Evaluating Survival Data

The Utstein Guidelines provide useful templates for measurement of key aspects of resuscitation care and outcome.14

The appendix contains 3 templates in the Utstein style for the reporting of annual SCA statistics, which can be completed on an annual basis to calculate a baseline survival rate and which can then be used to compare survival rates for subsequent years.

In addition to using the Utstein template to help determine survival rates, systems can perform the calculations described in CALCULATING ANNUAL SYSTEM STATISTICS to obtain additional information pertinent to the care of SCA victims.

Calculating Annual System Statistics from Registry Data

  1. Total Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Incidence (#/100,000)
    1. (Cases per 100,000 population)
  2. Population of the area served by the EMS system (#)
    1. (To enable incidence calculation)
  3. Total (all cases) OHCA Survival to Hospital Discharge (%)
  4. Presumed OHCA etiology (%)
    1. (% cardiac, % trauma, % respiratory, % drowning, % electrocution, % other)
  5. VF Incidence (#/100,000)
    1. (VF cases per 100,000 population)
  6. VF Survival to Hospital Discharge (%)
    1. (# VF survivors/# cases presenting in VF)
  7. CPR response (%)
    1. (Bystander, Family member, Fire/Police, EMS, medical provider, other)
  8. AED used (%)
    1. (Yes, No, Present but not used, AED malfunctioned) (%)
  9. ROSC in the pre-hospital setting (time, %)
    1. (Time ROSC began or No ROSC) ROSC upon Hospital Arrival (%)
  10. EMS Induced Hypothermia (Yes, No) (%)
    1. (Number of patients eligible for the pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia (TH) therapy divided by the number of patients who received pre-hospital TH).
    2. Definition: Pre-hospital TH eligible patients are those who have achieved sustained ROSC but who remain unconscious in the pre-hospital setting.
  11. Hospital induced hypothermia (Yes, No) (%)
    1. (Number of patients eligible for in-hospital TH therapy divided by number receiving in-hospital TH) In-hospital eligible patients = those remaining unconscious but who have achieved ROSC and do not have contraindications to TH therapy).
  12. Overall Cerebral Performance Category score of 1-2 (%)

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