Survival following an out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest in Japan in 2020 versus 2019 according to the cause

AIM: The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic has led to an increase in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) and mortality. However, there has been no reports in Japan using nationwide registry data. We compared survival among patients with OHCAs and detailed information on the cause during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020), and during the pre‐pandemic period (2019). METHODS: Using a Japanese population‐based retrospective cohort study design, we analyzed registry data on 39,324 and 39,170 patients with OHCAs in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We compared patient outcomes in 2019 and 2020 using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The proportion of OHCAs of cardiac origin increased significantly from 61.6% in 2019 to 62.7% in 2020 (P = 0.001). The use of bystander CPR (6.9% versus 5.7%, P < 0.001) and publicaccess automated external defibrillator pads (3.7% versus 3.0%, P < 0.001) decreased significantly from 2019 to 2020. The 1‐month survival for OHCA of cardiac origin (12.1% versus 10.7%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87–1.00), asphyxia (10.9% versus 8.8%; adjusted OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70–0.92), and external causes (adjusted OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.46–0.96), also decreased significantly from 2019 to 2020. CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, the 1‐month survival after OHCA of cardiac origin, or due to asphyxia or external causes, decreased significantly during the COVID‐19 pandemic period.