Academic Journal
Does the initial description of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest given by callers contacting Emergency Medical Services contain key indicator words which can be used to support appropriate resource deployment?
| Τίτλος: | Does the initial description of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest given by callers contacting Emergency Medical Services contain key indicator words which can be used to support appropriate resource deployment? |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Zorab O; South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, United Kingdom; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Wellington, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ollie.zorab2@swast.nhs.uk., McMorran S; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Wellington, United Kingdom., Kirby K; South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, United Kingdom; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Wellington, United Kingdom; University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom., Cole A; South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, United Kingdom., Black S; South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, United Kingdom., Crouch R; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Wellington, United Kingdom; University of Southampton, United Kingdom. |
| Πηγή: | Resuscitation [Resuscitation] 2026 May; Vol. 222, pp. 111065. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 17. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier/north-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 0332173 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-1570 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03009572 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Resuscitation Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Limerick : Elsevier/north-Holland Biomedical Press Original Publication: London, Middlesex Pub. Co. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest*/therapy , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest*/mortality , Emergency Medical Services*/statistics & numerical data , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*/statistics & numerical data , Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems*, Electronic Health Records/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male |
| Περίληψη: | Aims: Dispatching resources to patients following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important task for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Whilst allocation of multiple resources to an OHCA may optimise a resuscitation attempt, this could delay responses for other patients within the community. This study aimed to analyse the initial description given by EMS callers to identify terms associated with a patient's clinical outcome. Methods: We completed a retrospective review of 37,532 OHCA electronic health records between 01/04/2020 and 31/03/2023 from a single English EMS. Unique identifiers linked call data with clinical records and outcome at 30 days. Patients who had resuscitation withheld and those who survived to 30 days were of particular interest. EMS callers' initial descriptions were analysed with single, double and triple word phrases studied. Results: Thirteen 'Lifeless' descriptors were identified which had stronger association with resuscitation being withheld; 56.6% of calls with these descriptors still received the highest level of EMS response. Four terms were identified that had a better association with survival to 30 days, these terms often described symptoms e.g. "chest pain" or" sweating". Chi-square analysis demonstrated significance (p < 0.001) for both subgroups. Conclusion: Analysis of information volunteered by an EMS caller may be able to predict clinical outcome, particularly for patients who have resuscitation withheld on EMS arrival. Current protocols may not consider this information and could result in high acuity responses for patients who are unlikely to survive. This study of unstructured call narratives should supplement existing practice to assist with resource deployment. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest Nil declared. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: EMS dispatch; Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA); Pre-hospital care |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260319 Date Completed: 20260711 Latest Revision: 20260711 |
| Update Code: | 20260711 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111065 |
| PMID: | 41856452 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-1570 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111065 |