• L Harvey and M Woollard.
• Pre-hospital Emergency Research Unit, University of Wales College of Medicine/Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, UK. Leighton@neath43.fsnet.co.uk <Leighton@neath43.fsnet.co.uk>
• Emerg Med J. 2004 May 1; 21 (3): 367-9.

ObjectiveCurrently, an emergency ambulance is dispatched to all cardiac arrest victims. This study aimed to determine the outcome of patients with a dispatch code of 09B01 ("obvious death") and considers the appropriateness of dispatching a non-emergency response.MethodsDispatch records, patient report forms, and hospital records were reviewed to determine patient outcome.ResultsWithin the one year study period 141 emergency calls were coded as 09B01. Records were obtained for 59 of these cases (42%). Ambulance crews diagnosed 54 as beyond resuscitation (91.5%, 95% CI 79.5% to 96.2%). Three received resuscitation attempts (5.1%, 95% CI 1.1% to 14.2%): two were subsequently pronounced dead at scene and one on arrival at hospital. Two patients were not in cardiac arrest (3.4%, 95% CI 0.4% to 11.7%): one was a transiently unconscious assault victim, and one had a hand injury after a road accident. Three patients coded as 09B01 were transported to hospital for treatment other than confirmation of death (5.1%, 95% CI 1.1% to 14.2%).ConclusionNot all patients coded 09B01 by dispatchers are assessed as "dead beyond resuscitation" by attending ambulance crews. Although poor data recovery and a small sample size limited the study, its findings suggest that it is inappropriate to allocate a non-emergency response to 09B01 (obvious death) calls.

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