Living in high-rises linked to lower survival after cardiac arrest

The higher the floor you live on, the lower your chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, according to a new study.

Canadian researchers studied 7,842 responses to cardiac arrest calls in private residences in and near Toronto from 2007 through 2012.

Cases of trauma and those witnessed by 911 responders were excluded. When the cardiac arrest occurred below the third floor, 4.2 per cent of the patients survived discharge from the hospital, compared with 2.6 per cent of those on higher floors. Above the 16th floor, 0.9 per cent survived, and above the 25th, where 30 people had cardiac arrests, none lived to leave the hospital. The study is in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The time it took emergency responders to get from the building entrance to the patient was the most important factor in predicting survival. Older age and being male were also associated with lower survival.

The lead author, Ian R Drennan, a doctoral candidate in the Rescu research program at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said that there are several places to make improvements: quicker access through the front door, which may be locked and unattended, assurance that the elevator will be available when responders arrive, and the proper placement and use of automated external defibrillators. "You almost have to build the building characteristics into the 911 response," he said.

LIVING IN SKYSCRAPERS

• Researchers studied 7,842 responses to cardiac arrest calls in private residences in Toronto from 2007 through 2012
   
• When the cardiac arrest occurred below the third floor, 4.2 per cent of the patients discharged from the hospital alive, compared to 2.6 per cent of those on higher floors
   
• The time it took emergency responders to get from the building entrance to the patient was the most important factor in predicting survival

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