Background— Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in children and young adults. This study determined the incidence, cause, and outcomes of cardiovascular-related out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in individuals <35 years of age. Methods and Results— A retrospective cohort of OHCA in children and young adults from 1980 through 2009 was identified from the King County (Washington) Division of Emergency Medical Services' Cardiac Arrest Database. Incidence was calculated from population census data and causes of arrest determined by review of autopsy reports and all available medical records. A total of 361 cases (26 cases 0–2 years of age, 30 cases 3–13 years of age, 60 cases 14–24 years of age, and 245 cases 25–35 years of age) of OHCA were treated by emergency medical services responders, for an overall incidence of 2.28 per 100 000 person-years (2.1 in those 0–2 years of age, 0.61 in those 3–13 years of age, 1.44 in those 14–24 years of age, and 4.40 in those 25–35 years of age). The most common causes of OHCA were congenital abnormalities in those 0 to 2 years of age (84.0%) and 3 to 13 years of age (21%), presumed primary arrhythmia in those 14 to 24 of age (23.5%), and coronary artery disease in those 25 to 35 years of age (42.9%). The overall survival rate was 26.9% (3.8% in those 0–2 years of age, 40.0% in those 3–13 years of age, 36.7% in those 14–24 years of age, and 27.8% in those 25–35 years of age). Survival increased throughout the study period from 13.0% in 1980 to 1989 to 40.2% in 2000 to 2009 ( P <0.001). Conclusions— The incidence of OHCA in children and young adults is higher than previously reported, and a more specific understanding of the causes should guide future prevention programs. Survival trends support contemporary resuscitation protocols for OHCA in the young.

Background-Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR), in which 9-1-1 dispatchers provide CPR instructions over the telephone, has been shown to nearly double the rate of bystander CPR. We sought to identify factors that hampered the identification of cardiac arrest by 9-1-1 dispatchers and prevented or delayed the provision of dispatcher-assisted CPR chest compressions. Methods and Results-We reviewed dispatch recordings for 476 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011. We found that the dispatcher correctly identified cardiac arrest in 80% of reviewed cases and 92% of cases in which they were able to assess patient consciousness and breathing. The median time to recognition of the arrest was 75 seconds. Chest compressions following dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions occurred in 62% of cases when the dispatcher had the opportunity to asses for consciousness and breathing and bystander CPR was not already started. The median time to first dispatcher-assisted CPR chest compression was 176 seconds. Conclusions-Dispatchers are able to accurately diagnose cardiac arrest over the telephone, but recognition is likely not possible in all circumstances. In some cases, recognition of cardiac arrest may be improved through training in the detection of agonal respirations. Delays in the delivery of dispatcher-assisted CPR chest compressions are common and are attributable to a mixture of dispatcher behavior and factors beyond the control of the dispatcher. Performance standards for the successful and quick recognition of cardiac arrest and delivery of first chest compressions should be adopted as metrics against which emergency medical services systems can measure their performance. Lewis et alTimeliness of Dispatcher-Assisted CPR 1523 CPR program in 1982. 11 Dispatchers undergo 32 hours of emergency medical training, with 6 hours dedicated to the recognition of cardiac arrest and delivery of CPR instructions over the telephone. Dispatchers receive 8 hours of continuing education each year and undergo regular performance evaluations to ensure that quality assurance standards are met. For the purposes of this study, we use the term dispatcher to refer to the person responsible for questioning and giving instructions to the 9-1-1 caller, although this term may not be used in all emergency response systems. In the 2 communications centers participating in this study, the dispatcher handles only 1 call at a time and stays on the line until the call is terminated.Dispatchers are trained to approach every call with a high index of suspicion for cardiac arrest and to assertively provide CPR instructions in cases of suspected arrest. After the incident address is confirmed, protocol dictates that dispatchers ask every caller 2 questions: "Is the patient conscious?" and "Is the patient breathing normally?" If the caller answers no to both questions, then the patient is presumed to be in cardiac arrest and CPR instructions are provided. The protocol allows dispatc...

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