IJERPH, Vol. 19, Pages 16205: Community Cardiac Arrest as a Challenge for Emergency Medical Services in Poland

IJERPH, Vol. 19, Pages 16205: Community Cardiac Arrest as a Challenge for Emergency Medical Services in Poland International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph192316205 Authors: Przemysław Żuratyński Daniel Ślęzak Kamil Krzyżanowski Marlena Robakowska Grzegorz Ulenberg The problem of cardiac arrest, particularly out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), is the subject of continuous research. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) during the resuscitation of an adult in public places in Poland between 2015 and 2020. A retrospective analysis of the selected documentation obtained from AED distributors, the medical records obtained from the emergency call center, and the emergency medical teams was conducted. During the analysis period, there were 100 cases of recorded and documented use of AEDs in OHCAs in public places. In 70% of the cases, defibrillation was performed with an AED. This result could be higher, but the study’s methodology and limited access to data only allowed for this result. In Poland, there are no legal acts on the registration of automatic external defibrillators and their implementation. Appropriate registries should be introduced nationwide as soon as possible. Due to the inadequacy of the medical records of the emergency medical teams to record the use of automated external defibrillators by a bystander to an incident, changes to thes...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research