Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of the Total Cohort According to the Type of Prehospital Care.
| Characteristic | Total Cohort, No. (%) | Prehospital ALS Cohort, No. (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLS (n = 1963) | ALS (n = 2419) | P Value | By EMS Personnel (n = 1591) | By Physician (n = 828) | P Value | |
| Pretreatment variable | ||||||
| Calendar year | ||||||
| 2013 | 1002 (51.0) | 1263 (52.2) | .44 | 826 (51.9) | 437 (52.8) | .69 |
| 2014 | 961 (49.0) | 1156 (47.8) | 765 (48.1) | 391 (47.2) | ||
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 1306 (66.5) | 1670 (69.0) | .08 | 1095 (68.8) | 575 (69.4) | .75 |
| Female | 657 (33.5) | 749 (31.0) | 496 (31.2) | 253 (30.6) | ||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 55.9 (22.6) | 58.8 (21.9) | <.001 | 59.2 (21.5) | 58.1 (22.5) | .26 |
| ≤17 | 96 (4.9) | 96 (4.0) | .001 | 54 (3.4) | 42 (5.1) | .07 |
| 18-64 | 1003 (51.1) | 1124 (46.5) | 731 (45.9) | 393 (47.5) | ||
| ≥65 | 864 (44.0) | 1199 (49.6) | 806 (50.7) | 393 (47.5) | ||
| Witness | ||||||
| Witnessed | 1374 (70.0) | 1693 (70.0) | >.99 | 1129 (71.0) | 564 (68.1) | .15 |
| Unwitnessed | 589 (30.0) | 726 (30.0) | 462 (29.0) | 264 (31.9) | ||
| Bystander CPR | ||||||
| Any CPR | 317 (16.1) | 546 (22.6) | <.001 | 367 (23.1) | 179 (21.6) | .42 |
| No CPR | 1646 (83.9) | 1873 (77.4) | 1224 (76.9) | 649 (78.4) | ||
| First rhythm | ||||||
| VF | 52 (2.6) | 51 (2.1) | .001 | 39 (2.5) | 12 (1.4) | .02 |
| VT | 1 (0.1) | 5 (0.2) | 4 (0.3) | 1 (0.1) | ||
| PEA | 698 (35.6) | 897 (37.1) | 591 (37.1) | 306 (37.0) | ||
| Asystole | 1039 (52.9) | 1325 (54.8) | 881 (55.4) | 444 (53.6) | ||
| Other | 173 (8.8) | 141 (5.8) | 76 (4.8) | 65 (7.9) | ||
| Response time from emergency call to contact with patient, min | ||||||
| Median (IQR) | 8 (6-11) | 9 (7-13) | <.001 | 9 (7-12) | 9 (7-14) | .01 |
| Mean (SD) | 9.7 (5.8) | 10.7 (6.3) | <.001 | 10.5 (6.0) | 11.3 (6.8) | .002 |
| Response time interval, min | ||||||
| <10 | 1211 (61.7) | 1325 (54.8) | <.001 | 907 (57.0) | 418 (50.5) | .002 |
| ≥10 | 752 (38.3) | 1094 (45.2) | 684 (43.0) | 410 (49.5) | ||
| Posttreatment variable | ||||||
| Transport time from contact with patient to hospital arrival, min | ||||||
| Median (IQR) | 22 (16-30) | 27 (20-39) | <.001 | 26 (20-36) | 31 (20-47) | <.001 |
| Mean (SD) | 25.4 (14.9) | 31.8 (16.8) | <.001 | 29.7 (14.5) | 35.9 (20.0) | <.001 |
| Total time from emergency call to hospital arrival, min | ||||||
| Median (IQR) | 31 (24-42) | 38 (29-51) | <.001 | 36 (28-48) | 43 (30-59) | <.001 |
| Mean (SD) | 35.1 (17.2) | 42.6 (19.3) | <.001 | 40.2 (17.0) | 47.1 (22.5) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: ALS, advanced life support; BLS, basic life support; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; EMS, emergency medical service; IQR, interquartile range; PEA, pulseless electrical activity; VF, ventricular fibrillation; VT, ventricular tachycardia.