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BackgroundVolunteer responder (VR) programs for activation of laypersons in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been deployed worldwide, but the optimal number of VRs to dispatch is unknown.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the number of VRs arriving before Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the proportion of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation.MethodsWe included OHCAs not witnessed by EMS with VR activation from the Capital Region (September 2, 2017, to May 14, 2019) and the Central Region of Denmark (November 5, 2018, to December 31, 2019). We created 4 groups according to the number of VRs arriving before EMS: 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more. Using a logistic regression model adjusted for EMS response time, we examined associations between the number of VRs arriving before EMS and bystander CPR and defibrillation.ResultsWe included 906 OHCAs. The adjusted ORs for bystander CPR were 2.40 (95% CI: 1.42-4.05), 3.18 (95% CI: 1.39-7.26), and 2.70 (95% CI: 1.32-5.52) when 1, 2, or 3 or more VRs arrived before EMS (reference), respectively. The adjusted OR for bystander defibrillation increased when 1 (1.97 [95% CI: 1.12-3.52]), 2 (2.88 [95% CI: 1.48-5.58]), or 3 or more (3.85 [95% CI: 2.11-7.01]) VRs arrived before EMS (reference). The adjusted OR of bystander defibrillation increased to 1.95 (95% CI: 1.18-3.22) when ≥3 VRs arrived first compared with 1 VR arriving first (reference).ConclusionsWe found an association of increased bystander CPR and defibrillation when 1 or more VRs arrived before the EMS with a trend toward increased bystander defibrillation with increasing number of VRs arriving first. BACKGROUND Volunteer responder (VR) programs for activation of laypersons in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been deployed worldwide, but the optimal number of VRs to dispatch is unknown.OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the number of VRs arriving before Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the proportion of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation.METHODS We included OHCAs not witnessed by EMS with VR activation from the Capital Region (September 2, 2017, to May 14, 2019) and the Central Region of Denmark (November 5, 2018, to December 31, 2019). We created 4 groups according to the number of VRs arriving before EMS: 0,1, 2, and 3 or more. Using a logistic regression model adjusted for EMS response time, we examined associations between the number of VRs arriving before EMS and bystander CPR and defibrillation.RESULTS We included 906 OHCAs. The adjusted ORs for bystander CPR were 2.40 (95% CI: 1.42-4.05), 3.18 (95% CI: 1.39-7.26), and 2.70 (95% CI: 1.32-5.52) when 1, 2, or 3 or more VRs arrived before EMS (reference), respectively. The adjusted OR for bystander defibrillation increased when 1 (1.97 [95% CI: 1.12-3.52]), 2 (2.88 [95% CI: 1.48-5.58]), or 3 or more (3.85 [95% CI: 2.11-7.01]) VRs arrived before EMS (reference). The adjusted OR of bystander defibrillation increased to 1.95 (95% CI: 1.18-3.22) when $3 VRs arrived first compared with 1 VR arriving first (reference).CONCLUSIONS We found an association of increased bystander CPR and defibrillation when 1 or more VRs arrived before the EMS with a trend toward increased bystander defibrillation with increasing number of VRs arriving first. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2023;81:668-680)(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/

AIMS: Little is known about automated external defibrillator (AED) functionality in real-life settings. We aimed to assess the functionality of all registered AEDs in a geographically selected area and calculate the proportion of historical out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) covered by non-functioning AEDs.METHODS: In this cross-sectional study we inspected all registered and available AEDs on the island of Bornholm in Denmark. We collected information on battery status (determined by AED self-test) and electrode status, as well as AED availability. We identified all historical OHCAs registered with the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry on Bornholm during 2016-2019 and calculated the proportion of OHCAs covered by an AED (regardless of functionality status) within ≤100, ≤750, and ≤1800 meters and the proportion of OHCAs covered by non-functioning AEDs.RESULTS: Of 211 registered AEDs, 181 (81.9%) were publicly accessible and functional. The remaining 40 (18.1%) were not functional, primarily due to expired electrodes (42.5%, n = 17), obstacles to AED retrieval (20.0%, n = 8) or failed self-tests (17.5%, n = 7). Of 197 historical OHCAs, non-functional AEDs resulted in an OHCA coverage loss of 5.6%, 4.1% and 1.0 % for ≤100 m, ≤750 m and ≤1800 m, respectively.CONCLUSION: Almost one-fifth of all registered and publicly available AEDs were not functional, primarily due to expired electrodes, failed self-tests or obstacles to retrieving AEDs. One in twenty historical OHCA was covered by a non-functional AED. Although general AED functionality was high, this finding underlines the importance of regular AED maintenance.

