466 OUT-OF-HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST: UNIVERSITY OF TRIESTE STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE OF CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION AND DEFIBRILLATOR USE

Abstract

Abstract Background Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Although most cardiac arrests are witnessed, survival is only 2-10%, since bystanders are often unable to correctly perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aims to assess the theoretical and practical knowledge of CPR and the use of the automatic external defibrillator (AED) in university students. Materials and methods The study involved a total of 1686 students from 21 different faculties of the University of Trieste, 662 students from health faculties and 1024 from non-health faculties. Basic life support and early defibrillation (BLSD) courses have been included in health faculties and made mandatory for students in their final years. Through the platform “EUSurvey” from March to June 2021, they were given an online questionnaire of 25 multiple choice questions to investigate the performance of BLSD. Results In the overall population, only 68.7% knew how to diagnose a cardiac arrest and the 47.5% knew the time frame after which irreversible brain damage occurs. Practical knowledge was analysed by evaluating the correct answers to all four questions on performing CPR (hand position during compressions, frequency of compressions, depth of compressions, and ventilations-compressions ratio). Health faculties students have better theoretical and practical knowledge of CPR than their colleagues in non-health faculties (11,2% vs 4,3%; p value <0.001). Final-year medical students, who attended the BLSD course and underwent retraining, have achieved better results than first year medical students (38,1% vs 2,7%; p value <0.001). Discussion The knowledge of cardiac arrest needs to be improved in the overall university population. The obligatory inclusion of BLSD courses in healthcare degree courses has led to a significant increase in knowledge on the issue. Given this, we believe it is important to extend these courses to all university students.