Dispatcher-Directed CPR: An All-Ages Strategy to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival

O ut-of-hospital cardiac arrest is often an unexpected andtragic event. One minute a person is an active participant and the next they are lifeless. Such an event is especially unsettling when it occurs in a young person. There are precious few minutes to restore life following arrest. The circumstances require a coordinated, time-sensitive response that delivers cardiopulmonary support via “CPR”.1 CPR has traditionally included chest compressions alternating with rescue breathing. More recently, evidence from randomized trials has indicated that chest compression alone—“hands-only CPR”—performed by laypersons can provide survival benefit similar to that of conventional CPR among adults who suffer witnessed arrest.2,3 Given the time-sensitive nature of resuscitation, the best chances of survival occur when treatment can be delivered soon after arrest. As a consequence, the goal is to start CP