A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of the pandemic on dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation
, 2, 13, 4, 5, 6, 7, 89, 21011, 13
Abstract
Introduction: The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and effectiveness of dispatcher-assisted
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) in the context of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA)
remains an area of ambiguity and requires further elucidation. The study aims to conduct a systematic
review and meta-analysis of the DA-CPR among pre- vs. during COVID-19 periods.
Material and methods: This search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. A systematic review of the current literature
was performed to identify articles that evaluated the impact of the pandemic on DA-CPR. English-language
literature was searched up to December 11, 2023, in three databases, including MEDLINE (via PubMed),
Embase, and the Cochrane Library.
Results: Six studies with 605,354 patients (431,308 patients with OHCA from before the pandemic period
and 174,046 OHCA patients from the COVID-19 pandemic period) were included. Pooled analysis
showed that DA-CPR before and during the COVID-19 period varied and amounted to 61.4% vs. 62.4%,
respectively (OR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.90 to 0.99; p = 0.02). Moreover, dispatchers recognized cardiac arrest
by phone in 61.8% of cases in the pre-pandemic period as well as in the pandemic period (OR = 0.98;
95%CI: 0.95 to 1.01; p = 0.17).
Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest the resilience and adaptability of emergency
response systems in maintaining DA-CPR effectiveness despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Keywords: dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitationDA-CPRout-of-hospital cardiac arrestCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2
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