It takes a system to save a life

Last month saw pre-hospital and emergency care professionals from around the globe gather for the first European Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Congress in Copenhagen. Opened by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, the 3-day event aimed to set new standards for research and treatment, as well as to establish an EMS Leadership Network in Europe, targeted at strengthening cross-national collaboration. Running under the theme of ‘It takes a system to save a life’, presentations emphasised the need for cooperation between the dispatch centre, ambulance services and the emergency departments for lives to be saved.

Denmark has made an impressive contribution to the field of resuscitation medicine. The congress was used as a platform to highlight the latest figures from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, which collects nationwide data relating to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. They revealed that in Denmark nearly one in four survive sudden cardiac arrest in public spaces. This is due, in part, because of the remarkable increase in the number of bystanders performing CPR before the arrival of EMS (19.4%–65.8% from 2001–2014). This is worth taking note, as approximately 1 in 8 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients survive if bystander CPR is initiated, compared to 1 in 30 when it is not. This provides a valid argument for implementing CPR training in schools, as well as illustrating how involvement of the community should be an integral part of any EMS.