Table 1.
Characteristics of the patients in whom CPR was started by EMS and of the patients divided in the Utstein categories.
| Variable |
All EMS-treated (n = 3,235) |
Shockable bystander witnessed (n = 383) |
Shockable bystander CPR (n = 333) | Non-shockable witnessed (n = 1,393) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men, n (%) | 1904 (58.9) | 301 (78.6) | 263 (79) | 791 (56.8) | <0.001 |
| Age, years [IQR] | 78 [65–85] | 67 [57–78] | 66 [57–77] | 80 [68–86] | <0.001 |
| EMS arrival time, mins [IQR] | 11 [8,–14] | 9 [7–13] | 10 [8–13] | 11 [9–15] | <0.001 |
| Etiology of arrest, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Medical | 2964 (91.6) | 375 (97.9) | 324 (97.3) | 1242 (89.2) | |
| Trauma | 156 (4.8) | 4 (1) | 4 (1.2) | 87 (6.2) | |
| Drowning | 6 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | |
| Overdose | 13 (0.4) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | 5 (0.4) | |
| Electrocution | 2 (0.1) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.1) | |
| Asphyxial (external causes) | 75 (2.3) | 1 (0.3) | 2 (0.6) | 47 (3.4) | |
| Unknown | 19 (0.6) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | 9 (0.6) | |
| OHCA location, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Home | 2538 (78.5) | 268 (70) | 235 (70.6) | 1074 (77.1) | |
| Nursing residence | 289 (8.9) | 12 (3.1) | 9 (2.7) | 162 (11.6) | |
| Workplace | 35 (1.1) | 13 (3.4) | 11 (3.3) | 9 (0.6) | |
| Street | 254 (7.9) | 48 (12.5) | 42 (12.6) | 116 (8.3) | |
| Public building | 75 (2.3) | 28 (7.3) | 24 (7.2) | 22 (1.6) | |
| Sport | 20 (0.6) | 11 (2.9) | 11 (3.3) | 4 (0.3) | |
| Other | 24 (0.7) | 3 (0.8) | 1 (0.3) | 6 (0.4) | |
| Witnessed status, n (%) | |||||
| Unwitnessed | 953 (29.5) | – | 40 (12) | – | |
| Bystander witnessed | 1780 (55) | – | 291 (87.4) | – | |
| Witnessed by EMS | 487 (15.1) | – | – | – | |
| Unknown | 15 (0.5) | – | 2 (0.6) | – | |
| Bystander CPR, n (%) † | 1184 (43.1) | 291 (76) | – | 582 (41.8) | |
| Presenting rhythm, n (%) | – | ||||
| Shockable | 551 (17) | – | – | – | |
| Not shockable | 2668 (82.5) | – | – | – | |
| Unknown | 16 (0.5) | – | – | – | |
| Mechanical CPR, n (%) | 449 (13.9) | 144 (37.6) | 120 (36) | 150 (10.8) | <0.001 |
| Adrenaline, mg [IQR] | 1 [0–4] | 3 [1–5] | 3 [1–5] | 1 [0–4] | <0.001 |
| Amiodarone administered, n (%) | 275 (8.5) | 155 (40.5) | 140 (42) | 56 (4) | <0.001 |
| Outcome, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Death in the field | 2240 (69.2) | 56 (17.7) | 48 (17.4) | 566 (65.6) | |
| Transported with ongoing CPR | 456 (14.1) | 93 (29.3) | 78 (28.3) | 144 (16.7) | |
| Transported with ROSC | 539 (16.7) | 168 (53) | 150 (54.3) | 153 (17.7) |
P-values refer to comparison among “shockable bystander witnessed,” “shockable bystander CPR,” and “non-shockable witnessed” groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
EMS, emergency medical service; OHCA, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; ACLS, advanced cardiac life support (i.e., endotracheal intubation, administration of drugs, mechanical CPR); ROSC, return of spontaneous circulation.
†
Excluding those witnessed by EMS.