Every Minute Counts with Epinephrine in Nonshockable Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Each 1-minute delay in epinephrine administration was associated with lower survival to hospital discharge.

Epinephrine is a standard part of cardiac arrest algorithms for patients with nonshockable rhythms and is given by emergency medical services (EMS) crews to patients who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). These authors reviewed 2011–2015 data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium to determine whether survival to hospital discharge is associated with time between EMS arrival and first epinephrine dose.

Roughly 32,000 patients with OHCA with initial nonshockable rhythms were included in the study. After controlling for confounders, the odds of survival to hospital discharge decreased by 4% for each additional 1-minute delay between EMS arrival and epinephrine administration (odds ratio, 0.96). Of patients who received epinephri…

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)

Every Minute Counts with Epinephrine in Nonshockable Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

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Reviewing Author