The survival rate following a sports-related cardiac arrest (SrSCA) almost tripled over a recent 12-year period, due in large part to increased bystander use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), results of a new study from France suggest.
In an analysis of hospital data published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that more frequent basic life support implementation by bystanders, including a threefold increase in the rate of bystander CPR and an 18-fold increase in the rate of automated external defibrillator use, account for the improved outcome, with a survival rate at hospital discharge reaching 67% during the last 2-year study period.
