Table 1.
Demographics, event characteristics, interventions and time intervals according to scene time categories.
| Characteristic n (%) | < 10 minutes (n=486) |
10 to 35 minutes (n=1542) |
> 35 minutes (n=216) |
Total (n=2244) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||
| Infant | 311 (64.0) | 629 (40.7) | 77 (35.6) | 1017 (45.3) |
| Child | 126 (25.9) | 427 (27.7) | 41 (19.0) | 594 (26.5) |
| Adolescent | 49 (10.1) | 486 (31.5) | 98 (45.4) | 633 (28.2) |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 301 (61.9) | 927 (60.2) | 137 (63.4) | 1365 (60.9) |
| Aetiology of arrest* | ||||
| No obvious cause | 394 (81.1) | 1145 (74.3) | 140 (64.8) | 1679 (74.8) |
| Respiratory | 12 (2.5) | 55 (3.6) | 15 (6.9) | 82 (3.7) |
| Submersion | 21 (4.3) | 91 (5.9) | 15 (6.9) | 127 (5.7) |
| Other | 58 (11.8) | 249 (16.1) | 45 (20.8) | 352 (15.7) |
| Unknown | 1 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 1 (0.5) | 4 (0.2) |
| Witnessed | 95 (19.5) | 427 (27.7) | 64 (29.6) | 586 (26.1) |
| Layperson/Bystander | 84 (17.3) | 359 (23.3) | 53 (24.5) | 496 (22.1) |
| EMS | 11 (2.3) | 68 (4.4) | 11 (5.1) | 90 (4.0) |
| Bystander CPR | 188 (38.7) | 569 (36.9) | 83 (38.4) | 840 (37.4) |
| Initial rhythm | ||||
| VF/VT | 17 (3.5) | 133 (8.6) | 18 (8.3) | 168 (7.5) |
| PEA | 37 (7.6) | 198 (12.8) | 39 (18.5) | 275 (12.3) |
| Asystole | 314 (64.6) | 1038 (67.3) | 129 (59.7) | 1476 (65.9) |
| Undetermined | 52 (10.7) | 136 (8.8) | 20 (9.3) | 208 (9.3) |
| EMS defibrillation | 22 (4.5) | 205 (13.3) | 45 (20.8) | 272 (12.1) |
| Interventions† | ||||
| IV/IO attempted | 235 (48.4) | 1349 (87.5) | 202 (93.5) | 1786 (79.6) |
| Fluids administered | 184 (37.9) | 1093 (70.9) | 184 (85.2) | 1461 (65.1) |
| Adrenaline | 153 (31.5) | 1187 (77.0) | 190 (88.0) | 1530 (68.2) |
| Atropine | 32 (6.6) | 489 (31.7) | 108 (50.0) | 629 (28.0) |
| Bicarbonate | 6 (1.2) | 182 (11.8) | 82 (38.0) | 270 (12.0) |
| Any drug | 155 (31.9) | 1199 (77.8) | 192 (88.9) | 1546 (68.9) |
| Two or more drugs | 32 (6.6) | 578 (37.9) | 135 (62.5) | 745 (33.2) |
| Bag valve mask ventilation | 428 (88.1) | 1476 (95.7) | 201 (93.1) | 2105 (93.8) |
| Supraglottic airway | 7 (1.4) | 86 (5.6) | 16 (7.4) | 109 (4.9) |
| Oral/Nasal ETT | 151 (31.1) | 1119 (72.6) | 179 (82.9) | 1449 (64.6) |
| Minutes, median (IQR) | ||||
| Scene time | 6.4 (4.4, 8.2) | 20.6 (15.4, 26.0) | 42.0 (38.2, 48.7) | 18.6 (11.0, 26.9) |
| 9-1-1 to EMS arrival | 5.2 (4.1, 6.8) | 5.1 (4.0, 6.5) | 5.3 (4.0, 7.0) | 5.1 (4.0, 6.7) |
| 9-1-1 to ALS arrival | 6.0 (4.5, 8.0) | 6.7 (4.9, 9.5) | 8.4 (5.9, 12.7) | 6.7 (4.9, 9.3) |
| EMS to CPR‡ | 1.1 (0.6, 2.3) | 1.6 1.0, 3.0) | 1.9 (1.0, 3.5) | 1.5 (0.9, 2.9) |
| Transport time§ | 7.0 (4.4, 10.1) | 7.0 (4.6, 10.0) | 9.3 (5.0, 16.0) | 7.1 (4.6, 10.5) |
EMS denotes emergency medical services; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; VF/VT, ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia; PEA, pulseless electrical activity; ETT, endotracheal tube; IV, intravenous; IO, intra-osseous; ALS, advanced life support; IQR, interquartile range
*
Aetiology of arrest is defined as clinical impression of emergency medical services personnel
†
The intervention was attempted, not necessarily successful
‡
Emergency medical services personnel arrival to initiation of CPR
§
Scene departure to emergency department arrival at first hospital. Transport time not available for patients declared dead at the scene.