Best Place to Survive Cardiac Arrest is Seattle, Washington!
According to the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in Kings County Seattle Washington, they achieved a 62 percent survival rate for cardiac arrest! Cardiac arrest victims in King County are 4 to 5 times more likely to survive, compared to other cities. They have one of the highest reported survival rates in the world with the nation’s average being around 8 percent. In 2002, Kings County was over 3 times the nation’s average with a 27 percent cardiac arrest survival rate. Over the next decade, they continued to exceed the nation’s average and increase the cardiac survival rate to an astounding 62 percent in 2013.
King Country EMS stated that there are several key factors that have contributed to the significant increase of the survival rate over the years:
- Adoption of high-performance CPR method by emergency medical technicians to maximize oxygen circulation and increase survival chances.
- Adoption of telecommunicator CPR, whereby 911 emergency personnel provide instant CPR instructions by phone.
- Increasing public availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), including more than 100 in King County facilities, and placement of AEDs in many law enforcement vehicles, including with King County Sheriff’s deputies.
- High rates of CPR training for local residents.
- A regional paramedic training program, funded by charitable contributions, that exceeds national standards for certification.
King County’s paramedics are also highly trained, requiring 2,500 hours experience rather than the national requirement of 1,000. Some respond to an average of 50 cardiac arrests per year. With all of the facts presented, I think it is pretty evident that Seattle, Washington is one of the best places to survive a cardiac arrest.
