Methods Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to nontraumatic
etiology treated in our center for the past 2 years were enrolled. Cardiac
arrest after the scene was excluded. Patients’ records from our emergency
department were reviewed. In Japan, the ambulance service, dispatch
service and emergency life-saving technician (ELST) belong to the fi re
department. ELSTs perform not only advanced CPR for CPA patients on
the job but also education of call takers in the central operation center
under medical control about the importance of the recognition of CPA
and advice for immediate bystander CPR.