'Significantly higher' than previous estimates: New analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests adds tens of thousands to yearly total

A new analysis using the latest national data on cardiac arrests has found the number of out-of-hospital arrests is “significantly higher” than previous estimates, at approximately 60,000 a year or one cardiac arrest every nine minutes.“For years our best annual estimates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests fluctuated around 35,000,” wrote the authors of Every second counts: Transforming resuscitation to restart more hearts, a report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. “However, using up-to-date data from the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (CanROC), a nationally representative analysis was carried out by Heart & Stroke and reviewed by leading Canadian resuscitation experts, revealing that the number is significantly higher at approximately 60,000 cardiac arrests in Canada.”Surprisingly, added the authors, nearly half of these cardiac arrests happen to patients under the age of 65.The report cited a number of likely reasons for the higher number: the data used is from 2021— during the peak of the pandemic and opioid crises—and the country’s population is aging and growing.“Age is a risk factor for heart disease,” wrote the authors. “Increasing prevalence of health-related risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes may be playing a role, as could environmental risk factors such as air pollution.”In most communities, there’s a one-in-ten chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This represents a doubling of survival rates over the past several decades, notes the report, but “they are still much lower than they could be.”Improvements in cardiopulmonary resuscitation approaches—by both first responders and lay bystanders—have helped boost survival rates. Many of today’s paramedics, for example, focus on training and measuring indicators such as rate and depth of chest compression.Read: Need to know about live saving CPR? A new study says it’s probably wise not to ask Alexa or SiriHaving lay bystanders apply CPR with the guidance of a trained 9-1-1 dispatcher has also led to improvements in the quantity and quality of CPR. One Canadian study cited in the report showed that dispatcher-assisted CPR coaching increased bystander CPR rates to 26% from 17%.“Encouraging lay responders to focus on hands-only CPR (no mouth-to-mouth breaths) is another advance that encouraged action and improved CPR,” noted the report.There continue to be disparities in who gets CPR. Women, for one, are less likely than men to be resuscitated in public places by lay responders. A recent analysis of Canadian and U.S. data by the Montreal Heart Institute found that when cardiac arrests happened in a public location, 61% of women received CPR from a bystander compared with 68% of men.Earlier studies have also pointed to socio-economic status as a possible factor in bystander CPR rates as well as cardiac arrest survival rates. In one study, researchers found that every $100,000-increase in residential property values translated to a higher likelihood of receiving CPR from a bystander.Read: Rounder hearts predict future heart failure, a-fibAnother study established a link between a higher incidence of cardiac arrest and lower-income neighbourhoods.“Much more needs to be done to address health inequities at every level,” wrote the report authors.The report emphasized the need for a national cardiac arrest registry, which it said would provide the data needed to improve the system response. This data would include patient characteristics, bystander responses, CPR quality, use of an automated external defibrillator, paramedic response times and techniques, and how many people survive with good outcomes.Heart & Stroke also called for more cutting-edge research and innovative projects. Among other things, there’s a need to better understand of why some people recover with good outcomes while others sustain more damage or don’t survive at all.The report gave examples of technology worth exploring, including drones to deliver defibrillators to hard-to-reach locations, wearable technologies that can detect a cardiac arrest before it happens and artificial intelligence that can help dispatchers by providing fast and accurate advice on CPR.“Enhanced 9-1-1 systems can provide dispatchers with video of the scene to guide lay responders and coach them to perform more effective CPR,” the report added. “Apps have potential to improve emergency response, and digital resources can provide support to people impacted by cardiac arrest.”Read: A young nurse suffered cardiac arrest while training on the condition. Fellow nurses saved her life

'Significantly higher' than previous estimates: New analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests adds tens of thousands to yearly total

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics