Frequency and Analysis of Emergency Physician Interventions among Persons Already Dead or Deceased during the Rescue Operation in the City of Munster (2017)

Background So far, only few studies exist in Germany on the frequency and analysis of emergency physician interventions in persons who were already dead or deceased during the rescue operation. Methods Retrospective analysis of all emergency physician protocols of the professional fire brigade Munster and all death certificates of the city of Munster in 2017. Results A total of 6635 emergency physician protocols and 3844 death certificates were evaluated. 262 emergency physician interventions related to a dying or dead person were identified in 2017, corresponding to a prevalence of 3.9% (95% CI: 3.5-4.4 %). In 63.7% (167), the emergency physician had already found the person dead on arrival. Suicides accounted for 11.1% (29), fatal traffic accidents for 0.8% (2) and the care of tumour patients in a final situation for 6.5% (17) of all rescue operations. Conclusion Emergency physician interventions among dying or deceased persons are not uncommon and often challenging.