Purpose of review To discuss different approaches to citizen responder activation and possible future solutions for improved citizen engagement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation. Recent findings Activating volunteer citizens to OHCA has the potential to improve OHCA survival by increasing bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation. Accordingly, citizen responder systems have become widespread in numerous countries despite very limited evidence of their effect on survival or cost-effectiveness. To date, only one randomized trial has investigated the effect of citizen responder activation for which the outcome was bystander CPR. Recent publications are of observational nature with high risk of bias. A scoping review published in 2020 provided an overview of available citizen responder systems and their differences in who, when, and how to activate volunteer citizens. These differences are further discussed in this review. Summary Implementation of citizen responder programs holds the potential to improve bystander intervention in OHCA, with advancing technology offering new improvement possibilities. Information on how to best activate citizen responders as well as the effect on survival following OHCA is warranted to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of citizen responder programs.

For years, the use of ketamine as an anesthetic to patients suffering from acute brain injury has been debated because of its possible deleterious effects on the cerebral circulation and thus on the cerebral perfusion. Early studies suggested that ketamine could increase the intracranial pressure thus lowering the cerebral perfusion and hence reduce the oxygen supply to the injured brain. However, more recent studies are less conclusive and might even indicate that patients with acute brain injury could benefit from ketamine sedation. This systematic review summarizes the evidence regarding the use of ketamine in patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. Databases were searched for studies using ketamine in acute brain injury. Outcomes of interest were mortality, intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, blood pressure, heart rate, spreading depolarizations, and neurological function. In total 11 studies were included. The overall level of evidence concerning the use of ketamine in brain injury is low. Only two studies found a small increase in intracranial pressure, while two small studies found decreased levels of intracranial pressure following ketamine administration. We found no evidence of harm during ketamine use in patients suffering from acute brain injury.

Introduction: In Denmark, survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has increased markedly in the past years, from 3.9% in 2001 to 15.8% in 2019. Still, bystander defibrillation remains low, especially for OHCAs in residential areas. To improve bystander defibrillation, smartphone activated Citizen Responder (CR) Programs have expanded to nationwide coverage in Denmark during September 2017 to May 2020. Hypothesis: Implementation of CR programs in Denmark was associated with increased bystander CPR and defibrillation. Methods: We conducted an observational study of 15,308 OHCAs from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry from 2016-2019. App-based CR programs were implemented in four out of five Danish regions during the study period. All OHCAs were divided into two groups according to the date of CR implementation (“before” and “after CR” implementation). The groups were compared focusing on bystander defibrillation, bystander CPR and 30-day survival. Results: “Before CR” included 8,819 OHCAs and the “after CR” 6,489 OHCAs. The proportion of bystander CPR was 77.9% and 78.0% (p-value 0.91) for the before -and after CR implementation groups, respectively. The corresponding numbers for bystander defibrillation were 7.4% and 9.5% (p-value < 0.001), respectively. In residential OHCA, bystander defibrillation went from 4.0% to 6.3% (p-value Conclusion: We found no changes in bystander CPR or 30-day survival following implementation of CR programs in Denmark, but a significant increase in bystander defibrillation for all OHCAs. Importantly bystander defibrillation also increased significantly in residential locations, where the majority of OHCAs occur and where bystander defibrillation has remained low for decades.

