A comparison between sudden cardiac arrest on military bases and non-military settings

Aditya C Shekhar; Manu Madhok; Teri Campbell; Ira J Blumen; Richard M Lyon; N Clay Mann

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2022.12.014

A comparison between sudden cardiac arrest on military bases and non-military settings

Am J Emerg Med. 2023 Mar:65:84-86. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2022.12.014. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Authors

Aditya C Shekhar¹, Manu Madhok², Teri Campbell³, Ira J Blumen⁴, Richard M Lyon⁵, N Clay Mann⁶

Affiliations

¹ The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America. Electronic address: shekhar.aditya.c@gmail.com.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America.
³ University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN), Chicago, IL, United States of America.
⁴ University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN), Chicago, IL, United States of America; Section of Emergency Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
⁵ Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, UK; School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America.

PMID: 36592565
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2022.12.014

Abstract

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in both non-military/civilian and military populations. Early CPR and AED use have been linked with improved outcomes. There is public health interest in identifying communities with high rates of both with the hopes of creating generalizable tactics for improving cardiac arrest survival.

Methods: We examined a national registry of EMS activations in the United States (NEMSIS). Inclusion criteria were witnessed cardiac arrests from January 2020 to September 2022 where EMS providers documented the location of the arrest, whether CPR was provided prior to their arrival (yes/no), and whether an AED was applied prior to their arrival (yes/no). Cardiac arrests were then classified as occurring on a military base or in a non-military setting.

Results: A total of 60 witnessed cardiac arrests on military bases and 202,605 witnessed cardiac arrests in non-military settings met inclusion criteria. Importantly, the prevalence of CPR and AED use prior to EMS arrival was significantly higher on military bases compared to non-military settings.

Conclusions: Reasons for the trends we observed may be a greater availability of CPR-trained individuals and AEDs on military bases, as well as a widespread willingness to provide aid to victims of cardiac arrest. Further research should examine cardiac arrests on military bases.

Keywords: Automated external defibrillation; Bystander CPR; Cardiac arrest; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Military bases.

MeSH terms

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*
Death, Sudden, Cardiac
Emergency Medical Services*
Humans
Military Facilities
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest*