Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England between 2013 and 2014 had an overall survival to hospital discharge of only 8.7% among 28,000 reported cases.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death with overall survival to hospital discharge remaining low at <10%.
### Learning objectives ### The scale of the problem Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) remains a leading cause of death in developed countries.1 In spite of clear improvements in treatments and patient pathways, all-comer survival is still <10%,1 ,2 with significant variability in registry outcomes dependent on geography, sophistication of ambulance services and the clinical experience of treating centres.3 Between 2013 and 2014, of 28 000 reported OOHCA cases in England, the overall survival to hospital discharge was only 8.7%.4 However, these data encompass all patient groups, including those with and without return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), those with and without ‘shockable heart rhythms’ (SHR) and patients with highly variable time delays to implementation of resuscitation—all important factors that significantly skew results and outcomes. These factors also challenge the interpretation of the available literature. ### The ‘chain of survival’ Approximately 80% of OOHCAs occur at home and 20% in public places.5 The current rate of initial bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in England is reported as 43%,6 including both spontaneous bystander-initiated CPR and bystander-performed CPR prompted by Emergency Services over the telephone. Approximately 20% of OOHCA patients are in an SHR (ie, treatable by defibrillation) by the time the emergency …
Nerla et al. (Mon,) conducted a review in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England between 2013 and 2014 had an overall survival to hospital discharge of only 8.7% among 28,000 reported cases.