title: Current practice in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest management: a European heart rhythm association EP network survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this EP wire is to examine clinical practice in the field of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) management, with special focus on in-hospital diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three European centres, all members of the EHRA-EP Research network, completed the questions of the survey. A dedicated strategy for OHCA management is active in 85% of the centres. Shockable tachyarrhythmias such as initial OHCA rhythm are reported in >70% of the patients in 64% of the centres. In-hospital therapeutic hypothermia was applied in >50% of the patients in 53% of the centres and in <50% in 47% of the centres. In the year 2011 90% of the centres performed >10 primary percutaneous coronary angioplasties (PCI) in OHCA patients. The survival rate, when the initial documented rhythm was shockable, was >30% in 42% of the centres, and conversely, was significantly lower when asystole or pulseless electrical activity was the initial rhythm. A favourable neurological recovery was reported in >50% of the patients in 13 (26%) centres and in 21-50% of the patients in 21 (44%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This EP wire survey demonstrates a favourable implementation in OHCA of an invasive management strategy, including coronary angiography/PCI and implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy, while therapeutic hypothermia appears to be underused.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria and IRCAB Foundation, Udine, Italy. proclemer.alessandro@aoud.sanita.fvg.it
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Proclemer
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Dobreanu
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Pison
authors: Gregory Y H
authors: GY
authors: Lip
authors: Jesper Hastrup
authors: JH
authors: Svendsen
authors: Carina Blomström
authors: CB
authors: Lundqvist
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D019468:Disease Management; D005060:Europe; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015996:Survival Rate