Characteristics of patients and details of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests treated by paramedics or technicians with help from various health professionals
| Technicians only | Paramedic only | Technicians and backup paramedic | Technicians and MP | Technicians and HP | Paramedics and MP | Paramedics and HP | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 520 | 551 | 146 | 56 | 97 | 70 | 107 | – |
| Median age (IQR) | 69 (61, 76) | 68 (59, 75) | 67 (55, 73) | 67 (58, 71) | 65 (57, 72) | 71 (61, 79) | 65 (57, 73) | 0.001 |
| Male | 400 (76.9) | 398 (72.2) | 110 (75.3) | 39 (69.6) | 79 (81.4) | 51 (72.9) | 89 (83.2) | 0.114 |
| Median Townsend index (IQR) | 1.5 (−1.0, 3.7) | 0.8 (−1.8, 3.7) | 2.8 (−0.8, 4.2) | 0.0 (−2.7, 2.5) | 1.7 (−0.6, 3.8) | 0.7 (−2.0, 2.6) | 1.2 (−0.4, 3.5) | 0.001 |
| Previous myocardial infarct | 241 (46.3) | 233 (42.3) | 66 (45.2) | 23 (41.1) | 46 (47.4) | 20 (28.6) | 50 (46.7) | 0.141 |
| Presenting rhythm VF | 192 (36.9) | 266 (48.3) | 90 (61.6) | 31 (55.4) | 50 (51.5) | 38 (54.3) | 61 (57.0) | < 0.001 |
| Presenting rhythm other | 264 (50.8) | 281 (51.0) | 56 (38.4) | 21 (37.5) | 40 (41.2) | 32 (45.7) | 46 (43.0) | 0.025 |
| Presenting rhythm unknown | 64 (12.3) | 4 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (7.1) | 7 (7.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | NA |
| Witnessed arrest | 307 (59.0) | 341 (61.9) | 99 (67.8) | 42 (75.0) | 65 (67.0) | 53 (75.7) | 80 (74.8) | 0.002 |
| Bystander CPR | 123 (23.7) | 154 (27.9) | 41 (28.1) | 40 (71.4) | 57 (58.8) | 47 (67.1) | 54 (50.5) | < 0.001 |
| Witnessed arrest by ambulance crew | 60 (11.5) | 56 (10.2) | 17 (11.6) | 5 (8.9) | 9 (9.3) | 6 (8.6) | 6 (5.6) | 0.654 |
| Cardiac arrest at home | 362 (69.6) | 398 (72.2) | 111 (76.0) | 36 (64.3) | 57 (58.8) | 56 (80.0) | 61 (57.0) | 0.001 |
Values are n (%) unless otherwise stated.
CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; HP, health professional; IQR, inter quartile range; MP, medical practitioner; VF, ventricular fibrillation.