September 27, 2025European Heart Journal

Transient anticholinergic burden and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a case-crossover study

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Case-Control. Population: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (n=173974). Intervention: Transient increase in anticholinergic burden (score ≥3) vs. No anticholinergic burden (score of 0). Primary outcome: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (OR 2.21, 95% CI 2.15-2.27).

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Key result

High transient anticholinergic burden is linked to a ~121% higher risk of OHCA.

OR 2.21
95% CI 2.15-2.27
n=173,974

Why the study?

Does a transient increase in anticholinergic burden elevate the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in middle-aged and older adults?

Key Points

Transient increases in anticholinergic burden significantly elevate the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The odds ratios for higher anticholinergic burden were notably elevated, reaching 2.21 in older adults with scores of 3 or more.
The methodology involved a nationwide case-crossover analysis using a large database across 173,974 adults aged 40 and above.
Findings support the need for careful monitoring of anticholinergic medications, particularly in older populations.

Study Design

Type

Case-Control (n=173,974)

Structured PICO

Does a transient increase in anticholinergic burden elevate the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in middle-aged and older adults?

Population

173,974 adults aged ≥40 years who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 2011 and 2021.

Exposure

Transient anticholinergic burden (score of 1-2 or ≥3) during the hazard period (days -30 to -1 before OHCA).

Comparator

Anticholinergic burden score of 0, and the participant's own burden during a randomly selected 30-day reference period (days -180 to -61).

Outcome

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)hard clinical

Main Result

Odds Ratio: 2.21 (95% CI 2.15–2.27)

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Implication

Transient increases in anticholinergic burden are associated with a dose-dependent increase in the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in middle-aged and older adults.

Cite This Study

Tsai et al. (2025) conducted a case-control in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (n=173,974). Transient increase in anticholinergic burden (score ≥3) vs. No anticholinergic burden (score of 0) was evaluated on Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (OR 2.21, 95% CI 2.15-2.27). Transient increases in anticholinergic burden (score ≥3 vs 0) significantly elevated the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in older adults (OR 2.21; 95% CI 2.15-2.27).

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d7b3e9eebfec0fc5236d3c https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf723

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Transient increases in anticholinergic burden are associated with a dose-dependent increase in the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in middle-aged and older adults.

Transient anticholinergic burden and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a case-crossover study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Transient anticholinergic burden and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a case-crossover study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider