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Cardiac arrest resources that improve patient outcomes

02 January 2018
Volume 10 · Issue 1

Abstract

Survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in the UK are low compared with other developed countries. UK ambulance services are in an important position to influence these survival rates by improving their ‘chain of survival’ (Nolan et al, 2006). A paramedic-led resource, with enhanced technical and non-technical skills specialising in OHCAs, has been shown to improve patient outcomes in this population group in the UK. The author proposes that this concept should be considered by all UK ambulance services to improve OHCA patient survival.

Each year in the UK, around 60 000 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), with resuscitation attempted by paramedics in less than 50% of cases (London Ambulance Service, 2016; McClelland et al, 2016). Of these resuscitation attempts, only an average of 8–10% of patients survive to hospital discharge (Pell et al, 2003; Perkins and Brace-McDonnell, 2015; Resuscitation Council UK, 2015).

These are alarmingly low rates, even though the average response time for UK ambulance trusts was below 8 minutes in 2015 (London Ambulance Service, 2016). However, the overall survival-to-discharge rates increase when a paramedic OHCA specialist resource is involved in the resuscitation (Clarke et al, 2013; London Ambulance Service, 2016; McClelland et al, 2016). This demonstrates the utmost importance of immediate and skilled intervention for OHCAs.

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