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Ultrasonographic Assessment During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
06:04

Ultrasonographic Assessment During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Published on: October 24, 2020

Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Saudi Red Crescent Experience Throughout COVID-19 Era

Yousef M Alsofayan1, Saqer M Althunayyan2, Mohamed A Mohamed1

  • 1Executive Directorate of Medical Affairs, Saudi Red Crescent Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Open Access Emergency Medicine : OAEM
|September 30, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Prehospital healthcare providers continued out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Improving dispatcher information and community awareness can reduce OHCA response times.

Area of Science:

  • Emergency medicine
  • Public health
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation quality.
  • Prehospital care is critical for OHCA patient survival.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe prehospital resuscitation efforts for OHCA cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To analyze the definitive outcomes of OHCA patients in Saudi Arabia.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cross-sectional study of OHCA cases in Saudi Arabia (April-June 2021).
  • Data extracted from a central electronic platform included demographics, response times, CPR providers, initial rhythm, AED/Defibrillator use, interventions, and ROSC.
  • Included 1307 OHCA cases.

Main Results:

  • Males constituted 65% of cases; 42% were ≥65 years.
  • Median CPR initiation response time was 13 minutes; 11% responded within 0-6 minutes.
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) units provided on-scene CPR for 75% of cases; 78% had asystole initially. Automated External Defibrillator (AED)/Defibrillator use exceeded 90% for pulseless ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) rhythms.
  • Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 8% of OHCA patients.

Conclusions:

  • Resuscitative efforts for OHCA were maintained in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic.
  • Addressing knowledge gaps and improving OHCA case descriptions for dispatchers can enhance dispatcher-assisted CPR and reduce response times.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19CPRROSCcoronavirus diseaseout of hospital cardiac arrest

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