The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study: Rationale and Methodology for Cardiac Arrest Patients

Abstract The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support Study represents the largest prehospital study yet conducted, worldwide. This study will involve more than 25,000 cardiac arrest, trauma, and critically ill patients over an 8-year period. The study will evaluate the incremental benefit of rapid defibrillation and prehospital Advanced Cardiac Life Support measures for cardiac arrest survival and the benefit of Advanced Life Support for patients with traumatic injuries and other critically ill prehospital patients. This article describes the OPALS study with regard to the rationale and methodology for cardiac arrest in patients. [Stiell IG, Wells GA, Spaite DW, Lyver MB, Munkley DP, Field BJ, Dagnone E, Maloney JP, Jones GR, Luinstra LG, Jermyn BD, Ward R, DeMaio VJ, for the OPALS Study Group: The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study: Rationale and Methodology for cardiac arrest patients. Ann Emerg Med August 1998;32:180-190.]