Not that it’s something anyone wants to go through, but if you suffer a heart attack, Victoria is the best place in Australia to do so.
The 2023/24 Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry annual report shows the state has the best out-of-hospital cardiac survival rate in Australia and ranks third best globally.
The ambulance service attended 7,548 cardiac arrests, with bystanders administering CPR in 79 percent of witnessed cases and 141 victims receiving a shock from a public automated external defibrillator (AED)—the highest number on record. Of those, 56 percent survived to be admitted to hospital.
As a result of those interventions and the work of paramedics and first responders, 422 cardiac arrest patients were discharged from hospital, with 84 percent returning home to their families.
The state has focused on cardiac arrest response since 2023, when it introduced an Australian-first Cardiac Arrest Improvement Strategy which aims to improve the care of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients between 2023 and 2028.
‘Shocktober’ a Success
In addition to initiatives aimed at paramedics, it also introduced “Shocktober,” a public education campaign that reached 6.13 million people, trained 6,700 in CPR, and expanded the Kids Save Lives programme across Victorian schools.
Victoria has more than 7,500 publicly accessible defibrillators, significantly improving outcomes for cardiac arrest patients, who, without CPR or defibrillator intervention, have only a 5 to 10 percent chance of surviving.
A free app, called GoodSAM, which alerts people to someone in cardiac arrest nearby, is also making a difference with 17,327 registered responders and 793 cases attended by volunteers in the last year.
Integrated with the triple zero emergency service, the app connects patients with registered volunteers who can provide CPR and defibrillation until an ambulance arrives.
Ambulance Victoria’s director of research and evaluation, Ziad Nehme, praised the collective effort that has led to the state achieving its highest internationally comparable survival rate of 41 percent of patients surviving to hospital discharge.
The rise from 36 percent in 2022/23 marks the largest year-on-year increase in the past decade.
“These improvements in survival are not by chance,” Dr. Nehme said. “When CPR and defibrillation are provided quickly, survival chances increase significantly.”
Ambulance Services Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said it was gratifying to see Victorians willing to provide care to people having a heart attack.
“Minutes matter in cardiac arrests, and when a patient receives CPR and defibrillation before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival increases significantly,” she said.
