King County EMS is leader in response to cardiac arrest cases


October 12, 2010 · Updated 4:04 PM 

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The King County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a national leader in cardiac arrest survival, with a survival rate of 46 percent, compared to the 1 to 5 percent for other major metropolitan areas.

“It’s long been said that King County is the best place in the nation to have a heart attack, and I’m pleased to see that our EMS system remains a national leader today,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “People locally have an astonishingly higher chance of surviving a heart attack, thanks to our exceptional ‘chain of survival’ — from our many residents who can administer CPR to the quick response of our world-class Medic One system.”

In Seattle and King County, the system responded to 169,334 calls to 911 and 49,950 responses to ALS (advanced life support) in 2009. The average medic unit response time was 7.7 minutes.

To learn more about the program and the report, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/health/ems.

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