Using Data Science to Provide Preliminary Estimates of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Rural South Dakota

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a critical medical emergency with low survival rates nationwide.
• Current strategies focus on a systems approach to optimize care along the chain of survival.
• Robust data is essential for understanding and improving OHCA outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a reliable data set of OHCA occurrences in South Dakota.
• To analyze factors influencing survival rates in South Dakota OHCA cases.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Utstein guidelines for OHCA resuscitation reporting.
• Analyzed emergency medical services (EMS) data from electronic patient care records (ePCR) between 2013 and 2015.
• Included 911 calls with a primary impression of cardiac arrest, excluding incomplete data.

Main Results:

• 1,781 OHCA cases were identified, with 1,280 having survival data; 378 survived to the emergency department (ED).
• South Dakota OHCA rates were lower than national rates.
• Survival was higher with shockable rhythms, bystander CPR, urban settings, and care from non-hardship designated EMS units.

Conclusions:

• Implement quality improvement for data collection and utilization to address data gaps.
• Assess and enhance EMS staff training for data management and analysis.
• Promote public education in hands-only CPR and PulsePoint programs.