Report: Lincoln Above Average in Sudden Cardiac Arrest Care

By Aaron Bonderson , Report for America Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

July 16, 2021, 3:53 p.m. ·

Lincoln Fire and Rescue personnel at First Aid, CPR, and AED refresher course, which is completed every two years. — Lincoln Fire and Rescue personnel attend a First Aid, CPR, and AED refresher course, which is completed every two years. (Photo courtesy of Lincoln Fire and Rescue Facebook)

Citizens of Lincoln are more likely to perform CPR on a person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest compared to the national average, according to a Lincoln Fire and Rescue report.

Of the 148 cardiac emergency calls Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to last year, a citizen performed on-site CPR more than 70 percent of the time. The national average is just 40 percent.

Neal Dethlefs survived a cardiac arrest event and says he was lucky to be in Lincoln during his emergency.

“I was actually at the right place, at the right time to go into cardiac arrest," he said. "I was at a wedding reception here in Lincoln when I collapsed. One of the bridesmaids started CPR immediately. Lincoln Fire and Rescue was there within minutes.”

Also noted in the report: Lincoln ranks far above the national average for survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2020. More than 16 percent of the people survived compared to the national average of nine percent.

Report: Lincoln Above Average in Sudden Cardiac Arrest Care

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