Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
Sudden cardiac arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-year prospective evaluation in a North American community
Authors' conclusion
Overall SCA rates remained consistently higher and survival outcomes consistently lower, with exaggerated effects during COVID infection peaks. This longer evaluation uncovered higher increases in SCA incidence among Hispanics, with worse resuscitation profiles.
Study context
- Population
- Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) cases, Ventura County, California (2020 population 843,843; 44.1% Hispanic)
- Participants
- 2,222 out-of-hospital SCA cases
- Exposure
- COVID-19 pandemic vs prior 4 years
- Pandemicn = 907
- Prepandemicn = 1,315reference
- Outcome
- SCA incidence and outcomes
Methodological detailscommunity-based
- Community-based
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pandemic
54 per 100,000
95% CI 50–57
Prepandemic
39 per 100,000
95% CI 37–41
P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Age-standardized annual SCA incidence, Hispanics (subgroup)
- Incidence increased by 77%, from 38 per 100,000 (95% CI 34-43) prepandemic to 68 per 100,000 (95% CI 60-76) during the pandemic
- P < 0.001
Age-standardized annual SCA incidence, non-Hispanics (subgroup)
- Incidence increased by 26%, from 39 per 100,000 (95% CI 37-42) prepandemic to 50 per 100,000 (95% CI 46-54) during the pandemic
- P < 0.001
SCA survival
- Survival significantly reduced during the pandemic, 15% to 10%
- P < 0.001
Bystander CPR during the pandemic, Hispanics vs non-Hispanics
- Hispanics less likely to receive bystander CPR (45% vs 55%)
- P = 0.005
Shockable presenting rhythm during the pandemic, Hispanics vs non-Hispanics
- Hispanics less likely to present with shockable rhythm (15% vs 24%)
- P = 0.003
Original publication
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