On the Present State of the Problem of Prehospital Care in Cardiac Arrest in the Russian Federation

Abstract

According to the international data, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) constitutes a serious global-scale problem that demands continuous and heightened attention of the public health authorities. While this problem generally remains underinvestigated in Russia, some domestic studies suggest a high OHCA incidence and a low probability of survival of OHCA victims. In order to reasonably choose strategies to decrease mortality in OHCA, a clear understanding of the present epidemiological situation and the specifics of performance of the existing prehospital care system is required. This article presents a generalised analysis of the scientific evidence on the problem of OHCA in Russia. In particular, the paper discusses epidemiological features of OHCA in the general population, characteristics of efficiency of prehospital care in OHCA, defects in organisation of first aid and emergency medical care provision in cardiac arrest, and reveals key factors which are responsible for the high mortality in OHCA. Results of the analysis may be utilised by healthcare authorities when planning organisational measures aimed at increasing efficiency of the prehospital care in OHCA and decreasing mortality of the population in the Russian Federation.