11 Feb Childhood Drowning: Very Poor Outcomes For Resuscitation Lasting More Than 30 Minutes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Joke Kieboom, paediatric intensivist
Beatrix Children’s Hospital Medical Center Groningen
University of Groningen The Netherlands
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcome of drowned children with cardiac arrest and hypothermia, and to determine distinct criteria for termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in drowned children with hypothermia and absence of spontaneous circulation.
From 1993 to 2012 in the Netherlands, 160 children presented with cardiac arrest and hypothermia after drowning. In 98 (61%) of these children resuscitation was performed for more than 30 minutes, of whom none had good outcome: 87 (89%) died and 11 (11%) survived for with severe disability or in a vegetative state (at one year after the drowning incident).
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Drowned children in whom return of spontaneous circulation is not achieved within 30 minutes of advanced life support have an extremely poor outcome. The findings of this study question the therapeutic value of resuscitation beyond 30 minutes in drowned children with cardiac arrest and hypothermia.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Drowned children in whom return of spontaneous circulation is not achieved within 30 minutes of advanced life support have an extremely poor outcome. The findings of this study question the therapeutic value of resuscitation beyond 30 minutes in drowned children with cardiac arrest and hypothermia.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: This study does not provide data for children who drowned in exceptional circumstances, for example drowning in icy water in winter or inside a motor vehicle. Further research on the value of resuscitation beyond 30 minutes in children who drowned in exceptional circumstances is recommended.
Citation:
BMJ 2015;350:h418 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h418
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MedicalResearch.com Interview with:, & Joke Kieboom (2015). Childhood Drowning: Very Poor Outcomes For Resuscitation Lasting More Than 30 Minutes MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on February 11, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD