Abstract 273: Exploring the Role of the Emergency Medical System in Promoting Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation During Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrests

Abstract

Introduction: Early bystander initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) is a key link in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. Prior work indicates that BCPR has a greater impact on survival outcomes when arrests are witnessed, and bystanders are actively prepared. This study explores the role of the emergency medical system—including dispatch, police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS), in promoting timely bystander response during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) event. Methods: This sequential mixed-methods study used 2014-2017 data from the Michigan Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (MI-CARES) to analyze the effect of BCPR on OHCA survival outcomes. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the effect of BCPR on sustained ROSC with pulse upon emergency department (ED) arrival and secondary outcomes. These data were supplemented with semi-structured key informant interviews and multidisciplinary focus groups conducted during site visits to 9 emergency medical systems across Michigan including dispatch, police, fire, EMS, and ED. Results: A total of 21,044 OHCA incidents met inclusion criteria. OHCA patients who received BCPR had 1.32 times higher odds of achieving ROSC with pulse upon ED arrival than those that did not after multivariable adjustment (Table 1). Qualitative data from interviews suggest that emergency medical systems can play a critical role in promoting BCPR. Several salient themes emerged across stakeholders including: 1) Preparing the community for proactive bystander response through educational campaigns; 2) Facilitating BCPR during an event through dispatch-assisted CPR and on-scene responders providing positive reinforcement to bystanders; and 3) Reinforcing the importance of performing bystander CPR to the involved community after post arrest care. Conclusion: We found that BCPR was associated with statistically significant improvements in survival outcomes compared to those that did not receive BCPR. These findings emphasize the importance of training bystanders to initiate and perform CPR, and points to engaging the emergency medical system as a leader for this initiative to improve OHCA survival across US communities.