Bystander CPR and Defibrillation Are Associated with Better Long-Term Outcomes

Survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had significantly lower rates of mortality, brain damage, and nursing home admission at 1 year if bystanders had jumped in to help.

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation have been shown to improve short-term outcomes for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA; NEJM JW Emerg Med Dec 2013 and JAMA 2013; 310:1377; NEJM JW Emerg Med Sep 2015 and JAMA 2015; 314:247). However, it is unclear whether 1-year outcomes, including nursing home admission, anoxic brain injury, and death, are also improved. To determine the effect of bystander interventions on these longer-term outcomes, Danish investigators reviewed all 30-day survivors of OHCA between 2001 and 2012 whose arrest was not witnessed by emergency medical services.

A total of 2084 survivors were included, of whom 534 (26%) did not receive bystander resuscitation. Rates of both bystand…

Reviewing Author

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

Bystander CPR and Defibrillation Are Associated with Better Long-Term Outcomes

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Reviewing Author