Neurologic outcomes of prehospital mechanical chest compression device use during transportation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients: a multicenter observational study

OBJECTIVE: High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation with chest compression is important for good neurologic outcomes during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Several types of mechanical chest compression devices have recently been implemented in Korean emergency medical services. This study aimed to identify the effect of prehospital mechanical chest compression device use on the outcomes of OHCA patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data drawn from the regional cardiac arrest registry in Daegu, Korea. This registry prospectively collected data from January 2017 to December 2020. Patients aged 18 years or older who experienced cardiac arrest presumed to have a medical etiology were included. The exposure variable was the use of a prehospital mechanical device during transportation by emergency medical technicians. The outcomes measured were neurologic outcomes and survival to discharge. Logistic regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Among 3,230 OHCA patients, 1,111 (34.4%) and 2,119 (65.6%) were managed with manual chest compression and with a mechanical chest compression device, respectively. The mechanical chest compression group showed poorer neurologic outcomes than the manual chest compression group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.33) and decreased survival to discharge (adjusted odds ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.82) after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: Prehospital mechanical chest compression device use in OHCA was associated with poorer neurologic outcomes and survival to discharge compared to manual chest compression.