59/680), 8.6% (23/267), and 6.8% (8/118), respectively, for patients aged 0 years; 16.4% (38/232), 11.0% (52/473), 11.9% (23/194), and 7.1% (6/85), respectively, for those aged 1–7 years; and 11.3% (12/106), 11.5% (59/513), 7.1% (29/409), and 1.6% (4/250), respectively, for those aged 8–17 years. Conclusions: Longer on-scene resuscitation was associated with decreased chance of 1-month survival among pediatric OHCA patients without ROSC. For patients aged <8 years, earlier departure from the scene, within 5 min, may increase the chances of 1-month survival. Conversely, for patients aged ≥8 years, continuing on-scene resuscitation for up to 10 min would be reasonable.