Call for papers - Prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Guest Editors

Robert Larribau, MD, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Song Yi Park, MD, PhD, Ulsan University Hospital, Republic of Korea

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 5 January 2026

BMC Emergency Medicine is calling for submissions to our Collection, Prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This collection invites submissions focusing on the pre-hospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and its impact on survival with good neurological outcomes. We welcome research that explores the life-saving interventions carried out before arrival at hospital, such as bystander CPR, early defibrillation, the actions performed by emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs), and the effectiveness of emergency medical services (EMS) response, as well as research measuring the impact of a change in pre-hospital organization. The aim is to gain a better understanding of pre-hospital care practices when dealing with OHCAs with the aim of improving them in order to maximize survival rates with a good neurological outcome.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Robert Larribau, MD, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Dr Robert Larribau is deputy head of the Emergency Department at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), head of the Emergency Medical Communication Centre and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine. His research focuses on the pre-hospital care of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA), emergency medical dispatch and remote triage, and the integration of new technologies into emergency care processes. He proposed an operational research model, integrating the use of the Business Process Model Notation (BPMN) to describe care processes, and worked on decision support tools and on optimization of emergency medical systems to improve pre-hospital response strategies. He has thus contributed to the modelling of emergency medical care processes and the evaluation of systemic interventions aimed at improving patients' chances of survival and reducing morbidity.

Song Yi Park, MD, PhD, Ulsan University Hospital, Republic of Korea

Dr Song Yi Park is an emergency physician and researcher with a primary focus on emergency medical services (EMS) systems and public health. She is dedicated to advancing EMS systems and improving healthcare delivery in emergency settings. Dr Park's research specifically focuses on optimizing systems and outcomes for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

About the Collection

BMC Emergency Medicine is calling for submissions to our Collection on prehospital management in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). OHCA remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and its management in the crucial moments before hospital arrival is critical to improving survival and good neurological outcomes. The first minutes following OHCA are crucial, requiring immediate action from bystanders, efficient call triage by EMDs, and rapid response by EMS teams.

Understanding the key factors influencing prehospital OHCA management —including public training, defibrillation access, recognition and telephone CPR assistance by EMDs, EMS deployment strategies, care provided and medical decision-making by EMS teams — is essential to improving patient outcomes. Recent research has demonstrated that early, high-quality interventions can significantly increase good neurological survival rates. Advances in bystander CPR programs, real-time assistance by dispatcher and community-wide defibrillator deployment have already shown significant benefits, but further research is needed to refine and standardize these approaches. Additionally, studies assessing EMS response optimization, prehospital triage (or video-assisted triage), and resource allocation during cardiac emergencies remain crucial to improving OHCA outcomes. New technologies, including mobile health applications, AI-assisted triage systems, and wearable devices, offer promising avenues for enhancing both bystander, emergency medical dispatch and EMS performance. Collaborative efforts among healthcare providers, researchers and policy makers are essential to establish standardized, evidence-based protocols to maximize the rate of good neurological outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

We invite contributions that examine a broad range of topics related to the prehospital management of OHCA, including, but not limited to:

Community engagement and public training initiatives to improve OHCA response
Public access defibrillation and strategies to optimize early defibrillation
Effectiveness of bystander CPR and dispatcher-assisted CPR programs (including live video assistance)
Emergency medical dispatch (EMD) strategies for improved OHCA recognition and triage
EMS response time, efficiency and prehospital medical decision-making strategies (triage)
Specialized pre-hospital practices and advanced pre-hospital care (advanced airway management, ultrasonography, specific drugs, etc.)
Integration of mobile technology, AI, and real-time decision support for EMS responders
Legal and ethical challenges in prehospital OHCA care, including DNR orders, declaring death in the field, and the impact of regional differences on resuscitation decisions.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest" from the dropdown menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.