Introduction: Following the implementation of the Danish AED network and a nationwide citizen responder (CR) program for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), CR and AED coverage for OHCAs according to area types has not been investigated. We aimed to assess AED and CR coverage of historical OHCAs according to area types in daytime (12pm) and nighttime (12am). Methods: We included non-EMS witnessed OHCAs from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry (2016-2019) and AEDs registered with the Danish AED network (November 2020) available at 12am (n=22,418) and 12pm (n=14,734). Exact locations of CRs who were registered with the national CR program by December 2020 were identified on a normal working day (Wednesday, December 2, 2020) at 12am and 12pm (representing day- and nighttime location). OHCAs, AEDs, and CRs were identified and geocoded using a geographical information system. Urban Atlas was used to categorize areas into subgroups using satellite images; high density residential areas, low density residential areas, public and industrial sites, nature, sport and leisure facilities, transportation (e.g. airport and railway stations), and fast transit roads. Results: A total of 10,126 OHCAs (63.0% male, median age 73 years). We mapped 14,119 AEDs (12 pm) and 24,372 CR (12 pm) in Urban Atlas. Most OHCAs in all area types were covered by >= 1 AED. A greater variation was observed in CR coverage when compared to AED coverage, according to area type. Little difference in coverage of both AED and CR according to time of day was observed. (Figure 1) Conclusion: The highest CR and AED coverage were observed in high density residential areas, transportation sites, public and industrial areas, and sport and leisure facilities, which is where most OHCAs occurred. These findings indicate a high coverage of citizen responders and AEDs in Denmark.

Introduction: High density of citizen responders (CR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) may increase chances for early bystander defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to assess coverage using current CR and AED positions applied on historical OHCAs in Denmark. Methods: Non-EMS witnessed OHCAs from the Danish cardiac arrest registry with known location (2016-2019) and AEDs registered with the Danish AED network (November 2020) were included. Locations of all CRs registered with the national CR program were identified (Wed, December 2, 2020) at 12pm (noon) and 12am (midnight). Since pilot data showed 25% of alerted CRs accepted the alarm, we investigated OHCA CR coverage defined ≥4 CR within Results: A total of 18,128 OHCAs (median age 73 years, 63.4% male) were included. A total of 22,418 AEDs (386/100,000 inhabitants) were available at 12pm, 65% were accessible 24/7. A total of 34,033 CR (586 CR/100,000 inhabitants) were available at 12am and 33,938 were available at12pm. During daytime, a median of 29 AEDs and 37 CRs were Conclusion: Following the implementation of a nationwide AED network and a citizen responder program, most historical OHCAs (85%) were < 1800m of CRs and AEDs at midnight with a slight decrease during daytime (82%). A decrease in CR and AED coverage were observed for 500m (59%) and 200 m (14%), with little difference according to time of day. During daytime a median of 29 AEDs and 37 CRs were < 1800m of historical OHCAs. Our results indicate successful implementation of a national AED registry and CR program with great potential for improving bystander defibrillation.

Introduction: Since 2007, citizens have been able to register an automated external defibrillator (AED) with the Danish AED Network, which holds >23,000 AEDs (394 AEDs/100,000 inhabitants) linked directly to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centers. In 2019, 60.8% of sold AEDs were registered in the network. This study aimed to identify motivations and barriers for registration with the nationwide Danish AED Network. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among owners of newly registered AEDs in the Danish AED Network was carried out from September 2017 to December 2020. Each month, 30-50 random AED-owners participated. The survey included items on motivations and barriers to join the AED network and items on AED accessibility. Results: In total, 1,540 AED-owners were included (25.3 % of newly registered in the period (n=6087)). The time from AED-purchase to AED-registration was “1year” in 20.4%, and “Do not know” in 1.9%. Knowledge about the AED network is illustrated in Figure 1. Over half of the AED-owners registered their AED because they felt it was a ‘good cause’ (64.0%), followed by ‘registering upon request’ (20.6%), and ‘after a first aid course’ (5.5%). Of newly registered AEDs, 73.8% (n=1137) were 24/7-accessible. The most frequent reason for choosing limited AED accessibility (AED placed indoors/not available 24/7, n=403) was “greater expenses” (26.8%), whereas “fear of theft/vandalism” only accounted for 12.4%. Conclusion: Among AED-owners registering their AED to the Danish AED Network, most heard about the registry through word of mouth, registered their AED within the first year of purchase, and registered primarily because they felt it was a good cause. Most newly registered AEDs were 24/7-accessible. The biggest expressed barrier to AED accessibility was increased expenses whereas fear of theft or vandalism was a minor issue.

