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We are the only emergency ambulance service in greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, and the only ones in the country who are free.
We are the only emergency ambulance service in greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, and the only ones in the country who are free.
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Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Report 2022 - 2023
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Report 2022 - 2023
06 March 2024
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Report 2022 - 2023
Cardiac arrest remains a considerable public health issue, with ischaemic heart disease being the second most prevalent cause of death in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2022 – 2023, Wellington Free Ambulance treated 258 people for a cardiac arrest that happened outside a hospital.
Around the world, survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) range from less than 6% to greater than 50%. Benchmarking survival from OHCA is a key measure of the clinical quality of an Emergency Ambulance Service like Wellington Free Ambulance and is essential to making improvements in OHCA survival.
That’s why we and Hato Hone St John (HHSJ) contribute to the annual 2022/2023 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Registry. This national report presents information on all OHCA events attended by HHSJ and Wellington Free Ambulance between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.
Why the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Registry is important
The purpose of the report is to identify survival rates of OHCA and benchmark internationally to help identify and address any possible improvements to clinical care. Read the national combined service report.
The report also benchmarks bystander CPR and the use of an AED prior to the arrival of an ambulance and patients’ survival to 30 days after the event.
As well as the national report that includes data from both Emergency Ambulance services in Aotearoa, a separate Wellington Free Ambulance report is available that focuses specifically on OHCA in our region – have a read.
The impact of The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat programme
The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat programme has a significant impact in our community, training people how to respond in a sudden cardiac arrest. Each year over 5,000 people across our region learn lifesaving CPR skills and how to use an AED – because as this research demonstrates, these combined greatly impact a person’s chance of survival.
Our region has over 520 AEDs installed and maintained by Wellington Free. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of Julie Nevett and The Lloyd Morrison Foundation, all Heartbeat CPR training is freely available, and all community AEDs are maintained free of charge.
The research in this report tells us that the use of a community AED prior to the arrival of an Emergency Ambulance Service more than doubles (54% increase) survival at the time of the event and significantly contributes to the 30-day survival (41%).
Last year alone, 105 AEDs were installed across the Wellington Free region: 85 are community AEDs, accessible 24/7 and maintained free of charge thanks to Julie Nevett and The Lloyd Morrison Foundation.
From a Wellington Free Ambulance perspective – benchmarking over the past five years:
- The number of people receiving bystander CPR is the highest in five years at 78%.
- The use of an AED by a community responder remains consistent at 7% when compared to 21/22 and higher than the three years previous.
- The return of spontaneous circulation (or the restart of a sustained heart rhythm) on arrival to hospital has increased from 26% in 21/22 to 27% in 22/23.
- The number of patients surviving to 30 days after a cardiac arrest has increased from 10% in 21/22 to 14% in 22/23.