Resuscitation and transport by emergency care workers

Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is linked to the rapid provision of effective external cardiac compressions, defibrillation and appropriate post-resuscitation advanced cardiac life support. Effective provision of these interventions requires strong links in the chain from pre-hospital to hospital based systems. Transport of the patient during resuscitation efforts to emergency departments, and interfacility transfer of patients postresuscitation for definitive care, have not been demonstrated to increase survival. This article will explore some of these issues, in a South African, prehospital context.