Dispatching first responders (FR) to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in addition to the emergency medical service has shown to increase survival. The promising development of FR systems over the past years has been challenged by the outbreak of COVID-19. Whilst increased numbers and worse outcomes of cardiac arrests during the pandemic suggest a need for expansion of FR schemes, appropriate risk management is required to protect first responders and patients from contracting COVID-19. This study investigated how European FR schemes were affected by the pandemic and what measures were taken to protect patients and responders from COVID-19. To identify FR schemes in Europe we conducted a literature search and a web search. The schemes were contacted and invited to answer an online questionnaire during the second wave of the pandemic (December 2020/ January 2021) in Europe. We have identified 135 FR schemes in 28 countries and included responses from 47 FR schemes in 16 countries. 25 schemes reported deactivation due to COVID-19 at some point, whilst 22 schemes continued to operate throughout the pandemic. 39 schemes communicated a pandemic-specific algorithm to their first responders. Before the COVID-19 outbreak 20 FR systems did not provide any personal protective equipment (PPE). After the outbreak 19 schemes still did not provide any PPE. The majority of schemes experienced falling numbers of accepted call outs and decreasing registrations of new volunteers. Six schemes reported of FR having contracted COVID-19 on a mission. European FR schemes were considerably affected by the pandemic and exhibited a range of responses to protect patients and responders. Overall, FR schemes saw a decrease in activity, which was in stark contrast to the high demand caused by the increased incidence and mortality of OHCA during the pandemic. Given the important role FR play in the chain of survival, a balanced approach upholding the safety of patients and responders should be sought to keep FR schemes operational.

中文翻译：

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第一反应系统可以在大流行条件下保持运行：在 COVID-19 大流行期间欧洲调查的结果

除了紧急医疗服务外，向院外心脏骤停派遣急救人员 (FR) 已证明可以提高生存率。在过去几年中，FR 系统的有希望的发展受到了 COVID-19 爆发的挑战。虽然大流行期间心脏骤停的人数增加且结果更差表明需要扩大 FR 计划，但需要进行适当的风险管理以保护急救人员和患者免受 COVID-19 感染。本研究调查了欧洲 FR 计划如何受到大流行的影响，以及采取了哪些措施来保护患者和响应者免受 COVID-19 的侵害。为了确定欧洲的 FR 方案，我们进行了文献搜索和网络搜索。在欧洲的第二波大流行（2020 年 12 月/2021 年 1 月）期间，联系并邀请这些计划回答在线问卷。我们已经在 28 个国家/地区确定了 135 个 FR 计划，并纳入了来自 16 个国家/地区的 47 个 FR 计划的回复。25 个计划因 COVID-19 而在某个时候被停用，而 22 个计划在整个大流行期间继续运作。39 个计划向他们的第一响应者传达了一种针对大流行的算法。在 COVID-19 爆发之前，20 FR 系统没有提供任何个人防护设备 (PPE)。疫情爆发后，仍有 19 个计划未提供任何个人防护装备。大多数计划的接受号召数量下降，新志愿者注册数量减少。六个计划报告 FR 在执行任务时感染了 COVID-19。欧洲的 FR 计划受到大流行的严重影响，并表现出一系列保护患者和响应者的反应。总体而言，FR 计划的活动有所减少，这与大流行期间 OHCA 的发病率和死亡率增加导致的高需求形成鲜明对比。鉴于 FR 在生存链中发挥的重要作用，应寻求一种平衡的方法来维护患者和响应者的安全，以保持 FR 计划的运作。