Original scientific paper
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in a rural setting: analysis of resuscitation outcomes in Delnice
Sandra Majnarić
Kata Ivanišević
orcid.org/0000-0001-5830-2640
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim: The aim of the research was to analyze the successof cardiopulmonary resuscitation after out-of-hospitalcardiac arrest in a rural area.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis wasconducted using data from the standardized Utstein form at the Emergency Medical Services Department of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County – Delnice Branch, for the period from 2018 to 2022. The analyzed data included patient age and sex, emergency medical services response time, cause of cardiac arrest, presence of bystanders, provision of layperson-performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation,initial cardiac rhythm, and resuscitation outcome.Results: During the period from 2018 to 2022, a total of215 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were recorded. The majority of patients were male (n = 136, 63%), with amedian age of 74.5 years (from 34.5 to 94.5), and the most prevalent age group was 80–89 years. The most common cause of cardiac arrest was of cardiogenic origin (n = 186, 86%). The average response time of the emergency medical services team to the intervention site was 17 minutes. In most cases (n = 94, 53%) of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, no bystanders were present, while layperson-performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation was carried out in 27 (13%) of the interventions. The most common initial rhythm was asystole (n = 123, 84%). Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 5 (9%) of the cases in which resuscitation was initiated. Conclusion: The results indicate a low proportion of witnessed cardiac arrests, infrequent performance of layperson cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and a high prevalence of non-shockable rhythms, all of which negatively impact the outcome of resuscitation. The geographical and demographic characteristics of the area, as well as prolonged emergency medical services response times, further complicate the outcomes of interventions. The results point to the need for improved public education and further resea
Keywords
out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; layperson cardiopul-monary resuscitation; rural area; emergency medical services
Hrčak ID:
343558
URI
Publication date:
21.1.2026.
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