Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
The apnea interval: Ventilation interruption during tracheal intubation and its association with cardiac arrest resuscitation care and outcome
Authors' conclusion
In this VF-OHCA cohort, shorter apnea intervals (≤60 s) were associated with greater likelihood of favorable outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Adult ventricular fibrillation (VF) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with attempted tracheal intubation before return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), metropolitan EMS system (2017–2020)
- Participants
- 254 patients
- Exposure
- Apnea interval ≤60 s vs > 60 s during tracheal intubation
- Outcome
- ROSC, survival to hospital discharge, and favorable neurologic survival (CPC 1-2)
Methodological detailsmultivariable logistic regression, metropolitan EMS system
- Multivariable logistic regression
- Metropolitan EMS system
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- ROSC: ≤60 s vs > 60 s
- 72% vs 56%
- Survival to discharge: ≤60 s vs > 60 s
- 39% vs 25%
- Favorable survival: ≤60 s vs > 60 s
- 39% vs 23%
- Shorter apnea interval associated with better outcomes in unadjusted and adjusted analyses
- p < 0.05 for each comparison
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Apnea interval and outcomes, whole cohort
- Median apnea interval during attempted tracheal intubation
- 84 s (64-113 s)
- Median chest compression fraction overall
- 85%
- Median chest compression fraction during apnea interval
- 87%
- Tracheal intubation success
- 98%
- ROSC overall
- 151 (59%)
- Survived to discharge overall
- 71 (28%)
- Favorable survival overall
- 67 (26%)
Original publication
The apnea interval: Ventilation interruption during tracheal intubation and its association with cardiac arrest resuscitation care and outcome. Resuscitation. Published 17 March 2025. doi:10.
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