Importance of “telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation” in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in India

Abstract

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major cause of mortality in developing countries such as India. Most cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital and are associated with poor survival rates due to delay in recognition and in performing early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Community CPR training and telephone CPR (T-CPR) in the dispatch centers have been shown to increase bystander CPR rates and survival. Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify the significance of T-CPR in OHCA and to discuss its implementation in the health system to improve OHCA outcomes in India. Materials and Methods: A descriptive research study methodology was adopted following a literature search. Results: The search criterion “Cardiovascular diseases” resulted in 162, “Out-side hospital cardiac arrest” in 50; For a comprehensive overview, these publications were evaluated looking for data on T-CPR incidence, criteria for detecting OHCA by emergency medical dispatchers, sensitivity and specificity, and BCPR. Conclusion: This current research stresses the scale and seriousness of the implementation of T-CPR in OHCA in India.

Keywords

• bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• dispatcher-assisted instructions
• out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• prehospital care
• telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation