Background: Despite the introduction of the concept known as "Chain of Survival" has significantly increased survival rates in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), short-term mortality in this group of patients is still very high. Epidemiological data on OHCA in Poland are limited. The aim of this study was to create a prospective registry on OHCA covering a population of 2.7 million inhabitants of Upper Silesia in Poland. Presented herein is the study design and results of a 3-month pilot study.
Methods: The Silesian Registry of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (SIL-OHCA) is a prospective, population-based registry of OHCA, of minimum duration which was planned for 12 months; from January 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2018. The first 3 months of the study constituted the pilot phase. The inclusion criterion is the occurrence of OHCA in the course of activity of the Voivodeship Rescue Service in Katowice, Poland.
Results: During the 3-month pilot phase of the study there were 390 cases of OHCA in which cardiopulmonary resuscitation was undertaken. Estimated frequency of OHCA in the population analyzed was 57 per 100,000 population per year. Shockable rhythm was present in 25.8% of cases. Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 35.1% of the whole cohort. 28.7% of patients were admitted to the hospital, including 2.8% of patients, who were admitted during an ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Conclusions: Prehospital survival of patients with OHCA in Poland is still unsatisfactory. It is believed that data collected in SIL-OHCA registry will allow identification factors, which require improvement in order to reduce short- and long-term mortality of patients with OHCA.
Keywords: cardiopulmonary resuscitation; emergency medical services; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; registry.