A comparison of survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Sydney, Australia, between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether survival following out-of- hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Sydney, Australia, improved between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010, and whether there was a change in incidence of OHCA.


METHODS
Retrospective study using the Ambulance Service of New South Wales and NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages databases.


METHODS
All patients who had an OHCA in the Sydney metropolitan area and who used the Ambulance Service of NSW between June 2009 and May 2010 (2009-2010), and between June 2004 and May 2005 (2004-2005).


METHODS
Survival to 90 days. Other outcome measures included the incidence of OHCA and survival to the day following OHCA, 28 days and 1 year following OHCA. Survival and incidence were also calculated according to initial electrocardiograph rhythm.


RESULTS
Survival to 90 days was 12.3% in 2004-2005 and 10.2% in 2009-2010 (P = 0.015). In 2004-2005, the age standardised incidence of OHCA was 52.6 events per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 51.6-53.6 events per 100 000 person-years), and in 2009-2010 it was 48.4 events per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 46.3-50.4 events per 100 000 person-years). In 2004-2005, the incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) was 31.3% (95% CI, 28.4%- 33.9%) and in 2009-2010 it was 22.1% (95% CI, 20.0%- 24.3%).


CONCLUSIONS
There was no improvement in survival following OHCA in Sydney between 2004-2005 and 2009- 2010. There has been a decrease in overall survival from OHCA and a decrease in the overall age-standardised incidence of OHCA. The decrease in overall survival may be due to a decline in the incidence of VF.
Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. winston.cheung@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
Winston
W
Cheung
Paul
P
Middleton
Suzanne
S
Davies
Srikanth
S
Tummala
Govindasamy
G
Thanakrishnan
Janice
J
Gullick
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult