This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related articles  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Pacemakers/ Defibrillators  • Medical Practice, Other  • Critical Care/ Intensive Care Medicine  • Adult Critical Care  • Public Health, Other  • Prognosis/ Outcomes  • Arrhythmias  • Cardiovascular Disease/ Myocardial Infarction  • Emergency Medicine  • Cardiovascular Intervention  • Alert me on articles by topic

Location, Location, Location

Arthur B. Sanders, MD; Karl B. Kern, MD

JAMA. 2008;300(12):1462-1463.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a devastating syndrome that has a dismal prognosis in many communities.^1-2 However, the magnitude of the problem in the United States and Canada is such that even small improvements in survival translate into thousands of lives saved. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a major public health issue, prompting the American Heart Association to suggest that it be designated a reportable disease.³

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is primarily a systems problem of local communities. It is important that clinicians advocate in their communities to establish an optimal response and treatment system for patients to have a reasonable chance of resuscitation. Survival is generally a reflection of the emergency medical services (EMS) and acute care hospital systems implementing the "chain of survival," including access to EMS, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, early defibrillation programs, early advanced life support, and optimal hospital . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Departments of Emergency Medicine (Dr Sanders) and Internal Medicine (Dr Kern), Sarver Heart Center, University of Arizona, Tucson.

RELATED ARTICLES

Regional Variation in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Outcome
Graham Nichol, Elizabeth Thomas, Clifton W. Callaway, Jerris Hedges, Judy L. Powell, Tom P. Aufderheide, Tom Rea, Robert Lowe, Todd Brown, John Dreyer, Dan Davis, Ahamed Idris, and Ian Stiell
JAMA. 2008;300(12):1423-1431.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prehospital Termination of Resuscitation in Cases of Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Comilla Sasson, A. J. Hegg, Michelle Macy, Allison Park, Arthur Kellermann, Bryan McNally, and for the CARES Surveillance Group
JAMA. 2008;300(12):1432-1438.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Two Rules for Stopping Resuscitation in the Field
JWatch Emergency Med. 2008;2008:2-2.
FULL TEXT  

Regional Variation in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Survival
JWatch Emergency Med. 2008;2008:4-4.
FULL TEXT