PREHOSPITAL RESUSCITATION BY IRISH GPS - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Two hundred and eleven Irish GP's responded to a questionnaire survey of their experiences of pre-hospital resuscitation. Seventy per cent h ad attempted CPR in a prehospital setting and a success rate of 21% wa s reported. A defibrillator had been used in the prehospital setting b y 10% of the respondents with a reported success rate of 11%. Over 80% considerered that they would benefit from further training in CPR and the use of a defibrillator. The implications of these results for the development of an Irish cardiac ''chain of survival'' are discussed.