Improved survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using new guidelines

Background: An out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with a poor prognosis. We hypothesized that the implementations of 2005 European Resuscitation Council resuscitation guidelines were associated with improved 30-day survival after OHCA. Methods: We prospectively recorded data on all patients with OHCA treated by the Mobile Emergency Care Unit of Copenhagen in two periods: 1 June 2004 until 31 August 2005 (before implementation) and 1 January 2006 until 31 March 2007 (after implementation), separated by a 4-month period in which the above-mentioned change took place. Results: We found that 30-day survival increased after the implementation from 31/372 (8.3%) to 67/419 (16%), P=0.001. ROSC at hospital admission, as well as survival to hospital discharge, were obtained in a significantly higher proportion from 23.4% to 39.1%, P < 0.0001, and from 7.9% to 16.3%, P=0.0004, respectively. Treatment after implementation was confirmed as a significant predictor of better 30-day survival in a logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: The implementation of new resuscitation guidelines was associated with improved 30-day survival after OHCA.