Cardiac Arrest Centers Research Articles

The cardiac arrest centre for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest due to presumed cardiac cause - aims, function and structure: Position paper of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care of the European Society of Cardiology (AVCV), European Association of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (EAPCI), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), European Resuscitation Council (ERC), European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) and

Approximately 10% of patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive to hospital discharge. Improved management to improve outcomes is required, and it is proposed that such patients should be preferentially treated in cardiac arrest centres. The minimum requirements of therapy modalities for the cardiac arrest centre are 24/7 availability of an on-site coronary angiography laboratory, an emergency department, an intensive care unit, imaging facilities such as echocardiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and a protocol outlining transfer of selected patients to cardiac arrest centres with additional resources (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest hub hospitals). These hub hospitals are regularly treating a high volume of patients and offer further treatment modalities. This consensus document describes the aims, the minimal requirements for therapeutic modalities and expertise, and the structure, of a cardiac arrest centre. It represents a consensus among the major European medical associations and societies involved in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

An observational study assessing the impact of a cardiac arrest centre on patient outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major cause of death worldwide. Recent guidelines recommend the centralisation of OHCA services in cardiac arrest centres to improve outcomes. In 2015, two major tertiary cardiac centres in London merged to form a large dedicated tertiary cardiac centre. This study aimed to compare the short-term mortality of patients admitted with an OHCA before-and-after the merger of services had taken place and admission criteria were relaxed, which led to managing OHCA in higher volume. We retrospectively analysed the data of OHCA patients pre- and post-merger. Baseline demographic and medical characteristics were recorded, along with factors relating to the cardiac arrest. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. OHCA patients (N =728; 267 pre- and 461 post-merger) between 2013 and 2018 were analysed. Patients admitted pre-merger were older (65.0 vs. 62.4 years, p=0.027), otherwise there were similar baseline demographic and peri-arrest characteristics. There was a greater proportion of non-acute coronary syndrome-related OHCA admission post-merger (10.1% vs. 23.4%, p=0.0001) and a corresponding decrease in those admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (80.2% vs. 57.0%, p=0.0001) and those treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (78.8% vs. 54.0%, p=0.0001). Despite this, in-hospital mortality was lower post-merger (63.7% vs. 44.3%, p=0.0001), which persisted after adjustment for demographic and arrest-related characteristics using stepwise logistic regression (p=0.036) between the groups. Despite an increase in non-acute coronary syndrome-related OHCA cases, the formation of a centralised invasive heart centre was associated with improved survival in OHCA patients. This suggests there may be a benefit of a cardiac arrest centre model of care.

Education, Implementation, and Teams: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations

For this 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations, the Education, Implementation, and Teams Task Force applied the population, intervention, comparator, outcome, study design, time frame format and performed 15 systematic reviews, applying the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidance. Furthermore, 4 scoping reviews and 7 evidence updates assessed any new evidence to determine if a change in any existing treatment recommendation was required. The topics covered included training for the treatment of opioid overdose; basic life support, including automated external defibrillator training; measuring implementation and performance in communities, and cardiac arrest centers; advanced life support training, including team and leadership training and rapid response teams; measuring cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance, feedback devices, and debriefing; and the use of social media to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation application.

Education, Implementation, and Teams: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

For this 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations, the Education, Implementation, and Teams Task Force applied the population, intervention, comparator, outcome, study design, time frame format and performed 15 systematic reviews, applying the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidance. Furthermore, 4 scoping reviews and 7 evidence updates assessed any new evidence to determine if a change in any existing treatment recommendation was required. The topics covered included training for the treatment of opioid overdose; basic life support, including automated external defibrillator training; measuring implementation and performance in communities, and cardiac arrest centers; advanced life support training, including team and leadership training and rapid response teams; measuring cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance, feedback devices, and debriefing; and the use of social media to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation application.

Part 7: Systems of Care: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

Survival after cardiac arrest requires an integrated system of people, training, equipment, and organizations working together to achieve a common goal. Part 7 of the 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care focuses on systems of care, with an emphasis on elements that are relevant to a broad range of resuscitation situations. Previous systems of care guidelines have identified a Chain of Survival, beginning with prevention and early identification of cardiac arrest and proceeding through resuscitation to post-cardiac arrest care. This concept is reinforced by the addition of recovery as an important stage in cardiac arrest survival. Debriefing and other quality improvement strategies were previously mentioned and are now emphasized. Specific to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, this Part contains recommendations about community initiatives to promote cardiac arrest recognition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, public access defibrillation, mobile phone technologies to summon first responders, and an enhanced role for emergency telecommunicators. Germane to in-hospital cardiac arrest are recommendations about the recognition and stabilization of hospital patients at risk for developing cardiac arrest. This Part also includes recommendations about clinical debriefing, transport to specialized cardiac arrest centers, organ donation, and performance measurement across the continuum of resuscitation situations.

