911 dispatchers will focus on sudden cardiac arrest rescue

911 dispatchers will focus on sudden cardiac arrest rescue In the hope of rescuing patients who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest, Arizona health officials have adjusted the rescue plan for patients to call 911...

911 dispatchers will focus on sudden cardiac arrest rescue In the hope of rescuing patients with sudden cardiac arrest, Arizona health officials have adjusted the rescue plan for patients to call 911. Last year, the Arizona Department of Health Services launched new emergency call dispatch training to help identify signs of sudden cardiac arrest and new ways for bystanders to perform CPR. Ben Bobrow, director of the medical department's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems, said the program's latest step is an effort to improve survival rates for those suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. There are 380,000 sudden cardiac arrests nationwide each year, about 15 a day in Arizona, and nationwide, the survival rate is 5 to 8 percent. In 2004, states have implemented rescue programs and survival rates have improved, with Arizona's survival rate being 32%. With current efforts, the survival rate is expected to be even higher. New dispatcher training, including in-person training tutorials and online tutorials, emphasizes fewer facilities and targets more specific questions to quickly diagnose sudden cardiac arrest and motivate callers to help patients initiate CPR. The goal is to start resuscitation in less than a minute after the call comes in, Bobrow said. If a patient does not receive timely assistance, the chance of survival drops by 10% every minute. Since sudden cardiac arrest occurs most often in families, friends and family are key to keeping the patient alive. "The danger is not whether CPR is done correctly or that the patient doesn't need CPR. It's not doing anything," Bobrow said. Bystanders are asked to begin CPR to help the patient with chest compressions, replacing the traditional form: a mix of compressions, and rescue breathing. Bobro said the new program eliminates unnecessary problems and encourages people to break through the discomfort caused by traditional artificial respiration. "These are subtle little changes that can mean life or death," Bobrow said. Data is still being collected, but Bobrow estimates that many patients' lives have been saved by the new program. Some dispatch centers have reduced the time from call to resuscitation by 50%, which previously averaged two minutes. Lynn Wesker, a dispatcher with the Mesa Regional Dispatch Center, said that since the new system was implemented in November, the average time the center took from answering a call to starting a resuscitation dropped to one minute. Paying attention to chest compression is very timely care. In contrast to old cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chest compressions often have not yet begun when paramedics arrive. "The great thing about this new program is that we can do something to help, and in the first month of the program, Mesa saved eight lives before the ambulance crews arrived," said Lynn Wesker. Her center's goal is to save 75 percent of patients who suffer sudden cardiac arrest. Chris, who is with emergency dispatch for the Rural/Metro Fire Department, which includes communities in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Yuma counties, said that in the past three weeks, he has seen the program help triple first aid success rates. Jeff Nings, director of the Sedona Fire District's transportation center, said his department has been doing a similar phone-assisted CPR program for 20 years. He said that because of the set-up of the rural sector - which covers 11 communities in the Cui Feng Valley - such a program is very necessary and can save lives. This new rescue measure is not only part of the health department's ongoing efforts to reduce the number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest, but also a first-aid solution shared by Arizonans through registration and education. Because in 2004, the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest in Arizona was only 3%. The program is designed to encourage bystander response and standardize emergency response and residential treatment systems through advocacy and training. More than 900 lives have been saved through the Share program since 2004.