Grant: Project Grant

Opioid overdoses have resulted in over 8000 deaths in Canada in last two years. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the mortality rate. An opioid overdose causes an individual to stop breathing, which can be effectively treated with rescue breaths and naloxone (the opioid antidote). However, if these initial treatments are not quickly performed or ineffective, the lack of oxygen will result in patient's heart to stop-a "cardiac arrest". Thus, every single opioid-related death has experienced a cardiac arrest. Knowledge of how rescuers can best respond to cardiac arrests due to opioid overdoses is urgently needed. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of studies examining opioid-related cardiac arrest; therefore, there is a lack of evidence to guide bystanders or professional rescuers on how best to intervene. Specifically, there is controversy regarding the benefits of bystander-performed rescue breaths (in addition to chest compressions) and paramedic-delivered naloxone. The goal of this project is to determine the best resuscitative strategies for opioid-related cardiac arrest to inform national and international guidelines. Within this project we will create the largest and most comprehensive dataset of cardiac arrest cases due to opioid overdose in the world, complete with detailed data on bystander and professional interventions, and patient-oriented outcomes. We will build on the existing British Columbia Cardiac Arrest Registry and link to other administrative data sources. We will analyze this data to determine the optimal bystander interventions, as well as the therapies paramedics should offer. We will determine how rescuers can identify that a cardiac arrest is due to an opioid-overdose. In addition, we will examine the benefit of public access opioid overdose kits and their optimal locations. Finally, we will implement a knowledge translation and dissemination plan in collaboration with key knowledge-users.