Implementation of Pit Crew Approach and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Metrics for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Improves Patient Survival and Neurological Outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) varies by community and emergency medical services (EMS) system. We hypothesized that the adoption of multiple best practices to focus EMS crews on high-quality, minimally interrupted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) would improve survival of OHCA patients in Salt Lake City.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In September 2011, Salt Lake City Fire Department EMS providers underwent a systemwide restructuring of care for OHCA patients that focused on the adoption of high-quality CPR with minimal interruptions and offline medical review of defibrillator data and feedback on CPR metrics. Victims were directed to ST-elevation myocardial infarction receiving centers. Prospectively collected data on patient survival and neurological outcome for all OHCAs were compared. In the postintervention period, there were 407 cardiac arrests with 65 neurologically intact survivors (16%), compared with 330 cardiac arrests with 25 neurologically intact survivors (8%) in the preintervention period. Among patients who survived to hospital admission, a higher proportion in the postintervention period survived to hospital discharge (71/141 [50%] versus 36/98 [37%], P=0.037) and had a favorable neurological outcome (65 [46%] versus 25 [26%], P=0.0005) compared with patients treated before the protocol changes. The univariate odds ratio or the association between neurologically intact survival (cerebral performance category 1 and 2) and protocol implementation was 2.3 (95% CI 1.4 to 3.7, P=0.001). Among discharged patients, the distribution of cerebral performance category scores was more favorable in the postintervention period (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted protocol, including several American Heart Assocation best practices for the resuscitation of patients with OHCA, was associated with improved survival and neurological outcome.