Receiving hospital characteristics associated with survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aim: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) varies between regions, but the contribution of different factors to this variability is unknown. This study examined whether survival to hospital discharge was related to receiving hospital characteristics, including bed number, capability of performing cardiac catheterization and hospital volume of OOHCA cases.

Material And Methods: Prospective observational database of non-traumatic OOHCA assessed by emergency medical services was created in 8 US and 2 Canadian sites from December 1, 2005 to July 1, 2007.

Differences in triage thresholds for patients presenting with possible acute coronary syndromes: more than meets the eye.

Background: Many studies have shown differences in cardiac care by racial/ethnic groups without accounting for institutional factors at the location of care.

Objective: Exploratory analysis of the effect of hospital funding status (public vs private) on emergency department (ED) triage decision making for patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) and on the likelihood of ED discharge for patients with confirmed ACS.

Study Design And Setting: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of 10,659 ED patients with possible ACS in five urban academic public and five private hospitals.