Photo Credit: mkitina4
The following is a summary of “Outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in nursing and care homes: a cohort study,” published in the February 2025 issue of Emergency Medicine by Battin et al.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) primarily impacts older adults (OAs), with individuals in nursing homes often being elderly and living with significant comorbidities.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to define the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of individuals who sustained an OHCA in nursing and care home settings in England.
They assessed individuals aged 18 years or older between 2015 and 2021, with a documented location of a nursing or care home from the ‘OHCA Outcomes’ registry for England. Descriptive statistics were presented, and group comparisons were made using a χ2 test.
The results showed 4,779 individuals were included, with 2,474 (52.5%) being female and 3,910 (81.8%) aged ≥70. Cardiac arrest was observed by a bystander in 51.1% (n=2,390) of cases. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed in 80.2% (n=3,698) of cases, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was used in 77.7% (n=331) when available. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved at any time in 1614 (36.7%), while 1061 (22.3%) sustained ROSC to hospital handover. Survival to hospital dismissal or 30 days was reported in 97 (2.1%) individuals, with decreasing survival and sustained ROSC as age increased.
Investigators concluded that survival after an OHCA in nursing homes was low despite high rates of key interventions.
Source: emj.bmj.com/content/early/2025/02/02/emermed-2024-214362
