This retrospective study analysed ECG recordings from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests treated by lay rescuers using public access defibrillators. Among 1459 patients receiving at least one shock, 498 (34.1%) experienced refibrillation. The median number of refibrillations per patient was 1 (IQR 1–2), and median time to refibrillation was 29.8 seconds. Three consecutive shocks were observed in 231 patients (15.8%); only 11 of these patients (4.8%) had shock-resistant ventricular fibrillation, defined as three consecutive failed shocks. These findings distinguish recurrent fibrillation from persistent failure of defibrillation in this setting.
Refibrillation was more common than three-shock-resistant ventricular fibrillation in this lay-rescuer-treated cohort. The findings support further investigation of CPR-cycle timing, but do not establish an optimal interval or demonstrate a survival benefit.
Study limitation: Retrospective ECG analysis describes rhythm outcomes; the abstract reports neither survival outcomes nor a direct comparison of CPR-cycle durations.
AI-generated from the published abstract with automated source checks. For research discovery; consult the original paper before applying findings.