Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective study in the population of Modena

Introduction: cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries and in Italy it affects about 60,000 people every year. It is a time-dependent pathology, therefore, the timeliness of the actions that form the "chain of survival" is essential: early access, early CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation), early defibrillation, early advanced care. The ERC guidelineshighlight how the first 2 links in the chain are essential to increase the chances of survival by up to four times, as well as avoiding or delaying the onset of anoxic brain damage. The study aims to analyze out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the area of Modena in 2022, assessing the frequency of patients who received chest compressions from bystanders and the frequency of patients who received resuscitation maneuvers only from healthcare professionals. The frequency of patients resuming spontaneous cardiac circulation (Return Of Spontaneous Circulation, ROSC) was also evaluated, dividing the ROSCs according to the intervention or not of bystanders.

Materials and Methods: data on cardiac arrests was collected by examining patient records relating to the interventions of 16 nursing ambulances and 5 medical ambulances from Modena and its province. All the files relating to the missions of the ambulances of the volunteers of Modena and its province and the nursing ambulances present in the urban area of Modena have been omitted from the search as they intervene in conjunction with an advanced rescue vehicle. The variables taken in consideration were: age, sex, assessmentode, subject performing resuscitation maneuvers, rhythm of onset, place of the event.

Results and Conclusions: the results of the study show that the percentage of ROSC in patients who received an early massage from bystanders is 12% higher than in patients who received resuscitation maneuvers exclusively from healthcare personnel (26% vs 14%), emphasizing the importance of training and first aid courses aimed at citizens, regardless of age.