Document Detail


Out-of-hospital resuscitation in Estonia: a bystander-witnessed sudden cardiac arrest.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  16374242     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of the first epidemiological study on out-of-hospital resuscitation in Estonia. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 2108 consecutive standardized reports on out-of-hospital resuscitation attempts from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2002 was conducted according to the Utstein style. RESULTS: In all, 67.3% (1419/2108) of the cardiac arrests were of presumed cardiac aetiology and 60.2% (854/1419) of them were bystander-witnessed. Of these, the 28% bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated, and the first rhythm was recorded as ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia in 40% of the cases. In the subgroup of patients with bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest of cardiac origin, 10.7% (91/854) were discharged alive in good cerebral performance categories and 7.7% were alive at the 1-year follow-up. The chances of survival increased if the median response time interval was <6 min, cardiac arrest occurred in a public place, patients received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and had an initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. The discharge rate was 24% (82/343) in the subgroup of patients who had bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest of cardiac origin and an initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. In this subgroup, the survival rate was 42.6% (40/94) in Tartu urban area, 16.9% (22/130) in Tallinn urban area and 16.8% (20/119) in other regions of Estonia (mostly urban and suburban areas). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that despite the progress in the management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Estonia, only one centre (Tartu) achieves a better survival rate. Further improvements are needed to raise the quality of the Estonian emergency medical services system, especially in rural areas.
Authors:
Aleksander Sipria; Vassili Novak; Aire Veber; Arkadi Popov; Veronika Reinhard; Georgi Slavin
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine     Volume:  13     ISSN:  0969-9546     ISO Abbreviation:  Eur J Emerg Med     Publication Date:  2006 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2005-12-23     Completed Date:  2006-05-22     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9442482     Medline TA:  Eur J Emerg Med     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  14-20     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Tartu University Clinics, Estonia. Aleksander.Sipria@kliinikum.ee
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Aged
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / utilization*
Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems
Emergency Medical Services
Estonia / epidemiology
Female
First Aid / utilization*
Heart Arrest / epidemiology,  mortality,  therapy*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Survival Analysis

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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