Resuscitation
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Observational Study
Warning symptoms preceding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Do patient delays matter?
Although increasing patient delays between symptom onset and activation of emergency medical services (EMS) can lead to poorer outcomes following acute myocardial infarction, its effect in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) populations is unclear. ⋯ Increasing delays in activating EMS before the onset OHCA may be associated with reduced survival. Future research could explore whether increasing public awareness of the warning symptoms leads to earlier medical contact for OHCA.