Elsevier

Resuscitation

Volume 25, Issue 3, June 1993, Pages 227-234
Resuscitation

Influence on outcome after cardiac arrest of time elapsed between call for help and start of bystander basic CPR

https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9572(93)90119-BGet rights and content

Abstract

The exact impact of the ‘interval between cardiac arrest (CA) and the start of basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by bystanders’ on outcome is not fully established. We retrospectively evaluated data with regard to response intervals of 1195 out-of-hospital CA interventions where bystander CPR was performed and continued by the eight mobile intensive care units (MICUs) participating in the Belgian Cerebral Resuscitation Registry between 1982 and 1990. Partial correlations between time elapsed from CALL to CPR by lay public and outcome were determined when the effect of response times of lst and 2nd tier were removed. The following groups were studied: ventricular fibrillatio (VF), asystole and electromechanical dissociation (EMD), non-witnessed and witnessed. Good outcome was represented by initial restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC successes) and by prolonged survival (CPR successes) being 22.7 and 9.7%, respectively. The mean time ± S.E.M. between CALL and CPR initiated by lay people for the studied population (n = 1195) was 2.5 ± 0.1 min. The partial correlation coefficient between prolonged survival and time passed between CALL and bystander CPR was negative for all types of CA, yet significance was reached only in the non-witnessed group. Using ROSC as the endpoint significance is achieved in all groups except the VF patients, where the intervention times were shorter. In our population, prolonged survival was independently and negatively influenced by a delay between CALL and any CPR in the non-witnessed CA group (n = 421).

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Members of The Cerebral Resuscitation Study Group of the Belgian Society for Intensive Care & Emergency Medicine: A. Mulliea, P. Martensa, W. Buylaertb, P. Calleb, H. Houbrechtsb, L. Cornec, D. Lauwaertc, H. Deloozd, H. Verbuggend, R. De Cooke, M. Weeghmanse, J. Mennesf, L. Bossaertg, R. Van Hoeywegheng, P. Lewih and A. Quetsh. aDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Sint Jan, Brugge, b Department of Emergency Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis, Gent, cDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Akademisch Ziekenhuis, Vrije Universiteit, Brussel, dDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis, Sint Rafael-Gasthuisberg, Leuven, eDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Imeldaziekenhuis, bonheiden, fDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Jan Palfijn Ziekenhuis, Merksem, gDepartment of Intensive Care, UIA, Univertitair Ziekenhuis, Antwerpen and hDepartment of Information Sciences, Janssen Research Foundation, Beerse.

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