New data reveals decrease in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates in England

Recent findings from the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes Registry, funded by Resuscitation Council UK and British Heart Foundation, indicate a decline in survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England. The analysis, conducted by the University of Warwick Clinical Trials Unit using data from all English regional ambulance services, reveals that less than 8% of patients survive to 30 days after experiencing such an event. Despite over 70% of cases receiving CPR from the public, public-access defibrillator utilization remains low, highlighting the need for increased CPR awareness and wider defibrillator usage. Key findings also show that the majority of cardiac arrests occur in men, predominantly in homes, stressing the importance of community-based interventions such as bystander CPR and defibrillator use to improve patient outcomes.