Out of hospital cardiac arrest in sporting facilities: an overview of rescue for sideline doctors

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) during sporting events is a rare but nonetheless relevant oc-currence, that must be promptly addressed by sideline doctors and, in their absence, as well as by laymen present on site. The use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) maneuvers and public access defibrillators (PADs) has been shown to increase the possibility of ROSC and to improve the outcome of patients. The aim of our study is to analyze the characteristics of the patients rescued in sporting facilities in the Lombardy region, the maneuvers performed on site and the outcome of the patients.METHODS: A retrospective observational cohort study performed in the Lombardy region. The data were provided by the registry on the website of AREU. The records of cardiac arrest in the EmMa database from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2019 were analyzed.RESULTS: The EMS rescued 35,362 patients with OHCA, of which 0.42% (N.=149) in sporting facilities. The aver-age time of arrival of the first vehicle on scene was 11.3 +/- 6.8 minutes, while the average time of hospital arrival was 52.7 +/- 25.7 minutes. About 76.0% of patients received CPR. PADs were used in 43.0% of events. In 32 cases (21.5%), patients that received CRP with PAD achieved ROSC.CONCLUSIONS: The mandatory training for managers and coaches might increase the possibility of ROSC in sports facilities and during sporting events, even in case of absence of sideline doctors. Sideline doctors should be familiar with the BLS-D training and ACLS training.