title: Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Korea: A nationwide population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to describe the incidence and demographics of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified non-traumatic OHCA patients aged less than 20 years from a Korean nationwide OHCA registry (2006-2007). Data from emergency medical service (EMS) run-sheets and hospital records were reviewed. We excluded cases with unknown hospital outcomes. Patient characteristics, treatment by EMS, and outcomes were compared by age groups: infant (<1 year), children (1-11 years), and adolescents (12-19 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 971 patients including infants (n=299, 30.8%), children (n=305, 31.4%), and adolescents (n=367, 37.8%) met inclusion criteria. The incidence of pediatric OHCA was 4.2 per 100,000 person-years (67.1 in infants, 2.5 in children, and 3.5 in adolescents). The rate of cardiopulmonary resuscitation administered was 82.1% (infants 80.6%, children 82.0%, and adolescent 83.4%). The rate of applying automated external defibrillators and advanced airway management (endotracheal intubation or laryngeal mask airway), was only 4.1% and 2.5%, respectively. 7.4% showed ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the initial ECG. Survival to hospital discharge for all pediatric OHCA was 4.9% (2.9% for infants, 4.7% for children, and 7.2% of adolescents). For EMS-treated pediatric OHCA or patients with VF or pulseless VT, the rate was 5.0% and 31.6%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Incidence and hospital outcomes in pediatric OHCA in Korea were comparable to other population-based nationwide reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. ipanema2@medimail.co.kr
authors.forename: Chang Bae
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sang Do
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Gil Joon
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Ki Ok
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Won Chul
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Kyoung Jun
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Soo Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eui Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Marcus Eng Hock
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D047548:Defibrillators; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007723:Korea; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D012042:Registries; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult