In Scotland, out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation attempts are made on approximately 3,000 people each year. It is estimated that around 80% of these occur at home, with 20% taking place in public spaces. Only around 1 in 20 of those on whom resuscitation is attempted will survive to hospital discharge.
Please see the video below for an introduction to Scotland’s Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest strategy:
Life after cardiac arrest
Who has an OHCA?
OHCAs are, for the most part, sudden and unexpected. In the video below, Dr Gareth Clegg discusses who is most liable to experience an OHCA:
See Additional Information for a more detailed representation of who has an OCHA.
There can sometimes be confusion over the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack. Although a person having a heart attack is at high risk of having a cardiac arrest, the two are not the same.
Please see the 2 videos below for an explanation of how the two differ:
What is a cardiac arrest?
What is a heart attack?
Pulse point
Scotland launched its Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy in 2015, aiming to improve outcomes after out of hospital cardiac arrest and to make Scotland an international leader in the management of OHCA by 2020.