Table 1.
The clinical and prehospital characteristics of the enrollees
| Characteristics | The Group of 2015 (N=1260) | The Group of 2020 (N=979) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year), mean ± SD | 68.5±16.6 | 67.7±15.9 | 0.280 |
| Female sex, n (%) | 477(37.9) | 350(35.8) | 0.327 |
| Location of cardiac arrest, n | |||
| Home | 1035(82.1) | 742(75.8) | <0.001 |
| Public space | 166(13.2) | 187(19.1) | 0.080 |
| Other | 59(4.7) | 50(5.1) | 0.718 |
| EMS care interval, min | |||
| Response time | 6.7±3.3 | 7.2±2.8 | <0.001 |
| Scene time | 10.7±6.4 | 13.5±4.7 | <0.001 |
| Transport time | 7.4±5.4 | 7.8±5.1 | 0.06 |
| Initial rhythm | |||
| VF/VT | 114(9.0) | 95(9.7) | 0.597 |
| PEA | 256(20.3) | 198(20.2) | 0.956 |
| Asystole | 672(53.3) | 511(52.2) | 0.590 |
| Other or unknown | 33(2.6) | 42(4.3) | 0.029 |
| Not recorded | 185(14.7) | 133(13.6) | 0.462 |
| Advanced airway by EMS | |||
| Laryngeal mask airway | 1040(82.5) | 709(72.4) | <0.001 |
| Endotracheal intubation | 2(0.2) | 22(2.2) | <0.001 |
| Epinephrine use by EMS | 60(4.8) | 180(18.4) | <0.001 |
| Cardiac arrest witnessed by | |||
| Bystander | 691(54.8) | 374(38.2) | <0.001 |
| EMS/first responder | 70(5.6) | 68(6.9) | 0.175 |
| Defibrillation before transport | 124(9.8) | 150(15.3) | <0.001 |
| Bystander CPR | 356(28.3) | 477(48.7) | lt;0.001 |
SD standard deviation, EMS emergency medical service, VF ventricular fibrillation, VT ventricular tachycardia, PEA pulseless electrical activity, CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Definition: response time, from emergency calls to ambulance arrival at the scene; scene time, between ambulance arrival and departure from the scene; transport time, from scene departure to hospital arrival