Outcome, quality of life and direct costs after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in an urban region of Switzerland.

Background: Considering the significant morbidity and mortality of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, only little data on survival or quality of life after successful resuscitation is available in Europe. Additionally, economic aspects of such events are poorly studied. The purpose of this study is to provide data for survival, quality of life and costs directly related to the cardiac arrest for a region of Switzerland served by one emergency medical service (EMS).