Resuscitation
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Letter Meta Analysis
Suggestions for the focus of OHCA meta-analysis in the COVID-19 era.
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Fire and police first responders are often the first to arrive in medical emergencies and provide basic life support services until specialized personnel arrive. This study aims to evaluate rates of fire or police first responder-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use, as well as their associated impact on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes. ⋯ Fire or police first responders may be an underutilized, potentially powerful mechanism for improving OHCA survival. Future studies should investigate barriers and opportunities for increasing first responder interventions by these groups in OHCA.