Table 2.
Characteristics of included studies.
| Study | Years conducted | Setting | Location | Study Participants | Interventions Compared | Shock type | Outcomes Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gutgesell 1976 | pre1976 | IHCA | USA | n = 71 defibrillation attempts on 27 children (aged 3d-16 years) with VF at single specialist children's hospital | Defibrillation dose of 2 J/kg ± 10 J v <2 J/kg ± 10 J v >2 J/kg ± 10 J | Monophasic | Termination of VF |
| Tibballs 2006 | 1999–2002 | IHCA | Australia | n = 9 children (aged 0-21y) receiving DC shock for VF or pVT at single specialist paediatric hospital (PICU or ward) | No comparison | Monophasic | ROSC |
| Rodríguez-Núñez 2006 | 1998–1999 | OHCA & IHCA | Spain | n = 44 children (aged 1 m-16y) receiving DC shock for VF/pVT in cardiac arrest (22 OHCA, 22 IHCA) | Initial shock defibrillation dose of 2 J/kg (1–3 J/kg) v >2 J/kg | Monophasic | ROSC, Initial survival (ROSC >20 min), Final Survival (to 1 year) |
| Meaney 2011 | 2000–2008 | IHCA | USA | n = 285 events in 266 children (aged 0-18y) receiving DC shock for VF/pVT within multi-site collaborative | Initial shock defibrillation dose of 2 J/kg (1–3 J/kg) v 4 J/kg (>3 to 5 J/kg) | Mixed | Termination of VF/pVT, ROSC, Sustained ROSC > 20 min |
| Tibballs 2011 | 2005–2009 | IHCA | Australia | n = 48 patients (aged 0–20 years) receiving defibrillation shock for VF/pVT | Energy (for all shocks): 0.5-<1 J/kg; 1-<1.5 J/kg; 1.5-<2 J/kg; 2-<2.5 J/kg; 2.5-<3 J/kg; 3–5 J/kg. | Biphasic | ROSC |
| Rodríguez-Núñez 2014 | 2007–2009 | IHCA | Latin-American countries, Spain, Italy, Portugal | n = 40 events in 37 children (aged 1 m-18y) receiving DC shock for VF/pVT within multi-site collaborative | Initial shock defibrillation dose of < 2 J/kg v 2–4 J/kg v > 4 J/kg | Mixed | SHD, ROSC |
| Hoyme 2020 | 2000–2016 | IHCA | USA | n = 301 paediatric patients < 12 years (primary sample) and 422 paediatric patients < 18 years (entire cohort for secondary analysis) with an index cardiac arrest and an initial documented rhythm of VF/pVT | Defibrillation dose of 1.7–2.5 J/kg v < 1.7 J/kg v > 2.5 J/kg | Mixed | SHD, ROSC |
DC: direct current; IHCA: in-hospital cardiac arrest; OHCA: out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; pVT: pulseless ventricular tachycardia; ROSC: return of spontaneous circulation; SHD: survival to hospital discharge; VF: ventricular fibrillation.