Association between multiple‐ambulance dispatches and clinical outcomes for patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests
Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2026-06-01 · Observational study
Abstract
Abstract Background Out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) are an important global health burden, and risk factors for patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized OHCAs have not yet been well investigated. Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between multiple‐ambulance dispatches and clinical outcomes in patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized OHCAs. Methods A retrospective cross‐sectional observational study was conducted using the nationwide emergency medical services (EMS)‐based OHCA registry in South Korea from January 2016 to December 2021. Adult patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized OHCAs who were treated and transported by EMS were included. The main exposure was multiple‐ambulance dispatch, and the primary outcome was good neurological recovery, measured by cerebral performance category 1 or 2. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results A total of 13,526 patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized OHCAs were included. A total of 5339 (39.5%) patients had a multiple‐ambulance dispatch, and 8187 (60.5%) patients had a single‐ambulance dispatch. A total of 400 (7.0%) patients in the multiple‐ambulance dispatch group and 476 (6.1%) in the single‐ambulance dispatch group achieved good neurological recovery. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients that had a multiple‐ambulance dispatch were associated with lower odds of good neurological recovery (aOR 0.70, 95% CI, 0.58–0.84) than patients that had a single‐ambulance dispatch. Conclusion Patients with dispatcher‐unrecognized OHCAs that had a multiple‐ambulance dispatch were associated with grave neurological outcomes. This finding should be considered when promoting the EMS dispatch protocol for patients with OHCA.
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Tags
Dispatchers & call takers · Mortality & survival · Quality of life & function · Time intervals
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