Resuscitation
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Cardiac arrest recognition, ambulance dispatch and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) by emergency medical dispatch (EMD) are crucial for an optimal outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In EMD, crowding is caused by a mismatch between the number of emergency calls and the number of dispatchers available per shift. Crowding in the emergency department has been shown to decrease performance and outcomes; however, little is known about the effect of crowding in EMD. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of crowding in the EMD and the effect of emergency call crowding on dispatcher-assisted CPR instruction performance in OHCA calls. ⋯ Crowding in emergency medicine dispatch caused by increased hourly call volume was associated with delayed dispatcher-assisted CPR instruction provision. Medical directors might consider a strategic approach to addressing crowding in EMD according to the crowding distribution.
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Editorial Comment
Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: More common than we thought?