INTRODUCTION Early use of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) may improve survival outcomes. Current evidence for such devices uses outcomes from an intention-to-treat (ITT) perspective. We aimed to determine whether early use of mechanical CPR using a LUCAS 2 device results in better outcomes.METHODS A prospective, randomised, multicentre study was conducted over one year with LUCAS 2 devices in 14 ambulances and manual CPR in 32 ambulances to manage OHCA. The primary outcome was return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Secondary outcomes were survival at 24 hours, discharge from hospital and 30 days. CONCLUSION This study showed a survival benefi t with LUCAS CPR as compared to manual CPR only, when the device was applied early on-site. RESULTS

The role of the dispatch centre has increasingly become a focus of attention in cardiac arrest resuscitation.The dispatch centre is part of the fi rst link in the chain of survival because without the initiation of early access, the rest of the chain is irrelevant. The infl uence of dispatch can also extend to the initiation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, early defi brillation and the rapid dispatch of emergency ambulances. The new International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, the American Heart Association and, especially, the European Resuscitation Council 2015 guidelines have been increasing their emphasis on dispatch as the key to improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.

Therapeutic temperature management (TTM) was strongly recommended by the 2015 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation as a component of post-resuscitation care. It has been known to be effective in improving the survival rate and neurologic functional outcome of patients after cardiac arrest. In an effort to increase local adoption of TTM as a standard of post-resuscitation care, this paper discusses and makes recommendations on the treatment for local providers.

Public access defibrillation PAD is another key intervention to improve the time to defi brillation for shockable rhythms in OHCA, through increasing the availability of automated external defi brillators (AEDs) in public places. Patients with shockable rhythms who received bystander defibrillation had 5.8 times the odds of survival compared to those who did not. Emergency ambulance response Prehospital emergency medical services should optimise the rapid dispatch of fi rst-responders who are trained in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and AED use, as well as paramedics trained in advanced life support protocols, to the scene within eight minutes. This can be achieved through strategic preplacement of ambulances and related vehicular assets, as well as stratifi ed levels of responses for calls of different priority levels.Survival in OHCA is critically dependent on prompt institution of the fi rst three links of the chain of survival. Prehospital factors, including witnessed arrests, initial shockable rhythms, bystander defi brillation and emergency ambulance response times within eight minutes of collapse, have been ABSTRACT The main areas of emphasis in the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines are: early recognition of cardiac arrest and call for help; good-quality chest compressions; early defi brillation when applicable; early administration of drugs; appropriate airway management ensuring normoventilation; and delivery of appropriate post-resuscitation care to enhance survival. Of note, it is important to monitor the quality of the various care procedures. The resuscitation team needs to reduce unnecessary interruptions to chest compressions in order to maintain adequate coronary perfusion pressure during the ACLS drill. In addition, the team needs to continually look out for reversible causes of the cardiac arrest.

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