title: Characteristics of prehospital cardiac arrest patients in Japan and determinant factors for survival.
abstract: Two hundred forty-seven consecutive patients who had prehospital cardiac arrest and were transferred to a municipal hospital were studied to elucidate the characteristics of these patients and to investigate factors for improving the survival rate among prehospital cardiac arrest patients. Detailed information on 130 patients with cardiac etiology was analyzed: 110 were confirmed dead in the emergency department (group A); 14 survived less than 1 week (group B); 6 survived longer than 1 week (group C). Only one patient received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander, and none received electrical defibrillation before arriving at hospital because, at the time, emergency personnel were not allowed to perform advanced life support (ALS) in Japan. The three characteristics for better prognosis after prehospital cardiac arrest were found to be as follows: being witnessed on collapse, receiving prompt ALS, and ventricular fibrillation on arrival at hospital. The survival rate would have been higher if more lay people could have performed CPR and if emergency unit personnel had been allowed to perform ALS.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine II, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimauchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sone
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sassa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D004554:Electric Countershock; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D006773:Hospitals, Municipal; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011379:Prognosis; D012151:Resuscitation; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy