Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study
Sex differences in OHCA outcomes are driven by arrest circumstances rather than different Emergency Medical Services (EMS) treatment: a nationwide registry study from Norway 2015 to 2024
- retrospective 10-year cohort study
- multivariable regression analysis
- nationwide registry (Norwegian Cardiac Arrest Registry, Norwegian Cardiac Arrest Registry (NorCAR))
Authors' conclusion
We found differences in baseline characteristics and treatment performed by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) between women and men, as well as differences in survived event and survival to 30 days. Differences in EMS treatment did not seem to be related to the patient's sex. We did, however, find sex differences in survived event and survival to 30 days unexplained by our included variables.
Study context
- Population
- EMS-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) cases in Norway, 2015–2024cases of EMS-treated OHCA
- Participants
- 27,621 participants
- Exposure
- sex in relation to clinically important variables such as bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of defibrillator, survived event and survival to 30 days
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Women comprised 32% of the cohort
32%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Location of cardiac arrest and initial shockable rhythm
- Women presented with cardiac arrest at different locations than men and had significantly lower rates of initial shockable rhythm
EMS treatment (cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) duration, advanced airway, adrenalin)
- Differences in treatment related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) duration, use of advanced airway and use of adrenalin
Bystander CPR
- Higher rates of bystander CPR for women compared to men
Survived event and survival to 30 days
- Higher Odds Ratio (OR) of survived event for women
- Survival to 30 days was lower
- adjusted for known covariates
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it