Prehospital Cath Lab Activation Criteria for Cardiac Arrest

Alerts for witnessed, shockable cardiac arrest yield dramatic results in Lincoln, Neb. The successful treatment of sudden cardiac arrest is dependent upon the chain of survival. In order for a patient to survive, each link in the chain of survival must work. Sudden cardiac arrest is a survivable disease! In 2013, Lincoln (Neb.) Fire & Rescue (LFR) partnered with community stakeholders to initiate a comprehensive effort to improve survival from sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and improve upon each link in our chain of survival. In order to impact survival on a community level, the rate-limiting steps in the chain of survival must each be addressed. Accurate measurement is critical in improving performance. Thus, the first step in our journey was for LFR to join the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), which provides an accurate and transparent method to measure OHCA survival rates using the Utstein model. Upon understanding LFR's baseline performance, we explored proven treatment modalities to improve survival. Dispatchers were educated on prompt recognition of cardiac arrest as well as the timely initiation of dispatcher-directed chest compressions. Time and effort were also spent on educating the public on the importance of bystander CPR. LFR invested in billboard advertisements to emphasize hands-only CPR, and our providers began educating people at mass gatherings. The bystander CPR app PulsePoint was also launched and has grown to over 13...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Cardiac & Resuscitation Source Type: news