Admission to cardiac arrest centres in England

Admission to cardiac arrest centres in England

Inter-Hospital Transfer after Return of Spontaneous Circulation Shows no Correlation with Neurological Outcomes in Cardiac Arrest Patients Undergoing Targeted Temperature Management in Cardiac Arrest Centers.

This study evaluated whether inter-hospital transfer (IHT) after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was associated with poor neurological outcomes after 6 months in post-cardiac-arrest patients treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). We used data from the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry from November 2015 to December 2018. These out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients had either received post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) care at the same hospital or had been transferred from another hospital after ROSC. The primary endpoint was the neurological outcome 6 months after cardiac arrest. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine differences in the time from ROSC to TTM induction according to the electrocardiography results after ROSC. We enrolled 1326 patients. There were no significant differences in neurological outcomes between the direct visit and IHT groups. In patients without ST elevation, the mean time to TTM was significantly shorter in the direct visit group than in the IHT group. IHT after achieving ROSC was not associated with neurologic outcomes after 6 months in post-OHCA patients treated with TTM, even though TTM induction was delayed in transferred patients.

Early risk stratification after resuscitation from cardiac arrest.

Emergency clinicians often resuscitate cardiac arrest patients, and after acute resuscitation, clinicians face multiple decisions regarding disposition. Recent evidence suggests that out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest patients with return of spontaneous circulation have higher odds of survival to hospital discharge, long‐term survival, and improved functional outcomes when treated at centers that can provide advanced multidisciplinary care. For community clinicians, a high volume cardiac arrest center may be hours away. While current guidelines recommend against neurological prognostication in the first hours or days after return of spontaneous circulation, there are early findings suggestive of irrecoverable brain injury in which the patient would receive no benefit from transfer. In this Concepts article, we describe a simplified approach to quickly evaluate neurological status in cardiac arrest patients and identify findings concerning for irrecoverable brain injury. Characteristics of the arrest and resuscitation, initial neurological assessment, and brain computed tomography together can identify patients with high likelihood of irrecoverable anoxic injury. Patients who may benefit from centers with access to continuous electroencephalography are discussed. This approach can be used to identify patients who may benefit from rapid transfer to cardiac arrest centers versus those who may benefit from care close to home. Risk stratification also can provide realistic expectations for recovery to families.

Resuscitation - practical implementation of guidelines and standards in the hospital

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) requiring cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remains a mojor public health concern. OHCA affects nearly 275 000 people in Europe annualy with more than 70 000 of those in Germany alone. It represents of the major causes of death in Europe.In 40 % of patients CPR is successful and leads to a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Due to the relevance of OHCA and CPR detailed guidelines with sound scientific foundation exist. However, even after successful CPR, mortality and morbidity remain high due to the severity of underlying diseases and sequelae of OHCA and CPR itself. Thus, optimization of the initial CPR treatment with reducing overall no-flow time (time from collaps with cardiac arrest to start of CPR) and optimization and streamlining of treatment algorithms and quality in hospitals receiving patients after cardiac arrest have been a strong focus to improve overall survival. Current guidelines suggest creation of Cardiac Arrest Centers as specialized hospitals who focus on high quality of post-resuscitation care with standardized processes and interdisciplinary treatment of patients after OHCA to establish fast, secure and effective treatment that is widely available in all regions.This article will address the relevant items to be considered in daily practice of resuscitation and post-resuscitation care for cardiac arrest.

State-of-the-art considerations in post-arrest care.

Cardiac arrest has a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Several advances in post‐cardiac arrest management can improve outcome, but are time‐dependent, placing the emergency physician in a critical role to both recognize the need for and initiate therapy. We present a novel perspective of both the workup and therapeutic interventions geared toward the emergency physician during the first few hours of care. We describe how the immediate care of a post‐cardiac arrest patient is resource intensive and requires simultaneous evaluation for the underlying cause and intensive management to prevent further end organ damage, particularly of the central nervous system. The goal of the initial focused assessment is to rapidly determine if any reversible causes of cardiac arrest are present and to intervene when possible. Interventions performed in this acute period are aimed at preventing additional brain injury through optimizing hemodynamics, providing ventilatory support, and by using therapeutic hypothermia when indicated. After the initial phase of care, disposition is guided by available resources and the clinician's judgment. Transfer to a specialized cardiac arrest center is prudent in centers that do not have significant support or experience in the care of these patients.

