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Aim-Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) varies between regions, but the contribution of different factors to this variability is unknown. This study examined whether survival to hospital discharge was related to receiving hospital characteristics, including bed number, capability of performing cardiac catheterization and hospital volume of OOHCA cases.Material and Methods-Prospective observational database of non-traumatic OOHCA assessed by emergency medical services was created in 8 US and 2 Canadian sites from December 1, 2005 to July 1, 2007. Subjects received hospital care after OOHCA, defined as either (1) arriving at hospital with pulses, or (2) arriving at hospital without pulses, but discharged or died ≥ 1 day later.Results-A total of 4087 OOHCA subjects were treated at 254 hospitals, and 32% survived to hospital discharge. A majority of subjects (68%) were treated at 116 (46%) hospitals capable of cardiac catheterization. Unadjusted survival to discharge was greater in hospitals performing cardiac catheterization (34% versus 27%, p=0.001), and in hospitals that received ≥40 patients / year compared to those that received <40 (37% vs 30%, p=0.01). Survival was not associated with hospital bed number, teaching status or trauma center designation. Length of stay (LOS) for © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Correspondence: Clifton W. Callaway, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Emergency Medicine, 3600 Forbes Ave #400A, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412-647-9047, FAX 412-647-6999, callawaycw@upmc.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Conflict of Interest StatementThe authors do not have any direct conflicts of interest related to the topics in this paper.A preliminary version of these data was presented at the Resuscitation Science Symposium, New Orleans, LA, November 5, 2008, and appear in abstract form in the proceedings, as: Callaway CW, Schmicker R, Kampmeyer M, Powel J, Nichol G, Rea TD, Daya M, Aufderheide T, Davis D, Rittenberger J, Idris AH. Influence of receiving hospital characteristics on survival after cardiac arrest. Circulation 2008;118 (Supp 2):S1446. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptResuscitation. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 May 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript surviving subjects was shorter at hospitals performing cardiac catheterization (p<0.01).After adjusting for all variables, there were no independent associations between survival or LOS and hospital characteristics.Conclusions-Some subsets of hospitals displayed higher surviv...

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BACKGROUND Peri-shock pauses are pauses in chest compressions prior to and following defibrillatory shock. We examined the relationship between peri-shock pauses and survival to hospital discharge. METHODS We included out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Epistry-Cardiac Arrest who suffered arrest between December 2005 and June 2007, presented with a shockable rhythm (ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia) and had CPR process data for at least one shock (n=815). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine the association between survival and peri-shock pauses. RESULTS In an analysis adjusted for Utstein predictors of survival, the odds of survival were significantly lower for patients with pre-shock pause ≥20 seconds (OR: 0.47, 95%CI: 0.27, 0.82) and peri-shock pause ≥40 seconds (OR: 0.54, 95%CI: 0.31, 0.97) when compared to patients with pre-shock pause <10 seconds and peri-shock pause <20 seconds. Post-shock pause was not independently associated with a significant change in the odds of survival. Log linear modeling depicted a decrease in survival to hospital discharge of 18% and 14% for every 5 second increase in both pre- and peri-shock pause interval (up to 40 and 50 seconds respectively) with no significant association noted with changes in the post-shock pause interval. CONCLUSIONS In patients with cardiac arrest presenting in a shockable rhythm longer peri-shock and pre-shock pauses were independently associated with a decrease in survival to hospital discharge. The impact of pre-shock pause on survival suggests refinement of automatic defibrillator software and paramedic education to minimize pre-shock pause delays may have significant impact on survival.

BACKGROUND-The national field trauma triage guidelines have been widely implemented in US trauma systems, but never prospectively validated. We sought to prospectively validate the guidelines, as applied by out-of-hospital providers, for identifying high-risk trauma patients.

Background-The purpose of the present study is to improve understanding of the epidemiology of cardiac arrest in the school setting, with a special focus on the role of school-based automated external defibrillators. Methods and Results-The investigation was a retrospective study of emergency medical service-treated, nontraumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Seattle and King County, Washington, that occurred in schools between 1990 and 2005. Cases were identified with cardiac arrest location data from emergency medical service cardiac arrest registries. Patient characteristics, cardiac arrest characteristics, and outcome information were abstracted from the registries and incident report forms. During the study period, 97 cardiac arrests occurred in schools, accounting for 0.4% of all treated cardiac arrests and 2.6% of public location cardiac arrests. Of the 97 cases, 12 cardiac arrests were among students, 33 among faculty and staff, and 45 among adults not employed by the school (7 adults with indeterminate school association). School-based cardiac arrest occurred on average in 1 of 111 schools annually, with a greater annual incidence among colleges (1 cardiac arrest per 8 colleges) than high schools (1 per 125 high schools) or lower-level schools (1 cardiac arrest per 200 preschools through middle schools). The estimated annual incidence of cardiac arrest was 0.18 per 100 000 person-years among students and 4.51 per 100 000 person-years for school faculty and staff. Conclusions-The present study characterizes school-setting cardiac arrest and provides a framework within which to consider preparation efforts and outcome expectations.

Every year in the United States, >350 000 people have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital environment. Sudden cardiac arrest is the unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness and is commonly the result of an electric disturbance in the heart. Unfortunately, only ≈1 in 10 victims survives this dramatic event. Early access to 9-1-1 and early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are the first 2 links in the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Although 9-1-1 is frequently accessed, in the majority of cases, individuals with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not receive lay rescuer CPR and wait for the arrival of professional emergency rescuers. Telecommunicators are the true first responders and a critical link in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. In partnership with the 9-1-1 caller, telecommunicators have the first opportunity to identify a patient in cardiac arrest and provide initial care by delivering CPR instructions while quickly dispatching emergency medical services. The telecommunicator and the caller form a unique team in which the expertise of the telecommunicator is provided just in time to a willing caller, transforming the caller into a lay rescuer delivering CPR. The telecommunicator CPR (T-CPR) process, also previously described as dispatch CPR, dispatch-assisted CPR, or telephone CPR, represents an important opportunity to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Conversely, failure to provide T-CPR in this manner results in preventable harm. This statement describes the public health impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, provides guidance and resources to construct and maintain a T-CPR program, outlines the minimal acceptable standards for timely and high-quality delivery of T-CPR instructions, and identifies strategies to overcome common implementation barriers to T-CPR.

Our study shows that 9-1-1 telecommunicators believe language barriers with LEP callers negatively impact communication and care outcomes. More research needs to be conducted on "best practices" for phone-based emergency communication with LEP callers. Additionally, LEP communities need to better understand the 9-1-1 system and how to effectively communicate during emergencies.