Out of hospital cardiac arrest. Dispatcher assisted CPR. Systematic literature review

Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Dispatcher Assisted CPR. Systematic Literature Review Aim: to review scientific literature concerning emergency medical dispatcher operated CPR, in case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Objectives: 1. In what way does a bystander performed CPR, as instructed by a medical dispatcher, influence the patient survival rate after a out-of-hospital cardiac arrest? 2. What factors have the greatest influence on the indentification of oout-of-hospital cardiac arrest? 3. What age and gender are the most frequent among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Northern European countries? Methods: systematic review of scientific literature. The search was carried out using „PubMed“ (MEDLINE) database. Results were chosen in accordance to the date of publication (2013 – 2018) and study location (Northern European countries, i.e. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark). Key words used were: „out of hospital cardiac arrest“, „telephone assisted CPR“, „dispatcher CPR“, „bystander CPR“, „OHCA cardiopulmonary resuscitation“, „CPR guidance“. In accordance to PRISMA recommended PICO template inclusion/exlusion criteria were set and clinical question was formulated. Results: the search yielded 784 publications that fit set criteria. 10 publications matching inclusion criteria and clinical question were used in systematic review. The review also included 4 studies carried out in Denmark, 2 in each: Sweden, Poland and Finland. 6 retrospective studies, 3 observational studies and 1 prospective cohort study. Conclusions: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Northern European countries is most frequent among > 70-year-old men. Main reasons preventing dispatchers from recognizing cardiac arrest are victim’s agonal breathing and incorrect questions asked. CPR performed by a bystander as instructed by a dispatcher significantly raises survival rates.