Improving survival and neurologic function for younger age groups after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Sweden : a 20-year comparison

• Objective: To describe changes in the epidemiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Sweden with the emphasis on the younger age groups.Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Sweden.Patients: Patients were recruited from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation from 1990 to 2012. Only non-crew-witnessed cases were included.Intervention: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.Measurement and Main Results: The endpoint was 30-day survival. Cerebral function among survivors was estimated according to the cerebral performance category scores. In all, 50,879 patients in the survey had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, of which 1,321 (2.6%) were 21 years old or younger and 1,543 (3.0%) were 22-35 years old. On the basis of results from 2011 and 2012, we estimated that there are 4.9 cases per 100,000 person-years in the age group 0-21 years. The highest survival was found in the 13- to 21-year age group (12.6%). Among patients 21 years old or younger, the following were associated with an increased chance of survival: increasing age, male gender, witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, ventricular-fibrillation, and a short emergency medical service response time. Among patients 21 years old or younger, there was an increase in survival from 6.2% in 1992-1998 to 14.0% in 2007-2012. Among 30-day survivors, 91% had a cerebral performance category score of 1 or 2 (good cerebral performance or moderate cerebral disability) at hospital discharge.Conclusions: In Sweden, among patients 21 years old or younger, five out-of-hospital cardiac arrests per 100,000 person-years occur and survival in this patient group has more than doubled during the past two decades. The majority of survivors have good or relatively good cerebral function.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Anestesi och intensivvård (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (hsv//eng)

Keyword

children

out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

outcome

Health and Welfare

Hälsa och välfärd

Människan i vården

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)