Most people who suffer cardiac arrest at home do not survive, data shows

The vast majority of people who suffer cardiac arrest at home or in a public place still do not survive, recent data shows.

Analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in England by the University of Warwick's Clinical Trials Unit found that fewer than one in twelve patients (7.8 percent) survive 30 days.

Campaigners called for more people to learn life-saving techniques and become more aware of defibrillators, which can restart the heart.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the immediate loss of all heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. Breathing stops and the person becomes unconscious.

Immediate treatment – ​​such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or use of a defibrillator – can help people survive, but most die.

The new data for 2022, based on figures from all English ambulance services and shared with the PA news agency, shows that ambulance services performed CPR on 34,407 patients in England following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Two-thirds of cardiac arrests occurred in men, about 80 percent occurred in people's homes and 13 percent in a public place, and the average patient age was 65 years.

A quarter of patients had their hearts restarted by the time they reached hospital, but fewer than one survived for a month, which is a slight decrease from 2021 data.

Citizens performed CPR in more than 70 percent of the cases, but used a defibrillator accessible to the public in less than one in ten cases. Both figures represent an increase compared to 2021.

The Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes Registry, from which the data is drawn, is funded by the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Dr. Christopher Smith, clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School and co-principal investigator of the registry, said the figures show survival remains low.

“Cardiac arrest is the most serious and time-critical medical emergency, but much can be done to improve patient outcomes,” he said.

“In particular, there is a need for better coordination and implementation of community-based interventions, such as bystander CPR and the use of publicly accessible defibrillators.”

James Cant, CEO of the Resuscitation Council UK, said: 'We want to save more lives and reduce the devastating impact of cardiac arrest on patients and their families.

“This report sheds crucial light on trends in survival, resuscitation and defibrillators, allowing us to take a data-driven approach to saving more lives.”

Judy O'Sullivan, director of health innovation programs at the BHF, said: 'Every second is crucial when someone goes into cardiac arrest. Rapid resuscitation and defibrillation can be the difference between life and death.

'These figures expose the worryingly low survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and show that too many opportunities are being missed to help save a life. We have to change this.

'It's important to have the confidence to perform CPR and use a defibrillator.

“Our free, interactive RevivR training tool can teach you the lifesaving skills of CPR and how to use a defibrillator in just 15 minutes, and can ultimately help save the life of a loved one.”