Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
Community first-responders in cardiac arrest. Effect on survival? A comprehensive Danish study of 29,445 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests
Authors' conclusion
In OHCA, basic life support initiated by bystanders was associated with a survival rate more than twice that of OHCA patients whose first resuscitation was provided by community first-responders or ambulance personnel.
Study context
- Population
- Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) cases in Denmark, 2018 through 202321,413 analysed
- Participants
- 29,445 cases
- Exposure
- Initial resuscitation by on-scene bystanders or community first-responders vs emergency medical service (EMS) personnel
- Bystandersn = 12,613
- Community first-respondersn = 2,155
- EMS personneln = 6,140reference
- Outcome
- Survival
- Follow-up
- 30 days and 365 days
Methodological detailsnationwide, manual review of prehospital medical records
- Nationwide
- Manual review of prehospital medical records
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
30-day and 365-day survival
Odds ratio
2.42
30-day survival
Odds ratio
2.51
365-day survival
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Community first-responders in cardiac arrest. Effect on survival? A comprehensive Danish study of 29,445 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Resuscitation. Published 5 March 2026. doi:10.
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