Improving post-resuscitation care after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Introduction:The average rate of survival following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the UK was 7–8% at the start of 2019. An estimated 60 000 OHCAs are attended by UK ambulance services annually and, despite developments in prehospital and post-resuscitation care, there are significant variations in survival between regions and countries.Aims:This study aims to identify the potential for care pathways, evaluate UK practices and review the evidence for direct referral of OHCA patients to dedicated cardiac arrest centres.Methods:Evidence was gathered from 20 articles identified through a systematic search of articles related to OHCA and post-resuscitation care, as well as from NHS England in relation to performance and outcomes.Results:Between April 2018 and January 2019, 30.6% of patients experiencing an OHCA had a recorded ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation), and 10.2% survived. However, the 58.7% compliance with the post-ROSC care bundle by ambulance services suggests variations in the delivery of post-resuscitation care. At present, UK ambulance services stabilise and transfer OHCA patients with ROSC to the nearest emergency department, which may not provide specialist services. Holland and Norway report survival rates of 21% and 25% respectively, and operate a centralised approach to post-resuscitation care through designated cardiac arrest centres, which provide specialist care that helps to improve the likelihood of survival. While no randomised controlled trials have been carried out in relation to cardiac arrest centres, it is recognised that the quality of care in the post-resuscitation phase is important, as this is when the highest proportion of deaths occur.Conclusion:Further research into specific care pathways and centralised care should be carried out, and an OHCA post-resuscitation care pathway should be developed to improve the delivery of care and survival.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest and uncontrolled donation after circulatory death in a tertiary cardiac arrest center.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is worldwide quite a common disease, whose mortality still remains high. We aimed at assessing the number of potential donors after OHCA in a tertiary cardiac arrest center with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECPR) and uncontrolled donation after circulatory death (uDCD) programs. In our single center, prospective, observational study (June 2016 to December 2018), we included all OHCA consecutive patients aged or less 65 years. Our series included 134 OHCA patients. The percentage of patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was 36% (48/134). Among patients with no ROSC, ECPR was implanted in 26 patients (26/86, 30%). Among patients without ROSC, 25 patients were eligible for uDCD (25/86, 29%), while 35 patients died at the emergency department. Among patients with ROSC, 15 patients died (15/48, 31%), among whom seven became donors after brain death (7/15, 49%), a percentage which did not vary during the study period. In the subgroup of the 26 patients treated with ECPR, 24 patients died (24/26, 92%) among whom eight were potential donors (33%, 8/34), and only two patients survived (7.7%, 2/26) though with good neurological outcome. The implementation of ECPR and uDCD programs in a tertiary cardiac center is feasible and increased the number of donors, because despite organizational and technical challenges, the uDCD donor pool was 62.5% of all potential donors (25/40).

Abstract 339: Quality of Physician Care Coordination During Inter-Facility Transfer for Cardiac Arrest Patients

Objectives: We sought to evaluate whether the quality of coordination between physicians transferring comatose cardiac arrest survivors to a high-volume cardiac arrest center for targeted temperature management (TTM) was associated with timeliness of care. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of inter-facility transfers to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for TTM between October 2016 and October 2018. We examined the relationship between Relational Coordination (RC) - a validated measure comprised of 7 dimensions of communication (frequency, timeliness, accuracy, problem solving) and relationship quality (respect, knowledge sharing, shared goals) - during recorded phone conversations between transferring and accepting physicians and time-to-acceptance. Investigators listened to recorded phone conversations and used a scoring guide to assign a score between 1 and 100 for each of the 7 dimensions of RC. Results: We identified 18 patients meeting criteria. TTM was initiated or continued in 72% (13 of 18). Median time-to-acceptance was 2.77 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0, 4.1) minutes, and duration of calls was 3.95 (IQR 2.7, 5.2) minutes. Inter-rater reliability for overall RC was high (rho=0.87). The correlation between RC and the time-to-acceptance was significant in univariate analyses (adjusted relative risk=0.96, 95%CI 0.93, 1.0, p=0.05). Secondary analyses did not find a significant relationship between RC and timeliness measures. Conclusions: In this sample of patients transferred for TTM, we found that RC had a high inter-rater reliability. We also found that higher quality care coordination for cardiac arrest survivors was associated with faster physician acceptance. To better understand how the quality of care coordination impacts timeliness of care and patient outcomes, future work using a larger cohort should examine whether higher RC among a broader set of stakeholders (physicians, emergency medical services, families, etc.) is associated with timeliness measures after adjusting for other factors.

