Increases in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A five year study

Resuscitation. Volume 84, Issue 8, August 2013, Pages 1089–1092

© Gary Wilson/ Pre-hospital Research Forum

This study reports improvements in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in London over a five year period from 2007 to 2012 and explores the potential reasons for the very striking increases observed. The authors believe that it is evident that public education, an awareness of cardiac arrest, a co-ordinated fast EMS response along with robust guidelines and programme of EMS training are fundamental and may have contributed to the increases in Utstein comparator survival rates.

Methods
Data from the London Ambulance Service’s cardiac arrest registry from 2007 to 2012 were analysed retrospectively for all patients who met the Utstein comparator group criteria (an arrest of a presumed cardiac cause that was bystander witnessed with an initial rhythm of VF/VT).

Results
It was observed an increase in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the five year period, with incremental improvements each year from 12% to 32% for the Utstein comparator group of patients.

Conclusion
The authors’ suggest that a range of important changes made to pre-hospital cardiac care in London over the last five years have contributed to the observed increase in survival over the study period. In addition they advocate a range of further initiatives to continue improving survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300957213002074