Epidemiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Bielsko-Biala district: a 12-month analysis

Abstract

A b s t r a c tBackground: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is the sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, which occurs out of specialist healthcare facilities and inevitably leads to death if uninterrupted by effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Aim:To evaluate the circumstances and basic epidemiological indices of OHCA in the population of adult inhabitants of Bielsko-Biala district within 12 months. Methods:On the basis of standard ambulance dispatch cards of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams, a retrospective analysis was made of 272 OHCA cases covering the period from 01.01.2013 to 31.12.2013. We assessed the basic demographic data of the victims, circumstances of the occurrence of OHCA, information on the potential cause and mechanism of the OHCA, and data related to the actions undertaken by witnesses and EMS teams. Results:The overall OHCA incidence was 170/100,000 (243/100,000 in men; 99/100,000 in women). It increased with subjects' age (p < 0.01). The most frequent place of OHCA was the victim's home (82%). OHCA occurred in the presence of witnesses in 60% of cases. CPR was undertaken by a witness in 56% cases. Median CPR duration undertaken by a witness was 10 (IQR 8-14) min. Median time from notification receipt by the EMS to the team arrival was 9 (7-11) min. On the scene, defibrillation rhythm was recognised in 39% of cases. Sixty-seven patients were declared deceased after the arrival of the EMS teams. In the remaining 205 cases, CPR was undertaken, which was ineffective for 141 persons. Median CPR duration undertaken by the EMS team was 30 (20-40) min. The overall prehospital case fatality ratio was 76.5% (75.3% for men; 79.3% for women).Conclusions: OHCA incidence in the Bielsko-Biala population in 2013 was high, increased with age, and was twice as high for men than women. OHCA occurred most often at home, in the presence of a witness; however, CPR was not always undertaken promptly at the scene. CPR was effective for approximately 30% of the victims. The prehospital mortality was high with no differences between genders.

Analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Poland in a 1-year period: data from the POL-OHCA registry

“…18 In another study conducted in the Bielsko-Biała region in Poland in 2003, the rate of CPR attempts was 125 per 100 000 persons per year, and the proportion of VF / VT was 39%. 19 The third finding of our study was that the overall survival until hospital admission or transport by HEMS was 27.6%. This is in line with results of other studies.…”

“…In a study by Chęciński et al, 18 reports filled in by the ambulance personnel were analyzed in terms of OHCA and the rate of cases in which CPR was attempted was 43.2 per 100 000 people per year. Gach et al 19 counted the dispatched EMS ambulances and reported the rate of CPR attempts of 95 per 100 000 people. 19 In the case of dispatching 2 ambulances to the same patient, their method of determining the number of cases of OHCA could result in overestimating the number of patients.…”

“…Gach et al 19 counted the dispatched EMS ambulances and reported the rate of CPR attempts of 95 per 100 000 people. 19 In the case of dispatching 2 ambulances to the same patient, their method of determining the number of cases of OHCA could result in overestimating the number of patients. The differences in the prevalence of OHCA in various regions and countries may depend on the model of care for patients with chronic diseases at the end of their lives.…”

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: data from the National Registry of Invasive Cardiology Procedures (ORPKI) in a long-term survival analysis of patients with acute coronary syndromes in a Polish region

“…Clinical characteristics of the study group obtained from the ORPKI database are are several small OHCA databases, but no national OHCA registry is available. [4][5][6] Out -of -hospital cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in high -income countries. 7 In Europe, its incidence is 40 cases per 100 000 adults annually.…”

The effect of strength training on quality of prolonged basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation

“…Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in Europe, with an overall resuscitation success rate less than 10% despite widespread training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation [1,2]. The quality of chest compressions (CC) performed by laypersons and staff with duty to assist is a decisive factor in the success of CPR [3].…”