Research Paper by 119 Paramedics Published in Prestigious International Medical Journal

Need to Expand CPR Training Based on Study of Cardiac Arrest Patients in Nursing Homes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced on the 7th that a research paper with an emergency medical technician from its affiliated ambulance team as the first author was published in the latest issue (March 15) of AJEM (American Journal Of Emergency Medicine), a world-renowned journal in the field of emergency medicine. AJEM is a top-tier journal in emergency medicine and is indexed in the international SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded).

The published paper is a study on "Type of bystander and rate of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in nursing home patients suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest," addressing emergency treatment for cardiac arrest patients occurring in nursing homes.

This study investigated 8,281 cardiac arrest patients who experienced cardiac arrest in nursing homes from 2013 to 2018, examining the rate of bystander CPR according to the type of discoverer and the survival outcomes of the cardiac arrest patients.

The study found that cardiac arrest patients in nursing homes were more often witnessed by non-medical personnel (such as staff) than by medical personnel. Accordingly, the paper suggested the need to increase the use of automated external defibrillators and expand CPR education for non-medical personnel to improve the survival rate of nursing home cardiac arrest patients.

Fire Chief Lee Seung-hyo, who conducted the research, was appointed as a firefighter in 2008 and worked as an on-site emergency medical technician. Since 2018, he has served as an emergency medical instructor at the Central Fire Academy of the National Fire Agency, developing expertise in the emergency medical field for over 10 years.

Since last year, through personnel exchanges between the National Fire Agency and Seoul National University Hospital, he has been working in the emergency room at Seoul National University Hospital and participating as a researcher in research projects in the field of emergency medical services.

Fire Chief Lee expressed his aspiration, saying, "I want to play the role of a think tank that develops emergency medical policies through big data analysis research on emergency activities to enhance the capabilities of emergency medical technicians."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.