Baseline characteristics, incidence and timing of ROSC in the study groups
| Parameter | Spontaneous ROSC (n=10) | 0.01 mg/kg epinephrine-low flush (n=6) | 0.01 mg/kg epinephrine-high flush (n=6) | 0.03 mg/kg epinephrine-low flush (n=7) | 0.03 mg/kg epinephrine-high flush (n=9) | P value |
| Weight (kg) | 4.30 (0.86) | 3.82 (0.49) | 4.65 (1.74) | 4.45 (1.33) | 3.73 (0.94) | 0.26 |
| Sex (n) | 4 females (40%) | 3 females (50%) | 3 females (50%) | 4 females (57%) | 5 females (56%) | 0.12 |
| Gestational age (day) | 140.8 (0.8) | 140.5 (1.1) | 141 (1.1) | 141.6 (1.8) | 140.1 (0.8) | 1.00 |
| Multiplicity | 4 singleton, 5 twins and 1 triplet | 5 twins, 1 triplet | 4 singleton, 2 twins | 1 singleton, 5 twins and 1 triplet | 3 singleton, 4 twins and 2 triplets | 0.24 |
| Time to cardiac arrest (min) | 15.3 (7.2) | 13.8 (5.8) | 13.9 (3.5) | 14.7 (3.6) | 11.4 (2.0) | 0.22 |
| ROSC achieved n (%) | 10 | 2 (33.3%) | 3 (50%) | 5 (71.4%) | 9 (100%) | 0.02 |
| ROSC with first dose of epinephrine n (%) | N/A | 1 (16.7%) | 2 (33.3%) | 3 (42.9%) | 8 (88.9%) | 0.04 |
| Median cumulative epinephrine dose (mg/kg) | N/A | 0.04 (0.03–0.04) | 0.03 (0.01–0.04) | 0.045 (0.03–0.06) | 0.03 (0.03–0.03) | 0.19 |
| Median time to ROSC from PPV (s) | 210 (150–290) | 698 (375–1020) | 400 (395–530) | 480 (375–600) | 360 (339–420) | 0.22 |
| Median time to ROSC from epinephrine and flush (s) | N/A | 128 (75–180) | 40 (35–60) | 95 (60–120) | 39 (30–60) | 0.10 |
Low flush=1 mL flush (~0.25–0.27 mL/kg), high flush=3 mL/kg (≈10–12 mL) flush. P values for testing the null hypothesis that the four non-spontaneous ROSC study groups are equal, using Fisher’s exact test for the categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for the continuous variables.
Continuous variables are summarised as mean (SD) or as median (IQR).
N/A, not available; PPV, positive pressure ventilation; ROSC, return of spontaneous circulation.