Comparison of outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients: Emergency calls placed from mobile phones vs. landline phones

Background: Until recently, calls to the emergency medical service (EMS) from landline phones, which display the caller’s exact location at the dispatch center, had been common. Since the use of mobile phones has become widespread, many emergency calls are now made from mobile phones. Differences in outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients for whom EMS was called from mobile versus landline phones has not yet been fully elucidated.
Methods: We performed a retrospective, population-based analysis in Kobe, Japan to examine whether EMS calls from mobiles improved the prognosis of OHCA patients over EMS calls placed from landlines. The primary outcome was favorable neurological outcome, defined as Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scores of 1 or 2 at discharge. Secondary outcomes were survival at one-month, survival at discharge, and time durations between call and EMS activities.
Results: Of 4,231 OHCA cases, 2,194 cases (706 landline cases vs. 1,488 mobile cases) were included in this study. The percentages of favorable neurological outcomes were 0.7% (5/706) in the landline group and 3.8% (56/1,488) in the mobile group. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression revealed that favorable neurological outcomes (odds ratio [OR] 3.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–8.17, p = 0.03) were better in the mobile group, while one-month survival (OR 1.30, 95% CI 0.80–2.14, p = 0.29) was not significantly different. Bystander CPR was more frequently administered in the mobile group (landlines 61.3% vs. mobiles 68.4%, p < 0.01). Time durations between call to EMS dispatch (184.5 [IQR 157–220 s] vs. 205 [IQR 174–248 s], p < 0.01) and EMS arrival (476.5 [IQR 377–599 s] vs. 491 [IQR 407.5–611.5 s], p < 0.01) were shorter in the landline group.
Conclusions: Although the landline caller location display system seems effective for shorter times between EMS call and EMS arrival, mobile phone use was associated with better neurological outcomes.