title: [Ambulance response intervals in connection with cardiac arrest in Oslo].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An important factor determining survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is how fast the ambulance personnel can reach the patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, all ambulance calls to patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Oslo were evaluated. Of 1,026 cardiac arrests, 130 were excluded because of missing data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median ambulance response interval was 7.2 min (5.7-9.0 as 25-75% percentiles). There was a tendency to shorter response intervals to the central parts of Oslo with medians between 3 and 4 min, while 14 more peripheral boroughs had median response intervals over 8 min. Of the 627 cases where the ambulance starting point was registered, 76% were from the only ambulance station in Oslo, located downtown.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our opinion, the median ambulance response interval is unsatisfactory in large parts of Oslo, as a long response time gives a dramatically lower survival rate after cardiac arrest. A reorganisation and decentralization of the Oslo Emergency Medical Service System seems necessary.
authors.affiliation: Anestesiavdelingen, Kirurgisk divisjon Ullevål sykehus 0407 Oslo. kjetil.sunde@ioks.uio.no
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sunde
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Fremstad
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Furuheim
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Steen
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data