Quality of physician care coordination during inter-facility transfer for cardiac arrest patients

AimWe sought to evaluate whether the quality of coordination between physicians transferring comatose cardiac arrest survivors to a high-volume cardiac arrest center for targeted temperature management (TTM) was associated with timeliness of care. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of inter-facility transfers to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for TTM between October 2016 and October 2018. We examined the relationship between Relational Coordination (RC) – a measure of communication and relationship quality – during phone conversations between transferring physicians and time-to-acceptance. ResultsWe identified 18 patients meeting criteria. TTM was initiated or continued in 72%, and in-hospital mortality was 75%. Median time-to-acceptance was 2.77 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0, 4.1) minutes, and duration of calls was 3.95 (IQR 2.7, 5.2) minutes. Interrater reliability for overall RC was high (rho = 0.87). The correlation between RC and the time-to-acceptance was significant in univariate analyses (adjusted relative risk = 0.96, 95%CI 0.93, 1.0, p = 0.05). Secondary analyses did not find a significant relationship between RC and timeliness measures. ConclusionIn this sample of patients transferred for TTM, we found that RC as a measure of care coordination, was reliable. Higher quality care coordination for cardiac arrest survivors was associated with faster physician acceptance. Future work using a larger cohort should explore if higher RC among a broader set of stakeholders (physicians, EMS, families, etc.) is associated with timeliness measures after adjusting for other factors, to better understand how the quality of care coordination impacts timeliness of care and patient outcomes.

2019 American Heart Association Focused Update on Systems of Care: Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Cardiac Arrest Centers: An Update to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest requires an integrated system of care (chain of survival) between the community elements responding to an event and the healthcare professionals who continue to care for and transport the patient for appropriate interventions. As a result of the dynamic nature of the prehospital setting, coordination and communication can be challenging, and identification of methods to optimize care is essential. This 2019 focused update to the American Heart Association systems of care guidelines summarizes the most recent published evidence for and recommendations on the use of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and cardiac arrest centers. This article includes the revised recommendations that emergency dispatch centers should offer and instruct bystanders in cardiopulmonary resuscitation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and that a regionalized approach to post-cardiac arrest care may be reasonable when comprehensive postarrest care is not available at local facilities.

2019 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has initiated a continuous review of new, peer-reviewed, published cardiopulmonary resuscitation science. This is the third annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. It addresses the most recent published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. This summary addresses the role of cardiac arrest centers and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults and children, vasopressors in adults, advanced airway interventions in adults and children, targeted temperature management in children after cardiac arrest, initial oxygen concentration during resuscitation of newborns, and interventions for presyncope by first aid providers. Members from 6 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the certainty of the evidence on the basis of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence to Decision Framework Highlights sections. The task forces also listed priority knowledge gaps for further research.

2019 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations: Summary From the Basic Life Support; Advanced Life Support; Pediatric Life Support; Neonatal Life Support; Education, Implementation, and Teams; and First Aid Task Forces.

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has initiated a continuous review of new, peer-reviewed, published cardiopulmonary resuscitation science. This is the third annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. It addresses the most recent published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. This summary addresses the role of cardiac arrest centers and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults and children, vasopressors in adults, advanced airway interventions in adults and children, targeted temperature management in children after cardiac arrest, initial oxygen concentration during resuscitation of newborns, and interventions for presyncope by first aid providers. Members from 6 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the certainty of the evidence on the basis of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence to Decision Framework Highlights sections. The task forces also listed priority knowledge gaps for further research.

The balance of thrombosis and hemorrhage in STEMI patients with or without associated cardiac arrest: An observational study

BackgroundData is scarce on hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). MethodsThis is a monocentric, retrospective study conducted from January 2012 to December 2017 in a tertiary university hospital, which serves as a cardiac arrest center for a large urban area. Over the study period, all consecutive patients who were treated with stent implantation for STEMI with or without OHCA were included. Baseline characteristics, treatments, hemorrhagic and thrombotic events were compared between STEMI patients with and without OHCA. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed in order to identify predictors of 30-day mortality, occurrence of major bleeding (MB), and early stent thrombosis (ST). ResultsA total of 549 patients treated for STEMI without OHCA and 146 patients for STEMI with OHCA were included. The incidence of definite ST and MB after coronary angioplasty was significantly higher in patients with OHCA (2.6% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.004 and 3.3% vs. 19.2%, p < 0.001, respectively). Independent predictors of MB in OHCA patients were anticoagulation therapy (HR = 3.11, 95%CI [1.22–7.98], p = 0.02) and the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (HR = 4.16, 95%CI [1.61–10.79], p = 0.003). Independent predictors of mortality in OHCA patients were age (HR = 1.05, 95%CI [1.02–1.09], p = 0.004) and ST (HR = 5.62, 95%CI [1.61–19.65], p = 0.007, with a protective effect of new anti-P2Y12 treatments (HR = 0.20, 95%CI [0.08-0.46], p < 0.001). ConclusionPatients treated for STEMI associated with OHCA are at higher-risk of ST and MB than those who did not experience cardiac arrest. In this subset of patients, prospective studies are needed to better evaluate the balance of thrombosis and hemorrhage.

