Menu
AIRWAYS-2 trial of airway management in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest publishes long term outcomes
Background
Cardiac arrest happens when the heartbeat and breathing stop, and is one of the most extreme medical emergencies. The first response is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions. A breathing tube inserted into the windpipe, which is known as an airway management device, can be used to assist with rescue breathing. There is uncertainty about which is the best device to use.
How the study was carried out
The AIRWAYS-2 trial enrolled adult patients who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Trial paramedics attending these patients were randomly assigned to use one of two devices at all OHCAs they attended:
- tracheal intubation (the “gold standard” device), or
- a newer supraglottic airway device called an iGel.
Patients were followed up to look at survival, healthcare resource use and quality of life.
9,296 patients were enrolled into the trial by 1,523 paramedics from 4 UK ambulance services over two years.
What the study found
The primary outcome measure for the trial was modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, a measure of disability, at 30 days after OHCA or hospital discharge. At this time point, the trial did not find any significant difference in mRS between patients who received airway management using the two different devices. These previously published results can be read here.
Patients enrolled in the trial who survived OHCA were approached for their consent to be followed up for six months, and 317 patients provided consent for follow up. At 3 and 6 months after OHCA, the trial did not find any significant difference in mRS between patients who received airway management using the two different devices. The full results can be found in the recently published article in the Resuscitation journal.
The AIRWAYS-2 trial was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (project number12/167/102) and supported by the NIHR Comprehensive Research Networks. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Recordings available of Bristol Trials Centre staff presentations from the Society of Clinical Trials Annual Meeting 2020
We are happy to report that several members of staff from the Bristol Trials Centre had abstracts accepted for presentation at the Society of Clinical Trials Virtual Meeting. The face-to-face meeting was unfortunately cancelled, however all presenters were invited to provide recordings of their presentations. There are links to these are below! (Note: you will need to create an account to view them).
You can view the virtual programme here
Automation of clinical trial statistical monitoring
Presented by Chris Rogers (Professor of Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials). You can view the presentation here.
Do study participants complete electronic questionnaires?
Presented by Lucy Culliford (Senior Research Fellow). You can view the presentation here.
Instrumental variable methods for assessing the causal effect of an intervention in the presence of differential non-adherence; application to the AIRWAYS-2 Trial
Presented by Chris Rogers (Professor of Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials). You can view the presentation here.
Integrating expert opinions with clinical trial data to increase power to detect a treatment effect in subgroups: example of a Bayesian analysis of the VeRDiCT trial
Presented by Russell Thirard (NIHR Research Fellow). You can view the presentation here.
A digital story of strategies for surgical trainees working together to achieve success in conducting surgical clinical trials
Presented by Athene Lane (Professor of Trials Research). You can view the presentation here.
South West Research Hub Newsletter has been published
The South West Research Hub is a collaboration between five Clinical Trials Units (CTUs): Bristol Trials Centre, Centre for Trials Research Cardiff University, Exeter Clinical Trials Unit, Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit and Swansea Trials Unit.
The Hub brings together trial management professionals from these regional CTUs, and affiliated research groups, to share innovations, experience and best practice. In 2018 and 2019, the South West Research Hub held face-to-face meetings bringing together CTU staff from across the region.
In light of COVID-19, the South West Research Hub steering committee made the decision to not hold a meeting in 2020 but instead have produced a newsletter with a focus on innovation in trials. Trial managers from all five CTUs have contributed articles, and the Sway newsletter can be viewed by following this link.
The South West Research Hub plans to hold a meeting 2021, and hope to see you there.
To find out more about the Hub, please follow them on Twitter: @SWResearchHub