Cardiac Arrest Survivorship Research Hub

Aim: To assess the long term functional and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes for asystolic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. Methods: We retrospectively analysed EMS-treated adult patients with asystolic OHCA between 2010 and 2024 from the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry (VACAR). We excluded patients whose cardiac arrest was witnessed by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. Twelve-month survivors were contacted for structured telephone interviews. Outcomes were evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), and the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), alongside questions about living arrangements and employment status. Results: Of the 16,803 initial asystolic OHCA patients with an attempted resuscitation, 83 (0.5%) were discharged alive. Twelve-month mortality was 13.3% (95% CI: 7.6%-22.7%). At 12 months, 70 (84.3%) patients were alive and 56 (80.0%) completed follow up. Among respondents, 18 (32.1%) achieved good functional recovery (GOS-E ≥ 7) while 28 (50.0%) were in a vegetative state or severe disability. Twenty-three survivors (41.1%) were living at home without ongoing support, 9 (16.1%) reported full health according to the EQ-5D index. The median EQ-5D index score was 0.7 (0.5-0.9), whereas mean for visual analogue scale (VAS) declined significantly from 70.1 pre-arrest to 58.0 (p = 0.003). Compared with population norms, SF-12 physical and mental health, EQ-VAS and EQ-5D index scores were lower at 12 months among survivors. Conclusion: Among 12-month survivors of EMS-treated asystolic OHCA, good functional recovery was achieved by only one-third of patients, with most survivors experiencing persistent disability and impaired HRQoL.

INTRODUCTION: Out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest affects more than 350,000 people in Europe annually. Therefore, health education interventions led by nurses are essential to provide complete and adequate education on basic life support to family members of patients with cardiac conditions. The objective was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on basic CPR by assessing improvements in knowledge, practical skills, and self-perception among family members of patients with heart conditions. METHODOLOGY: A prospective quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, involving a theoretical-practical educational intervention in basic life support aimed at relatives of patients with cardiac conditions treated at a tertiary care hospital. Theoretical data were collected using three validated questionnaires. Practical skills were assessed by solving a case study and evaluating CPR maneuvers using 14 validated items. RESULTS: A total of 105 relatives of patients with cardiac conditions participated, with a mean age of 49.28 ± 13 years. Comparing the pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 5-month follow-up questionnaire scores, significant improvements were observed in knowledge, practical skills, and self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: The nurse-led educational intervention was effective, demonstrating statistically significant improvements across all areas without reflecting medium-term losses.

In Korea, more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) occur each year, and the survival rate remains below 10%. Because OHCA is difficult to predict and typically occurs outside medical facilities, effective management requires not only healthcare professionals but also laypersons, including bystanders and first responders. Survival depends on an uninterrupted and efficient sequence of time-critical actions: early recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of emergency services; prompt bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for shockable rhythms; on-scene and in-hospital advanced life support with comprehensive post–cardiac arrest care; and systematic assessment of neurologic and functional outcomes followed by rehabilitation and recovery. The chain of survival describes these essential steps required to maximize survival after cardiac arrest and comprises five links: (1) early recognition and call for help; (2) immediate bystander CPR; (3) early defibrillation with an AED; (4) advanced life support and post–cardiac arrest care; and (5) rehabilitation and recovery for survivors. Cardiac arrest survival environment represents a societal infrastructure that sustains and optimizes both medical and nonmedical factors across prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation to reduce mortality. Establishing such an environment requires each community to develop integrated medical systems for prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery, alongside nonmedical strategies, including public awareness initiatives, widespread CPR education and bystander participation, AED dissemination, and coordinated community responsiveness of the emergency medical system.