Key result
COVID-19 pandemic linked to ~41% lower favorable neurological recovery after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Why the study?
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected EMS responses to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but its impact on EMS responses and outcomes in South Korea was unclear.
Observational (n=1,954)
Yes
Absolute Event Rate: 3.57% vs 6.06%
p-value: p=<0.001
OHCA outcomes worsened during COVID-19; retrospective data leave open whether system disruptions drove the association and warrant prospective study.
BACKGROUND: Since the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, COVID-19 has affected the responses of emergency medical service (EMS) systems to cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA in an area of South Korea. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of adult OHCA patients attended by EMS providers comparing the EMS responses to and outcomes of adult OHCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to those during the pre-COVID-19 period. Propensity score matching was used to compare the survival rates, and logistic regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the survival of OHCA patients. RESULTS: < 0.001) decreased. In the propensity score matching analysis of the impact of COVID-19, odds ratios of 0.768 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.592-0.995) for survival at admission and 0.693 (95% CI, 0.446-1.077) for survival to discharge were found. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 period, there were significant changes in the EMS responses to OHCA. These changes are considered to be partly due to social distancing measures. As a result, the proportion of patients with an initial shockable rhythm in the COVID-19 period was greater than that in the pre-COVID-19 period, but the final survival rate and favorable neurological outcome were lower.
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Lim et al. (2021) conducted an observational in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (n=1,954). COVID-19 pandemic period vs. Pre-COVID-19 period was evaluated on Favorable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category 1 or 2) (p=<0.001). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of favorable neurological outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients significantly decreased from 6.06% to 3.57% compared to the pre-pandemic period.
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