Abstract 29: A Neighborhood Local Volunteer Response Network Improves Response Time for Cardiac Arrest

Abstract

Background: Minutes are crucial in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA). Immediate chest compressions and early defibrillation are keys to good outcomes. Local neighborhood volunteer (vol) response programs may decrease delays to early CPR and AED use. We hypothesized that a coordinated effort of alerting trained neighborhood vols simultaneously with 911 activation of professional EMS providers would provide earlier CPR and defibrillation in such communities. Methods: We developed a program of simultaneously alerting CPR and AED trained neighborhood vols and the local EMS system for cardiac arrest events in a retirement community in Southern Arizona, encompassing approximately 17,300 homes and 21,500 residents. EMS services are provided by 5 stations within the community boundaries. Within a single housing development neighborhood, 9 vols and the closest EMS station were involved in 3 days of mock CA notifications (total of 12 different alerts at various times during daytime hours were sent). This provided a total of 120 response opportunities, 12 for EMS and 108 for vols. The distance to the mock event and the time from alert to arrival were recorded and compared. Results: In the selected 55+ neighborhood, the two groups differed significantly in both distance to the mock cardiac arrest event and in response times. The volunteers average 0.33±0.19 miles from the mock CA incidences while the closest EMS station was 3.3 miles from the tested neighborhood (p<0.0001). Response times (time from call to arrival) were also different. The earliest Vol arrived at 1min 30sec±48sec*, 2 Vols & AED at 1min 38 sec±53sec*, all arriving Vols at 3min 23 sec*, and EMS at 7min 20 sec±1min 13sec (*p<0.0001 vs EMS). Conclusion: When the neighborhood volunteers in this testing period were geographically closer to the mock CA event, they arrived significantly sooner to the scene than did the EMS service. The mean time of arrival for at least 2 vols with an AED was 5 min 42 sec faster than the professional rescuers. The implications for such a time saving could be as much as a 240% increase (25% to 85%) in survival for those with shockable rhythms.