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The following is a summary of “Cardiac Arrest Management in United States Emergency Departments During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020,” published in the April 2025 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine by Torres et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare emergency department (ED) cardiac arrest management between individuals suspected and not suspected of COVID-19 early in the 2020 pandemic.  

They analyzed cardiac arrest cases across 20 geographically diverse academic EDs in the United States from May 2020 to December 2020. Cardiac arrest management, including chest compressions, defibrillation/cardioversion, and airway management, was evaluated based on suspected COVID-19 status. Percentage point differences, proportion tests, and 95% CI were used to assess variations in treatment approaches.  

The results showed that 1,143 cardiac arrest events were managed by 437 physicians or advanced practice providers. Among 183 (16%) individuals suspected of COVID-19, 34 (19%) had laboratory confirmation, while 149 (81%) were identified by clinical assessment. The proportions receiving chest compressions were 16.4% in suspected cases and 13.5% in non-suspected cases (difference 2.9% [95% CI, −3.3 to 9.0]). Defibrillation/cardioversion was performed in 7.1% of suspected and 5.3% of non-suspected cases (a difference of 1.8% [95% CI, −2.5 to 6.1]). The rate of failure to achieve a return of spontaneous circulation was 62.3% in suspected cases and 67.1% in non-suspected cases (difference −4.8% [95% CI, −12.7 to 3.2]). Full-barrier personal protective equipment was used more frequently in suspected cases (61.8% versus 54.9%, a difference of 8.1% [95% CI, 0.7% to 15.5]).  

Investigators concluded that despite potential early pandemic exposure risks for ED personnel, the cardiac arrest management of patients suspected and not suspected of COVID-19 was comparable. 

Source: annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(25)00072-1/fulltext