Out of hospital cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary reanimation: Our experience

INTODUCTION: The aim of this study was toanalyse frequency of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), demographics and outcomes in patients who were resuscitated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Subotica teams in 2013. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study in which data of EMS Subotica from January1, 2013toDecember 31, 2013 , were analyzed. RESULTS: In 2013, resuscitation was attempted in 83 OHCA events. 60.2% of persons who experienced OHCA were male. The youngest patient was 26 years old, the oldest 88 years old. 67.5% of arrests occurred at home. Cardiopulmonary reanimation (CPR) was attempted in 5 patients (6%) during transport, because of diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation, to Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Sremska Kamenica. Average reaction time of our EMS teams was 5 minutes and 10 seconds. Month with the highest number of OHCA events was April. Ventricular fibrillation was initialrhythm in 42.2% of events, ventricular tachycardia without pulse in 6%, asystole in 42.2% and pulse less electrical activity (PEA) in 9.6%. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 39.8% of OHCA events. Only 6% of patients received bystander CPR. CONCLUSION: As majority of OHCA events occurs in home setting, education of community members in basic life support skills is necessary.