Profound cerebral cooling in an OHCA patient leads to an excellent neurological outcome after &gt;10 h of ventricular fibrillation on eCPR

We here report a 40-year-old patient suffering from OHCA due to toxic drug abuse. Despite an unknown length of no- or slow-flow time on persisting ventricular fibrillation, the argument for the implantation of an ECLS was his juvenile age, lack of co-morbidities and severe hypothermia (26°C). In the following days, despite of a cerebral oedema this patient achieved a complete neurological regeneration without any clinical deficiencies and was discharged 17 days after admission. Even though the routine use of extracorporal life support systems (ECLS) i.e. va-ECMO as part of an eCPR in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) patients is not yet recommended by the current guidelines, some tertiary care centrers provide good evidence for eCPR therapy in these OHCA patients. The lack of randomized controlled trials confuses this scenario in general but locoregional clinical algorithms and hospital cooperation such as cardiac arrest center networks will help to stratify and guide these patients to the right place at the right time and thereby improve clinical outcome for these patients with normally poor prognosis. This latter is true for those patients selected by clinical parameters such as an initially shockable rhythm, low no-flow time and a successful bystander CPR which favour for an early initiation of an eCPR therapy. Moreover, young age (&lt;65years), pH &gt;7.0 and serum lactat &lt;2 mmol/l support us in our decision making to initiate eCPR treatment in an otherwise complete insecure situation.

P2665An observational study assessing the impact of a cardiac arrest centre on patient outcome

Abstract Background Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major cause of death in Europe and the United States. There has been recent literature to suggest that the centralisation of OHCA services may benefit patient outcomes. In 2015, two major tertiary cardiac centres in the UK agglomerated to form a large dedicated tertiary cardiac centre. The previous centre had strict criteria on which OHCA patients could be admitted, with the vast majority of cases being STEMI-related. After the agglomeration, admission criteria were relaxed to include all OHCA cases within geographic range with a suspected cardiac cause. Purpose This study aimed to compare the short-term mortality of patients admitted with an OHCA to a tertiary cardiac centre before-and-after a major agglomeration of services had taken place and admission criteria had been relaxed. Methods We retrospectively analysed the data of patients admitted before and after agglomeration (2015) with OHCA who were resuscitated via conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Baseline demographic characteristics were recorded, along with factors relating to the cardiac arrest. Primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 650 patients (189 before and 461 after the agglomeration) with an OHCA between 2013 and 2018 were analysed. Patients admitted pre merger were older (67.7 vs 62.4 years, p=0.022), otherwise there were similar baseline demographic characteristics between patients admitted before and after the agglomeration (pre vs post) in terms of gender (74.4% vs 75.9% male, p=0.827), ethnicity (66.7% vs 58.9% Caucasian, p=0.588) and existing coronary artery disease (22.8% vs 22.7%, p=0.432). There were also similar peri-arrest characteristics, with a comparable number of patients having a non-shockable rhythm (15.4% vs 25.4%, p=0.164) and similar total downtimes between the groups (33 vs 32.3 mins, p=0.883). Interestingly there was a decrease in those with cardiogenic shock on arrival (92.3% vs 57.0%, p=0.0001) and fewer patients with an ejection fraction &lt;30% (63.2 vs 38.7%, p=0.0003) post-agglomeration. There was a greater proportion of non-ACS-related OHCA admission after the agglomeration (16.9% vs 24.1%, p=0.047) and a corresponding decrease in those admitted with a STEMI (81.5% vs 62.3%, p=0.032) and those treated with PCI (77.8% vs 54.0%, p=0.034). Despite this, in-hospital mortality was lower after the agglomeration (69.7% vs 47.1%, p=0.019), which persisted after adjustment for the previously described demographic and arrest-related characteristics using stepwise logistic regression (p=0.036) between the two groups. Conclusion Despite an increase in non-ACS-related-OHCA cases, the formation of a centralised invasive heart centre was associated with improved survival in OHCA patients. This suggests there may be a benefit for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest-centre model of care, supporting a centralised strategy for immediate post-resuscitation care in OHCA patients. Acknowledgement/Funding None