Case Study: Wake County achieves safer, longer cardiac resuscitation and improved survival with SAS

Wake County EMS discovered variables that predict when to continue cardiac resuscitation without risk to brain function

Wake County Emergency Medical Services partnered with SAS to tackle a critical, unanswered question: how long should paramedics continue cardiac resuscitation without causing neurological harm? With outdated “30-minute” rules of thumb and growing CPR advances, Wake EMS needed evidence-based guidance to decide when to persist with chest compressions and when efforts were futile.

Using the SAS Advanced Analytics Lab to analyze 2,900 cardiac arrest cases, the team identified variables and heart-rhythm patterns that predict when continued compressions are likely to restore a pulse without brain damage. The analysis showed it was worthwhile to extend resuscitation in many patients (resulting in about 100 additional survivors without neurological injury) and clarified when efforts are unlikely to help, giving Wake EMS a data-driven protocol other services can adopt.

Wake County

Brent Myers

Director