[The role of bystander resuscitation in the survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests].

Sudden cardiac death is one of the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. When happens only immediate action can save the patient's life. A rather simple sequence of interventions (CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation) by the bystander witnessing the collapse could significantly increase the chance of survival yet it happens less than in half of the cases. One of the most important initiatives of the last decade was the simplification of basic life support guidelines and its trainings along with widely publicising its simplicity, importance and its effect on survival. The success of the initiative has been published by several studies showing an increasing number of bystander CPR worldwide, in Europe and in Hungary, too. Survival data have also increased moderately but by far not as much as it could be expected under ideal circumstances. This paper reviews the potential issues to be considered for increasing the numbers and improving the quality of bystander resuscitation. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(46): 1810-1815.