Trends in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidence, patient characteristics and survival over 18 years in Perth, Western Australia

OBJECTIVES: To investigate trends in the incidence, characteristics, and survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in the Perth metropolitan area between 2001 and 2018. METHODS: We calculated the crude incidence rate, age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and age- and sex-specific incidence rates (per 100,000 population) for OHCA of presumed cardiac aetiology. ASIRs were calculated using the direct method of standardisation using the 2001 Australian Population standard. Survival was assessed at return of spontaneous circulation at emergency department arrival and at 30 days. Temporal trends in patient and arrest characteristics were assessed with logistic regression, while trends in incidence were assessed using Joinpoint regression. Survival trends were assessed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 18,417 OHCAs of presumed cardiac aetiology were attended by emergency medical services in Perth between 2001 and 2018. Overall, there were no significant changes in the crude or ASIR of OHCA over the study period, although OHCA incidence in 15–39 year-old males increased by 12.5% annually between 2011 and 2018. Both bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and bystander defibrillation increased over the study period, while the proportion of shockable arrests declined. Thirty-day OHCA survival improved significantly over time, with the odds of survival (in bystander-witnessed, initial shockable rhythm arrests) improving 12% (95% CI, 9.0% to 14.0%) annually, from 8.4% in 2001 to 44.0% in 2018. CONCLUSION: Overall, there were no significant trends in OHCA incidence over the study period, although arrests in 15–39 year-old males increased significantly after 2011. There were significant improvements in 30-day survival between 2001 and 2018.