Outcome analysis of basic and advanced cardiac life support

Existing programs and operational plans for delivering basic and advanced cardiac life support are usually assumed to be of clear value and efficacy. In turn, failure to resuscitate a given cardiac arrest patient is often seen as a physiologic problem of that individual patient and not a failure of the system of care. Nevertheless, several large scale outcome analyses have recently revealed fairly bleak survival rates in many emergency cardiac care (ECC) systems generally thought to provide adequate service. As a result, researchers have now promulgated conceptual paradigms (e.g., the Chain of Survival metaphor) for analyzing the effectiveness of ECC systems, both in and outside of the hospital. Still, a closer and qualified understanding of each link in such chains (and the chain as a whole) is required to effectively evaluate weaknesses in the system, and, in turn, identify and provide systemic interventions for poor outcomes.