Epidemiology and survival outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following volatile substance use in Queensland, Australia
File version
Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Rolley, A
Doan, TN
Bodnar, D
Isoardi, K
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
Introduction: The deliberate inhalation of volatile substances for their psychotropic properties is a recognised public health issue that can precipitate sudden death. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics and survival outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests following volatile substance use. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest attended by the Queensland Ambulance Service over a ten-year period (2012-2021). Incidents were extracted from the Queensland Ambulance Service cardiac arrest registry, which collects clinical information using the Utstein-style guidelines and linked hospital data. Results: During the study period, 52,102 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests were attended, with 22 (0.04%) occurring following volatile substance use. The incidence rate was 0.04 per 100,000 population, with no temporal trends identified. The most commonly used product was deodorant cans (19/22), followed by butane canisters (2/22), and nitrous oxide canisters (1/22). The median age of patients was 15 years (interquartile range 13–23), with 14/22 male and 8/22 Indigenous Australians. Overall, 16/22 patients received a resuscitation attempt by paramedics. Of these, 12/16 were bystander witnessed, 10/16 presented in an initial shockable rhythm, and 9/16 received bystander chest compressions. The rates of event survival, survival to hospital discharge, and survival with good neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category 1–2) were 69% (11/16, 95% CI 41–89%), 38% (6/16, 95% CI 15–65%) and 31% (5/16, 11–59%), respectively. Eight patients in the paramedic-treated cohort that used hydrocarbon-based products were administered epinephrine during resuscitation. Of these, none subsequently survived to hospital discharge. In contrast, all six patients that did not receive epinephrine survived to hospital discharge, with 5/6 having a good neurological outcome. Conclusion: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following volatile substance use is rare and associated with relatively favourable survival rates. Patients were predominately aged in their adolescence with Indigenous Australians disproportionately represented.
Journal Title
Clinical Toxicology
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
61
Issue
9
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Clinical Toxicology. Brendan V. Schultz, Adam Rolley, Tan N. Doan, Daniel Bodnar & Katherine Isoardi (2023) Epidemiology and survival outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following volatile substance use in Queensland, Australia, Clinical Toxicology, 61:9, 649-655, DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2023.2267172. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
toxicology
volatile substance use
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Schultz, BV; Rolley, A; Doan, TN; Bodnar, D; Isoardi, K, Epidemiology and survival outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following volatile substance use in Queensland, Australia, Clinical Toxicology, 2023, 61 (9), pp. 649-655