Exploring and improving resuscitation decisions in out of hospital cardiac arrest

NHS Ambulance services treat approximately 30,000 cases of cardiac arrest annually. Paramedics terminate resuscitation in approximately 10,000 patients and transport 20,000 patients to hospital. Recent evidence has raised concerns that the current national guidelines which allow termination of resuscitation are no longer fit for purpose

This means that resuscitation may be stopped prematurely for some patients. For others, unnecessary, high-risk transfers to hospital are undertaken with ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) despite negligible chances of survival. Concerns about the current guidelines has led to regional amendments to national guidelines which is creating variation and inconsistency between ambulance services.

This study aims to model the effects and cost-effectiveness of alternative termination of resuscitation rules on both transport rates and survival to hospital discharge.