Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival in Athens: Data from a Greek public hospital

Abstract

Although out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) are a major cause of mortality internationally, data regarding survival in Greece remains scarce and inconclusive. The aim of this study is to assess the immediate and 24-hour survival of OHCA sufferers during a 5-year period in a public hospital in Athens. A retrospective study was conducted on all cardiac arrests that were transferred to our hospital during a five-year period (2011-2015). Our primary objective was to calculate return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and 24-hour survival ratios. Our secondary objective was to estimate 30-day survival. Demographic data was also collected. 283 OHCA were included in the study. The mean age was 67.2 years and the male: female ratio was 2. Medical history was available for 33.6% of patients. 72.1% of cases were transferred to the emergency department by ambulance and 2.8% by private means of transport. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was attempted on 57.6% of cardiac arrests, 8.6% regained ROSC and 6.1% survived for 24 hours. The 30-day survival was expected to be less than 3.5%. In our institution, ROSC, 24-hour and expected 30-day survival were lower than the European average and in accordance with the recent prospective Eureca One study. However, data from our institution cannot be generalised and multicenter studies are required in order to clarify OHCA outcomes in Greece.