If You Witness a Cardiac Arrest, Your Actions Could Save a Life – “Every Second Counts”

Lay responders’ swift help to cardiac arrest victims is related to improved survival, in response to analysis introduced at ESC Congress 2021.^1,2

“Our study suggests that when emergency medical services incorporate members of the public into their systems, cardiac arrest victims are more likely to survive,” stated examine writer Dr. Martin Jonsson of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Cardiac arrest is attributable to {an electrical} malfunction of the center which causes it to cease beating and pumping blood. It is deadly inside minutes with out assist. Automated exterior defibrillators (AEDs) electrically shock the center in order that it begins beating once more, whereas cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) makes use of chest compressions and breaths to maneuver blood and oxygen across the body.

This examine investigated the associations between the dispatch of lay responders and using CPR, use of AEDs, and 30-day survival following a cardiac arrest locally.

The examine included all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring in 2016 by 2019 in 4 areas. Data from the 2 most populous areas in Sweden (Stockholm, Västra Götaland) have been collected from the Swedish CPR register. Information from North Holland, the Netherlands have been obtained from the ARREST database, and the Ticino Cardiac Arrest Registry was used for Ticino, Switzerland.

The system for dispatch of lay responders was as follows: the general public can enroll as lay responders through a cell phone app/web. They are then registered in a database and the system tracks their location. When the dispatch middle receives a name about a cardiac arrest, the dispatcher can activate the system. If lay responders are in shut proximity of the cardiac arrest location, they obtain a notification of the app with directions to run and carry out CPR or discover an AED.

A complete of 8,513 cardiac arrests have been included within the evaluation. In 3,410 circumstances, lay responders have been dispatched to the sufferer utilizing a smartphone utility whereas in 5,103 circumstances a lay responder was not dispatched.

The researchers analyzed the associations between dispatch of lay responders and CPR, AED use and 30-day survival. The analyses have been adjusted for age, intercourse, location, witnessed standing, emergency medical providers response time, and time of day. The outcomes confirmed that when lay responders have been dispatched, there was a 28% greater likelihood of CPR (threat ratio [RR] 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–1.45; p=0.0002), 56% greater likelihood of AED use (RR 1.56; 95% CI 1.02–2.39; p=0.0390) and 28% greater probability of being alive at 30 days (RR 1.28; 95% CI 1.10–1.48; p=0.0012).

Dr. Jonsson stated: “Our study demonstrates the benefits of including the general public in the emergency response to a suspected cardiac arrest. Every second counts in these situations and lives can be saved with rapid use of AEDs and CPR.”

References and notes

• Abstract title: Dispatch of lay-responders is related to bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, bystander defibrillation and 30-day survival following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
• Press convention: “Preventing sudden cardiac death” on Thursday, August 26, 2021, from 15:00 to 16:00 CEST.

Funding: The examine was a part of the ESCAPE-NET venture, which was funded by EU Horizon 2020.