Assessment of the general knowledge of emergency physicians from the hospitals of the city of Salvador (Brazil) on the care of cardiac arrest patients.

Objective: To identify the proportion of emergency physicians certified in immersion courses (ACLS--Advanced Cardiac Life Support and ATLS--Advanced Trauma Life Support) correlating the variables of age, gender, medical specialty, academic title, and type of hospital with the level of theoretical knowledge on the care of Cardiac Arrest (CA) victims.

Methods: Emergency physicians from public and private hospitals of the city of Salvador, State of Bahia--Brazil, were consecutively evaluated from November, 2003 to July, 2004. They volunteered to participate in the study, and responded to a questionnaire consisting of information on the following variables of interest: professional profile, participation or not in ACLS and ATLS immersion courses, and cognitive assessment with 22 objective questions on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).