Survival chances after cardiac arrest in Vienna have increased by ten percentage points over the past 15 years. A new study by Vienna’s professional emergency medical service, in collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna and published in the journal medRxiv, documents this rise. Rapid response by first responders, increased use of defibrillators, and professional resuscitation by the emergency service are cited as key factors.
The ten‑point increase refers to out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrests treated with resuscitation in patients who had a favorable initial condition. The study compared data from 2009–2010 with data from 2019–2023. “For the current analysis, data from almost 7,500 patients were used. These anonymized records are centrally collected and evaluated in the Vienna Cardiac Arrest Registry (VICAR),” explained Dr. Sebastian Schnaubelt, senior physician at Vienna’s emergency service. Since 2008, this registry has recorded pre‑hospital measures for cardiac arrest in Vienna for research and quality assurance.
First responders and defibrillators drive improvement
“This jump from 29 to 39 percent shows how well the rescue chain—from lay rescuers and available defibrillators to professional care and rapid hospital treatment—works,” said Rainer Gottwald, head of Vienna’s professional emergency service.
“First responders played a particularly valuable role. In 34 percent of cases they began chest compressions immediately, activating the rescue chain without delay,” said study leader Dr. Schnaubelt. Early use of public access defibrillators also proved crucial. Through Vienna’s dispatch center, police, fire brigade, and trained volunteers are alerted via a mobile app. Professional resuscitation by the emergency service restored spontaneous circulation in 25 percent of treated patients.
More patients leave hospital with good neurological outcomes
The proportion of patients discharged from hospital in good neurological condition rose from 25 to 30 percent over the same period. “Only a rapid, seamless rescue chain enables advanced in‑hospital therapies, such as specialized catheter interventions,” noted Prof. Alexander Niessner of the Cardiology Department at Klinik Landstraße.