Introduction: Multiple citizen responder (CR) programs worldwide which dispatch laypersons to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, but little is known about how the pandemic affected CR activation and initiation of bystander CPR and defibrillation. In Denmark, the CR program continued to run during lockdown but with the recommendation to perform chest-compression-only CPR in contrast to standard CPR including ventilations. We hypothesized that bystander interventions as CPR and AED usage decreased during the first COVID-19 lockdown in two regions of Denmark in the spring of 2020. Methods: All OHCAs from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 with CR activation from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry and the National Citizen Responder database. Bystander CPR, AED usage, and CRs’ alarm acceptance rate during the national lockdown from March 11, 2020 to April 20, 2020 were compared with the non-lockdown period from January 1, 2020 to March 10, 2020 and from April 21 to June 30, 2020. Results: A total of 6,120 CRs were alerted in 443 (23/100.000 inhabitants) cases of presumed OHCA of which 256 (58%) were confirmed cardiac arrests. Bystander CPR remained equally high in the lockdown period compared with non-lockdown period (99% vs. 92%, p=0.07). Likewise, there was no change in bystander defibrillation (9% vs. 14%, p=0.4). There was a slight increase in the number of CRs who accepted an alarm (7 per alarm, IQR 4) during lockdown compared with non-lockdown period (6 per alarm, IQR 4), p=0.0001. The proportion of patients achieving return of spontaneous circulation at hospital arrival was also unchanged (lockdown 23% vs non-lockdown 23%, p=1.0) (Table 1). Conclusion: Bystander initiated resuscitation rates did not change during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark for OHCAs where CRs were activated through a smartphone app.

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation are two of the most important factors for survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, little is known whether bystander interventions and survival are impaired in rural areas compared to more urbanized areas in Denmark. We hypothesized that bystander interventions and survival are lower in rural areas compared to urbanized areas. Methods: We included all non-EMS witnessed OHCAs with known GPS-location in Denmark (January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019) and geocoded them according to county. All counties in Denmark were classified either as urban, suburban, or rural according to the degree of urbanization tool defined by the European Statistical Agency. Results: A total of 16,670 OHCAs were included, of which 4,555 (27%), 5,457 (33%), and 6,658 (40%) arrests occurred in urban, suburban, and rural areas respectively. The median age (73 vs. 74 vs. 73 years, p=0.003), ambulance response time (6 vs. 7 vs. 8 minutes, p Conclusion: Degree of urbanization was associated with increased rates of bystander CPR in rural areas. Despite this, ROSC and 30-day survival were higher in urban and suburban areas compared to rural areas which could not be explained by cardiac arrest characteristics.

