TY - JOUR
T1 - Physician experience in addition to ACLS training does not significantly affect the outcome of prehospital cardiac arrest
AU - Bjornsson, Hjalti Mar
AU - Marelsson, Sigurdur
AU - Magnusson, Vidar
AU - Sigurdsson, Gardar
AU - Thorgeirsson, Gestur
PY - 2011/4/1
Y1 - 2011/4/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Little data exists on whether the physicians' skills in responding to cardiac arrest are fully developed after the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) course, or if there is a significant improvement in their performance after an initial learning curve. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of physician experience on the results of prehospital cardiac arrests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective data were collected on all prehospital resuscitative attempts in the area by ACLS-trained ambulance physicians. RESULTS: Of 232 attempted cardiac resuscitations, 96 (41%) patients survived to hospital admission and 44 (19%) were discharged alive. A group of 39 physicians responded to from one up to 29 cases with a mean of four cases. Physicians responding to five or fewer cases had a trend to fewer patients surviving to admission compared with those responding to six or more (36 vs. 45%, P=0.31) but no difference was found on survival to discharge (19 vs. 20%, P=0.87). CONCLUSION: In this study, resuscitative experience of the physician did not have a significant effect on survival suggesting that experience does not significantly add to the current ACLS training in responding to ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia. More studies are needed.
AB - BACKGROUND: Little data exists on whether the physicians' skills in responding to cardiac arrest are fully developed after the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) course, or if there is a significant improvement in their performance after an initial learning curve. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of physician experience on the results of prehospital cardiac arrests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective data were collected on all prehospital resuscitative attempts in the area by ACLS-trained ambulance physicians. RESULTS: Of 232 attempted cardiac resuscitations, 96 (41%) patients survived to hospital admission and 44 (19%) were discharged alive. A group of 39 physicians responded to from one up to 29 cases with a mean of four cases. Physicians responding to five or fewer cases had a trend to fewer patients surviving to admission compared with those responding to six or more (36 vs. 45%, P=0.31) but no difference was found on survival to discharge (19 vs. 20%, P=0.87). CONCLUSION: In this study, resuscitative experience of the physician did not have a significant effect on survival suggesting that experience does not significantly add to the current ACLS training in responding to ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia. More studies are needed.
KW - advanced life support
KW - cardiac arrest
KW - education
KW - emergency medical services
KW - return of spontaneous circulation
KW - training
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U2 - 10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32833c6642
DO - 10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32833c6642
M3 - Article
C2 - 20571408
AN - SCOPUS:79953095282
SN - 0969-9546
VL - 18
SP - 64
EP - 67
JO - European Journal of Emergency Medicine
JF - European Journal of Emergency Medicine
IS - 2
ER -