Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33137418›Full record

SynthesisResuscitation2020

Incidence and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the COVID-19 era: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zheng Jie Lim, Mallikarjuna Ponnapa Reddy, Afsana Afroz, Baki Billah, Kiran Shekar, Ashwin Subramaniam

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Resuscitation, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
109citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
31.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

109 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 194 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
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  8. Trial
  9. Efficacy of prehospital amiodarone on survival in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective observational study.Journal of critical care medicine (Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie din Targu-Mures) · 2026
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49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Zheng Jie LimDepartment of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Ballarat Health Services, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: zhengjie.lim@icloud.com.
Mallikarjuna Ponnapa ReddyDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Calvary Hospital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Afsana AfrozDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Baki BillahDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kiran ShekarAdult Intensive Care Services and Critical Care Research Group, The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland University of Technology Brisbane and Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Ashwin SubramaniamDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Peninsula Health, Frankston, Victoria, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Monash University · AUBallarat Health Services · AUBond University · AUCalvary Hospital · AUPeninsula Health · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe impact of COVID-19 on pre-hospital and hospital services and hence on the prevalence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) remain unclear. The review aimed to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence, process, and outcomes of OHCA.

methodsA systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, and pre-print websites was performed. Studies reporting comparative data on OHCA within the same jurisdiction, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Study quality was assessed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

resultsTen studies reporting data from 35,379 OHCA events were included. There was a 120% increase in OHCA events since the pandemic. Time from OHCA to ambulance arrival was longer during the pandemic (p = 0.036). While mortality (OR = 0.67, 95%-CI 0.49-0.91) and supraglottic airway use (OR = 0.36, 95%-CI 0.27-0.46) was higher during the pandemic, automated external defibrillator use (OR = 1.78 95%-CI 1.06-2.98), return of spontaneous circulation (OR = 1.63, 95%CI 1.18-2.26) and intubation (OR = 1.87, 95%-CI 1.12--3.13) was more common before the pandemic. More patients survived to hospital admission (OR = 1.75, 95%-CI 1.42-2.17) and discharge (OR = 1.65, 95%-CI 1.28-2.12) before the pandemic. Bystander CPR (OR = 1.18, 95%-CI 0.95-1.46), unwitnessed OHCA (OR = 0.84, 95%-CI 0.66-1.07), paramedic-resuscitation attempts (OR = 1.19 95%-CI 1.00-1.42) and mechanical CPR device use (OR = 1.57 95%-CI 0.55-4.55) did not defer significantly.

conclusionsThe incidence and mortality following OHCA was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were significant variations in resuscitation practices during the pandemic. Research to define optimal processes of pre-hospital care during a pandemic is urgently required. REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42020203371).

Indexed as

Emergency Medical ServicesPandemicsRegistriesCardiopulmonary ResuscitationCOVID-19Global HealthHumansIncidenceOut-of-Hospital Cardiac ArrestSARS-CoV-2Cardiac arrestCOVID-19OHCAOut of hospitalSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID33137418
PMCPMC7603976
OpenAlexW3096379983

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.