|
KMID : 0191120210360360255
|
|
Journal of Korean Medical Science
2021 Volume.36 No. 36 p.255 ~ p.255
|
|
|
The Comparison of Emergency Medical Service Responses to and Outcomes of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Area of Korea
|
|
Lim Dae-Sung
Park Song-Yi
Choi Byung-Ho
Kim Sun-Hyu
Ryu Ji-Ho
Kim Yong-Hwan
Sung Ae-Jin
Bae Byung-Kwan
Kim Han-Byeol
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
Background: Since the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, COVID-19 has affected the responses of emergency medical service (EMS) systems to cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA in an area of South Korea.
Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of adult OHCA patients attended by EMS providers comparing the EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to those during the pre-COVID-19 period. Propensity score matching was used to compare the survival rates, and logistic regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the survival of OHCA patients.
Results: A total of 891 patients in the pre-COVID-19 group and 1,063 patients in the COVID-19 group were included in the final analysis. During the COVID-19 period, the EMS call time was shifted to a later time period (16:00?24:00, P < 0.001), and the presence of an initial shockable rhythm was increased (pre-COVID-19 vs. COVID-19, 7.97% vs. 11.95%, P = 0.004). The number of tracheal intubations decreased (5.27% vs. 1.22%, P < 0.001), and the use of mechanical chest compression devices (30.53% vs. 44.59%, P < 0.001) and EMS response time (median [quartile 1-quartile 3], 7 [5?10] vs. 8 [6?11], P < 0.001) increased. After propensity score matching, the survival at admission rate (22.52% vs. 18.24%, P = 0.025), survival to discharge rate (7.77% vs. 5.52%, P = 0.056), and favorable neurological outcome (5.97% vs. 3.49%, P < 0.001) decreased. In the propensity score matching analysis of the impact of COVID-19, odds ratios of 0.768 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.592?0.995) for survival at admission and 0.693 (95% CI, 0.446?1.077) for survival to discharge were found.
Conclusion: During the COVID-19 period, there were significant changes in the EMS responses to OHCA. These changes are considered to be partly due to social distancing measures. As a result, the proportion of patients with an initial shockable rhythm in the COVID-19 period was greater than that in the pre-COVID-19 period, but the final survival rate and favorable neurological outcome were lower.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Emergency Medical Services, Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest, COVID-19
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
    
|
|