Exercise‐Related Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest Among the General Population in the Era of Public‐Access Defibrillation: A Population‐Based Observation in Japan

BACKGROUND: Exercise can trigger sudden cardiac arrest. Early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use by laypersons could maximize the survival rate following exercise‐related out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS AND RESULTS: OHCA data between 2005 and 2012 were obtained from a prospective population‐based OHCA registry in Osaka Prefecture. Patients with OHCA of presumed cardiac origin and occurring before emergency medical service personnel arrival were included. The incidence trends of exercise‐related OHCA over the 8‐year study period were assessed. Among patients with bystander‐witnessed, exercise‐related OHCA, the trends in the initiation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, public‐access defibrillation, and outcome were evaluated. The primary outcome was 1‐month survival with favorable neurological outcome, defined as cerebral performance category 1 or 2. During the study period, 0.7% of OHCAs of cardiac origin (222/31 030) were exercise related. The incidence of exercise‐related OHCA increased from 1.8 (per million population per year) in 2005 to 4.3 in 2012. Of these, 83.8% (186/222) were witnessed by bystanders. Among the patients with bystander‐witnessed, exercise‐related OHCA, the proportion that received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (50.0% in 2005 and 86.2% in 2012) and public‐access defibrillation (7.1% in 2005 and 62.1% in 2012) significantly increased during the study period. Furthermore, the rate of 1‐month survival with favorable neurological outcome among these patients significantly improved (from 28.6% in 2005 to 58.6% in 2012). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate of exercise‐related OHCA was low in the study population. The increase in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and public‐access defibrillation rates were associated with improved outcome among patients with bystander‐witnessed, exercise‐related OHCA.