title: Rationale, methodology, implementation, and first results of the French out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important public health issue with an estimated incidence of 50,000 cases per year in France. Community survival rates for OHCA are still low (approximately 5%). An effective, recognized way to study, assess, and improve OHCA care is to create a standard-format database.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this work is to present the French OHCA registry (RéAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  RéAC is a secure, web-based data management system that was initiated in 2009 and deployed nationally in June 2012. The main goal of this registry is to improve the care and survival rate of OHCA patients. The survey form is in compliance with the requirements of French organizations and is organized in accordance with the Utstein universal style. RéAC provides real-time statistical analyses and enables all French mobile emergency and resuscitation services (MERS) to assess and improve their professional OHCA care practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In June 2012, the RéAC was nationally opened for all French MERSs. In June 2013, 221 of a possible 320 MERS participated in the RéAC. A total of 15,944 OHCA have been collected (14,939 cases closed with follow-up monitoring). The current rate of inclusion is approximately 1,500 cases per month. Since August 2012, the inclusion rate has increased by 9.5% per month, while the participation rate has increased by 9% per month. The first results show that the population is mainly male (65.4%) and the mean age is 65 ± 19 years. On MERS arrival, 73.5% of the patients were in asystole. The rates of return of spontaneous circulation, survival to hospital admission, and 30-day survival are low (respectively 21.1%, 17.2%, 4.6%). Of those who survived 30 days, 84.0% had a good neurological recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RéAC registry is a reliable observation tool to improve public health management of OHCA. It provides relevant information to adapt or to develop diagnosis, treatments, and prognostic resources. Moreover, it enables the development of targeted awareness programs for the unique purpose of increasing the survival rates of OHCA patients.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hubert
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tazarourte
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wiel
authors.forename: Djamel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zitouni
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vilhelm
authors.forename: Joséphine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Escutnaire
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cassan
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Gueugniaud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015996:Survival Rate
keywords: epidemiology; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; practices assessment; public health; quality of care; registry