Question

4. Discuss how a community CPR program can benefit an EMS system, the general public, and EMS providers.

Answer 1

Outside hospital cardiac arrest is our most time-sensitive emergency condition—the likelihood of survival falls by an estimated 5–10% per minute in the absence of CPR. This, coupled with the preponderance of events occurring in the home and EMS response times (collapse to first defibrillator shock) frequently exceeding 10 minutes due to traffic, contributes to the dismal outcomes. However, we know a synchronized system of care implemented with continuous quality improvement measures works.

High-performance CPR—the provision of minimally interrupted chest compressions with the correct target rate, depth and chest wall release, coordinated with the correct rate, timing and tidal volume of ventilations, synchronized with defibrillation attempts— requires substantial psychomotor skill, training and teamwork. High-performance CPR strongly impacts outcomes but isn’t uniformly provided during resuscitations, and this is one of the main reasons for the large disparities in outcomes between communities.

The best CPR will have little impact on survival if there’s no bystander CPR provided prior to EMS arrival. Bystander CPR can more than double the chance of OHCA survival and good functional outcome, yet on average only about 40% of patients receive this care in the U.S. Public CPR training will continue to save many lives, but panic often prevents even CPR-trained lay rescuers from acting in an emergency. CPR program in community is very effective in order to provide fast action. General public shouldbe informed about the steps of CPR and also made the availablility of emails fast.