DigitalCommons@PCOM

Measuring the Effect of a Resuscitation Academy on Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Rates

Philadelphia, PA

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), rates of successful resuscitation after out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary across the country. Amongst 132 counties in the United States, the rates of CPR survival to hospital discharge ranges between 3.4%-22.0%, and the rates of CPR survival with functional recovery ranges from 0.8%-20.1%. This large degree of variability between regions has been improved through programs that educate Emergency Medical Service (EMS) departments on ways to improve outcomes through an evidence-based lens. The Medic One EMS department in Seattle and King County, Washington developed a resuscitation academy (RA) that improved cardiac arrest survival from 26% in 2002 to 62% in 2013. In 2015, The New Castle County, Delaware EMS (NCCEMS) department modeled a RA after the Medic One EMS department. This study measured the effect on the number of patients experiencing return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the cerebral performance category (CPC) scores for discharged patients. Data from 599 atraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) was collected from 2009-2019, and 99 cases met Utstein inclusion criteria. Next, the study categorized if at least one RA was implemented prior to these cases to determine the RA’s effect. Implementation of one RA on ROSC outcomes yielded a significant improvement (p = .028), with a small to medium strength of effect (Cramer’s V=0.221); this indicates that the administration of at least one RA had a moderate and significant effect on increasing ROSC in patients suffering from OHCA. Administration of at least one RA did not demonstrate a significant effect on eventual patient outcomes as indicated by discharge CPC score (p = .488). This indicates that there was no statistically significant effect on the cerebral performance of patients who suffered OHCA upon discharge.