[Systems saving lives: a systems-based approach to cardiac arrest management].
Orvosi Hetilap · 2026-07-26 · Guideline / consensus
Abstract
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a major public health challenge worldwide, with survival largely determined by the timeliness, quality, and organization of care. The 2025 Systems saving lives guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) emphasize that meaningful improvements in outcomes depend not on isolated interventions but on the coordinated functioning of the entire system of care. This paper, representing the position of the Hungarian Resuscitation Society, summarizes the key elements of the guideline. The recommendations focus on the concepts of the chain of survival and the formula of survival, highlighting the combined importance of scientific evidence, effective education, and local implementation. Increasing community awareness, strengthening advocacy, initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation education at an early age, and engaging trained lay responders are essential to ensure early intervention. Organizational aspects of emergency care - particularly dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, optimization of automated external defibrillator accessibility, and the availability of adequately trained emergency medical teams - further enhance system performance. In-hospital rapid response systems, cardiac arrest centers, and structured follow-up of survivors and their families play a key role in improving long-term outcomes and quality of life. Emerging technologies, including digital tools and artificial intelligence, offer promising opportunities to support early recognition, high-quality resuscitation, and education, although their implementation requires further evaluation and appropriate legal and ethical frameworks. Adopting a comprehensive, system-based approach is essential to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes and to develop sustainable, effective life-saving systems at the national level. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(30): 1175-1185.
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Tags
Automated external defibrillator · Bystanders
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