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Dispatcher CPR Instructions Across the Age Continuum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2018

Kristi L. Weinmeister ,
E. Brooke Lerner ,
Clare E. Guse ,
Khalid A. Ateyyah  and
Ronald G. Pirrallo
Kristi L. Weinmeister
Affiliation:
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
E. Brooke Lerner*
Affiliation:
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Clare E. Guse
Affiliation:
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Khalid A. Ateyyah
Affiliation:
Taibah University, College of Medicine, Madinah, Saudi Arabia
Ronald G. Pirrallo
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina USA
*
Correspondence: E. Brooke Lerner, PhD, FAEMS Department of Emergency Medicine Medical College of Wisconsin The HUB, 3rd Floor 8701 W. Watertown Plank Road Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 USA E-mail: eblerner@mcw.edu
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Abstract

Background

Survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) increase two to three times when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is started by bystanders, as compared to starting CPR when Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrives. Municipalities that have implemented dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR programs have seen increased rates of bystander CPR. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions are given for victims of all ages, but it is unknown if offering instructions results in similar rates of EMS-documented bystander CPR across the age continuum in these municipalities.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine if there is a difference in EMS-documented bystander CPR rates based on the age group of the OHCA victim when dispatcher CPR instructions are available in the community.

Methods

This was a three-year, retrospective chart review of OHCA patients in two municipalities within a single county that provided dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions. Bystander CPR and patient age were determined based on EMS documentation. Age was stratified into three groups: child (0-12 years), adult (13-54 years), and geriatric (≥55 years). Chi square was used to compare the rate of bystander CPR in each age group.

Results

During the study period, 1,993 patients were identified as being in OHCA at the time of EMS arrival. The overall bystander CPR rate was 10%. The highest rate of bystander CPR was in the child age group (19%). The lowest rate of bystander CPR was in the geriatric age group (9%). There was a statistically significant difference between age groups (P≤.01).

Conclusions

The rate of EMS-documented bystander CPR was low, even though these municipalities provided dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions. The highest rates of bystander CPR were observed in children (0-12 years). Future investigations should determine why this occurs and if there are opportunities to modify dispatcher coaching based on patient age so that bystander CPR rates improve.

WeinmeisterKL, LernerEB, GuseCE, AteyyahKA, PirralloRG. Dispatcher CPR Instructions Across the Age Continuum.Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(3):342–345.

Keywords

bystander CPRdispatch-assisted CPREmergency Medical Servicesout-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Information

Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , June 2018 , pp. 342 - 345
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2018 

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest/funding: Research reported in this publication was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland USA) under Award Number T35AG029793. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors have no relevant financial conflicts of interest to report.

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