To assess the initial success rate and its correlated factors on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in emergency prehospital cardiac arrest patients. The clinical information of 429 patients with cardiac arrest who underwent prehospital CPR in the fourth hospital of Hebei Medical University from Jan 2020 to Apr 2022 were evaluated. The patients were divided into the successful group (ROSC, n = 25) and the unsuccessful group (non-ROSC, n = 404) according to whether the autonomous circulation (ROSC) was resumed. The univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the differences in age, the start time of CPR, the application of electric defibrillation, and other related data between the two groups. The multivariate analysis evaluated protective factors affecting CPR's success in prehospital cardiac arrest patients. Patients with cardiogenic causes had the highest success rate of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The causes of traffic accidents and drowning account for a low proportion. Furthermore, the median CPR length was 25.0 min, alternating from 1.5 to 64 mi. The univariate analysis revealed that age, the start time of CPR, application of electric defibrillation, and adrenaline dosage were correlated with CPR attempts (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age of patients with prehospital CA, the location of prehospital CA, etiology, bystander CPR, CPR start time, defibrillation start time, tracheal intubation time, type of rhythm before resuscitation, adrenaline dosage <5 mg, and adrenaline administration time were all the influencing factors of prehospital CPR success (p < 0.01). The factors affecting CPR's success rate in prehospital CA patients are complicated. Establishing a few procedures to diminish the incidence of these risk factors is crucial.