Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust plays key role in delivering landmark cardiac arrest study

The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust (WAST) has helped to deliver an important new trial which will enable first responders to improve survival in patients suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 

The PARAMEDIC-3 trial, led in Wales by WAST in partnership with the University of Warwick, examined whether administering life-saving drugs for cardiac arrest directly into the bone improved survival rates compared to the standard intravenous (IV) method. 

Over 30,000 individuals experience sudden cardiac arrest annually in the UK. Immediate, effective treatment is key to survival. Current guidance advises paramedics to inject drugs into a vein, which can take several minutes. An alternative method increasing in use in ambulance services globally is to give drugs through a needle placed in an arm or leg bone (intraosseous (IO)). Some studies suggested this may allow drugs to be given more quickly, which could increase survival rates. 

WAST was one of 10 NHS ambulance services and one air ambulance service across England and Wales to participate in the trial. The results clearly showed similar outcomes for both IV and IO groups, with no significant difference in the time required to administer drugs, or in survival rates. 

Professor Nigel Rees, WAST Assistant Director for Research and Innovation and Wales Principal Investigator for the PARAMEDIC-3 trial said:

We are proud to have successfully delivered the PARAMEDIC-3 Trial across Wales, building on other landmark research we have delivered with this team. The trial has provided important results which will enable us to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. I would like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to all who participated and supported the PARAMEDIC-3 Trial in Wales.” 

Dr Nicola Williams, National Director of Support and Delivery for Health and Care Research Wales, said: “WAST’s involvement in this study builds on its reputation for delivering high-quality research to improve patient outcomes. These findings will play an important part in informing the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, where timely and effective treatment is absolutely critical.”