Bystander CPR in south east Scotland increases over 16 years

Abstract

Background Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a leading cause of mortality and serious neurological disability across Europe. Without immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chances of survival are minimal. Despite community initiatives to increase the number of trained CPR providers, the effectiveness of these measures remains unknown and the proportion of OHCA patients receiving bystander CPR in the United Kingdom yet to be established. We sought to identify the change in the rate of bystander CPR in south east Scotland over a 16-year period. Methods Retrospective cohort study of all adult non-traumatic OHCA in south east Scotland from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2007 using the Heartstart Scotland database. Results 7928 OHCA were included. The proportion of patients receiving bystander CPR increased from 34% in 1992 to 52% in 2007 ( p for trend <0.0001). The rate of CPR from bystanders, spouses and from relatives increased significantly over the study period. Patients arresting at home received significantly less bystander CPR than those arresting away from home (39% vs 52%, p < 0.0001) regardless of age or sex. Conclusion There has been a significant increase in bystander CPR in south east Scotland during the 16-year period. Bystander CPR is associated with an increased rate of survival and targeted CPR training for relatives of patients at risk of sudden cardiac death may be beneficial.