Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
The impact of direct pre-hospital conveyance of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and a shockable rhythm to a regional cardiac arrest centre
Authors' conclusion
Implementation of the BCIS conveyance algorithm improves 30-day survival and neurological outcomes in OHCA patients with initial shockable rhythms when transported directly to a CAC.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) across Essexmean age, 66.5 ± 13.7 years, 69% male
- Participants
- 850 patients
- Exposure
- Consecutive OHCA cases before and after algorithm implementation
- Standard Caren = 162
- BCIS Protocoln = 688
- Outcome
- 30-day all-cause mortality
- Follow-up
- 30-day
Methodological detailsbefore and after algorithm implementation, consecutive OHCA cases
- Before and after algorithm implementation
- Consecutive OHCA cases
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Initial shockable rhythm conveyance to CAC
Survival with favourable neurological status (CPC 1-2) (secondary outcome) · increased with algorithm implementation
P < 0.001
Patients with initial shockable rhythms (subgroup) · improvements most evident
P = 0.001
Non-shockable rhythms (subgroup) · no difference observed
P = 0.81
- Initial shockable rhythm conveyance to cardiac arrest centre (CAC) — absolute increase in the proportion of patients with an initial shockable rhythm being transported directly to CAC
- 40%
- Initial shockable rhythm conveyance to CAC: Initial shockable rhythm conveyance adherence to CAC was seen in 84% cases
Original publication
The impact of direct pre-hospital conveyance of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and a shockable rhythm to a regional cardiac arrest centre. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 15 April 2026. doi:10.
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