Introduction: A citizen responder (CR) system to activate volunteer citizens by a smartphone application (HeartRunner) to nearby cardiac arrests was implemented in 2017 in the Capital Region of Denmark. Participating in resuscitation may not only involve provision of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but also include provision of emotional support for relatives to the cardiac arrest patient. We examined the proportion of CR who reported provision of support to relatives to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients during resuscitation attempt. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that CR not only deliver CPR but also provide emotional support to relatives of OHCA patients. Methods: All CR activated by the HeartRunner app received a follow-up questionnaire 90 minutes after the alarm including questions about how CRs participated in resuscitation and whether they provided emotional support to relatives present during the resuscitation attempt. All surveys from March 12, 2020 to June 1, 2021, from CR who accepted an alarm and arrived at the cardiac arrest location were included. Results: A total of 1,868 CR responded to the survey (median age 37 years (IQR 28-37). Half (54.4%) were male and 23.9% health care professionals. CRs arrived before the emergency medical services (EMS) in almost 1/3 (28.9%) of OHCA cases with CR activation, with 227 CRs (41.9%) performing CPR and 139 (25.7%) attaching an automated external defibrillator. In total, more than 433 CRs (23.2%) reported provision of support for relatives at the OHCA location. Even though a higher proportion of support was observed among CR who arrived before the EMS, almost 12% reported provision of support to relatives even when arriving after EMS (Figure). Conclusions: Citizen responders provide not only resuscitative efforts but offer emotional support to relatives to OHCA patients. Citizen responders may be an important resource for both EMS personnel and relatives who are present at the cardiac arrest scene.

Background Citizen responder programs are implemented worldwide to dispatch volunteer citizens to participate in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation. However, the risk of injuries in relation to activation is largely unknown. We aimed to assess the risk of physical injury for dispatched citizen responders. Methods and Results Since September 2017, citizen responders have been activated through a smartphone application when located close to a suspected cardiac arrest in the Capital Region of Denmark. A survey was sent to all activated citizen responders, including a specific question about risk of acquiring an injury during activation. We included all surveys from September 1, 2017, to May 15, 2020. From May 15, 2019, to May 15, 2020, we followed up on all survey nonresponders by phone call, e‐mail, or text messages to examine if nonresponders were at higher risk of severe or fatal injuries. In 1665 suspected out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests, 9574 citizen responders were dispatched and 76.6% (7334) answered the question regarding physical injury. No injury was reported by 99.3% (7281) of the responders. Being at risk of physical injury was reported by 0.3% (24), whereas 0.4% (26) reported an injury (25 minor injuries and 1 severe injury [ankle fracture]). When following up on nonresponders (2472), we reached 99.1% (2449). No one reported acquired injuries, and only 1 reported being at risk of injury. Conclusions We found low risk of physical injury reported by volunteer citizen responders dispatched to out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest. Risk of injury should be considered and monitored as a safety measure in citizen responder programs.

AIM: To examine incidence and outcome following out-of-hospital cardiac (OHCA) arrest in a high-risk area characterised by high density of potential bystanders and easy access to nearby automated external defibrillators (AEDs).METHODS: This retrospective observational study investigated pre-hospital and in-hospital treatment, as well as survival amongst persons with OHCA at Copenhagen International Airport between May 25, 2015 and May 25, 2019. OHCA data from pre- and in-hospital medical records were obtained and compared with public bystander witnessed OHCAs in Denmark.RESULTS: Of the 23 identified non-traumatic OHCAs, 91.3% were witnessed by bystanders, 73.9% received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and 43.5% were defibrillated by a bystander. Survival to hospital discharge was 56.5%, with 100% survival among persons with an initial shockable heart rhythm. Compared with nationwide bystander witnessed OHCAs, persons with OHCA at the airport were less likely to receive bystander CPR (73.9% vs. 89.4%, OR 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.86), more likely to receive bystander defibrillation (43.5% vs. 24.8%, OR 2.32; 95% CI, 1.01-5.31), to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (78.2% vs. 50.6%, OR 3.51; 95% CI, 1.30-9.49), and survive to hospital discharge (56.5% vs. 45.2%, OR 1.58; 95% CI, 0.69-3.62).CONCLUSION: We found a high proportion of bystander defibrillation indicating that bystanders will quickly apply an AED, when accessible. Importantly, 56% of all persons, and all persons with a shockable heart rhythm survived. These findings suggest increased potential for survival following OHCA and support current guidelines to strategically deploy accessible AEDs in high-risk OHCA areas.

