Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study

Effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation type on 1-month survival in drowning following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in natural water bodies: a nationwide retrospective cohort study

ResuscitationPublished

  • nationwide retrospective cohort study
  • Utstein style database and the Emergency Transport Registry of Japan
  • multivariable logistic regression

Authors' conclusion

In cases of drowning following OHCA in natural water bodies, both conventional CPR and hands-only CPR indicated a beneficial causal effect on 1-month survival compared to no-BCPR, with conventional CPR showing greater causal effect. These findings support prioritizing conventional CPR for drowning following OHCA in natural water bodies.

Study context

Population
Cases of drowning following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in natural water bodies (e.g., sea, river/pond), Japan, 2016 to 2022patients eligible for analysis · no-BCPR 2,633 · hands-only CPR 1,049 · conventional CPR 232
Participants
3,914 cases
Exposure
bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) type: conventional CPR and hands-only CPR compared with no-BCPR
  • no-BCPRn = 2,633reference
  • hands-only CPRn = 1,049
  • conventional CPRn = 232

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

1-month survival · 1 month
positively associated
Each group vs no-BCPRAdjusted odds ratio (95% CI)
conventional CPR
3.70(2.31–5.93)
hands-only CPR
1.74(1.19–2.54)
hands-only CPR and conventional CPR was positively associated with 1-month survival (AOR [95% CI])
2.13 [1.41-3.23]

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Original publication

Effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation type on 1-month survival in drowning following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in natural water bodies: a nationwide retrospective cohort study. Resuscitation. Published 1 April 2026. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111079

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it