What You Need to Know About Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests

Jan 13, 2020

Facts about out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

More than 1,000 people will suffer a non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) every day, says a 2014 report by the American Heart Association.

Among those who experience OHCA, the overall survival rate is approximately 10 percent. For younger victims, the survival rate decreases to about 5 percent.

For some, odds can increase with automated external defibrillation. According to the report, 23 percent of EMS-treated OHCA cases have initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. This means treatment with an AED could improve chances of survival.

Learn more about OHCAs below:

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults

Approximately 424,000 people experience a non-traumatic OHCA every year
Of those victims, 60 percent are treated by EMS
Having a family history of cardiac arrest or prior heart disease is a major risk factor for cardiac arrest
There’s a higher percentage (10.2 percent) of survival among those who received chest compressions alone rather than chest compressions and rescue breathing (8.5 percent)

Out of hospital cardiac arrest in youth

Nearly 9,500 children under the age of 18 suffer a non-traumatic OHCA
Following an EMS-treated non-traumatic OHCA, only about an estimated 5.4 percent of youth survive to hospital discharge
Almost 7,000 fatalities occur in children each year due to OHCA