The main objective of this single-centre, prospective, observational study was to compare the survival rate of chocolate with that of candy among healthcare professionals working in an emergency department. Secondary objectives included comparisons of cumulative weight, calorie count, and cost of consumed chocolate vs candy.On five separate occasions, an observer with recurring duty in the emergency department placed 56 pieces of milk chocolate (30% cocoa) and 56 pieces of candy (wine gum and liquorice) next to each other in standard, disposable bowls, in one of two prespecified locations. These bowls were continuously monitored for two hours. The primary outcome, i.e., the survival of chocolate vs candy, was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression. Secondary outcomes were compared using unpaired t-test.Of the 560 pieces of sweets distributed 257 were consumed, 108 pieces of chocolate and 149 pieces of candy. The survival of chocolate was significantly longer than that of candy, hazard ratio for chocolate vs candy was 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.52-0.85), p = 0.001. Chocolate was responsible for significantly more weight eaten (771 g vs 497 g), calories consumed (4,243 kcal vs 1,723 kcal), and cost (81 SEK vs 38 SEK), p0.001 for all.Pieces of chocolate survived significantly longer than pieces of candy.none.not relevant.

BackgroundActivating citizen responders may increase survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) but could induce significant psychological impact on the citizen responders. We examined psychological impact among citizen responders within the first days following resuscitation attempt.Methods and ResultsA mobile phone application to activate citizen responders to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was implemented in the Capital Region of Denmark. All dispatched citizen responders (September 2017 to May 2019) received a survey 90 minutes after an alarm, including self-rating of perceived psychological impact on a scale of 1–4.Of 5,395 included citizen responders, most (88.6%) completed the survey within 24 hours.The majority reported no psychological impact (68.6%), whereas 24.7%, 5.5% and 1.2% reported low, moderate, or severe impact, respectively. Severe impact was more commonly reported in the following groups: No CPR training (3.8% vs 1.2%, p = 0.02), age < 30 years (2.0% vs 0.9%, p < 0.001), female sex (1.8% vs 0.7%, p < 0.001), provided CPR (2.7% vs 1.0%, p < 0.001), and arrived prior to the emergency medical services (EMS) (2.8% vs 0.7%, p < 0.001) compared to no to moderate impact.Chi square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Fischer’s exact test and a logistic regression model were used to assess differences in psychological impact across groups.ConclusionVery few citizen responders reported severe psychological impact. Lack of prior CPR training, younger age, female sex, performing CPR and arrival prior to the EMS were associated with greater psychological impact. Though very few citizen responders reported severe impact, the possibility of professional debriefing should be considered in citizen responder programs. Background: Activating citizen responders may increase survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) but could induce significant psychological impact on the citizen responders. We examined psychological impact among citizen responders within the first days following resuscitation attempt.Methods and Results: A mobile phone application to activate citizen responders to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was implemented in the Capital Region of Denmark. All dispatched citizen responders (September 2017 to May 2019) received a survey 90 minutes after an alarm, including self-rating of perceived psychological impact on a scale of 1-4.Of 5,395 included citizen responders, most (88.6%) completed the survey within 24 hours.The majority reported no psychological impact (68.6%), whereas 24.7%, 5.5% and 1.2% reported low, moderate, or severe impact, respectively. Severe impact was more commonly reported in the following groups: No CPR training (3.8% vs 1.2%, p = 0.02), age < 30 years (2.0% vs 0.9%, p < 0.001), female sex (1.8% vs 0.7%, p < 0.001), provided CPR (2.7% vs 1.0%, p < 0.001), and arrived prior to the emergency medical services (EMS) (2.8% vs 0.7%, p < 0.001) compared to no to moderate impact.Chi square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Fischer's exact test and a logistic regression model were used to assess differences in psychological impact across groups.Conclusion: Very few citizen responders reported severe psychological impact. Lack of prior CPR training, younger age, female sex, performing CPR and arrival prior to the EMS were associated with greater psychological impact. Though very few citizen responders reported severe impact, the possibility of professional debriefing should be considered in citizen responder programs.