Dispatcher-assisted AED use in single-rescuer cardiac arrest: study protocol for a randomized simulation study...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) improve survival in cardiac arrest but can interrupt chest compressions.
• In single-rescuer events, AED use may increase no-flow time, impacting CPR effectiveness.
• The impact of dispatcher instructions on these interruptions is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if AED-optimized dispatcher-assisted CPR (DACPR) instructions reduce no-flow time compared to standard instructions.
• To assess the effect of dispatcher communication strategies on CPR quality in simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
• To provide insights for refining DACPR protocols.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, randomized, controlled simulation trial with laypersons and healthcare professionals.
• Participants randomized 1:1 to standard or AED-optimized DACPR instruction groups.
• Primary outcome: total no-flow time; secondary outcomes: compression fraction, time to first compression/shock, peri-shock pauses, CPR quality.

Main Results:

• Results pending: This section will detail the findings on no-flow time and CPR quality metrics from the simulation trial.

Conclusions:

• Results pending: This section will discuss the implications of the findings for dispatcher-assisted CPR protocols and improving cardiac arrest outcomes.