Table 3.
Comparison of patients’ and OHCAs’ characteristics in high-incidence of COVID-19 cantons in the period 2019–2020.
| Variable | High-incidence | High-incidence | Differencea | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2019 | |||
| n = 254 | n = 323 | |||
| Males, n (%) | 178 (70.1) | 223 (69) | 1.1 (95%CI, −7 to 9) | 0.79 |
| Age, years [IQR] | 71 [58−81] | 71 [57−81] | 0 (95%CI, −4.1 to 4.1) | 1 |
| EMS arrival time, min [IQR] | 10 [7–13] | 10 [7–15] | 0 (95%CI, −0.9 to 0.9) | 1 |
| Etiology of arrest, n (%) | ||||
| Medical | 210 (82.7) | 264 (81.7) | 1 (95%CI, −5 to 7) | 0.77 |
| Trauma | 25 (9.8) | 35 (10.8) | −1 (95%CI, −5 to 2) | 0.42 |
| Drowning | 1 (0.4) | 4 (1.2) | −0.8 (95%CI, −2 to 1) | 0.25 |
| Overdose | 6 (2.4) | 8 (2.5) | −0.1 (95%CI, −3 to 2) | 0.93 |
| Electrocution | 0 (0) | 1 (0.3) | – | |
| Asphyxial (external causes) | 12 (4.7) | 11 (3.4) | 1.3 (95%CI, −2 to 5) | 0.43 |
| OHCA location, n (%) | ||||
| Home | 176 (71) | 200 (63.5) | 6.5 (95%CI, −0.1 to 15) | 0.06 |
| Nursing residence | 12 (4.8) | 13 (4.1) | 0.7 (95%CI, −3 to 4) | 0.69 |
| Workplace | 2 (0.8) | 9 (2.9) | −2.1 (95%CI, −4 to 0.2) | 0.06 |
| Street | 33 (13.3) | 40 (12.7) | 0.6 (95%CI, −5 to 6) | 0.83 |
| Public building | 16 (6.4) | 28 (8.9) | −2.5 (95%CI, −7 to 2) | 0.28 |
| Sport | 9 (3.6) | 25 (7.9) | −4.3 (95%CI, −8 to −1) | 0.03 |
| Witnessed status, n (%) | ||||
| Unwitnessed | 114 (49.6) | 140 (45.7) | −3.9 (95%CI, −5 to 12) | 0.38 |
| Bystander witnessed | 96 (41.7) | 127 (41.5) | 0.2 (95%CI, −8 to 9) | 0.96 |
| Witnessed by EMS | 19 (8.3) | 36 (11.8) | −3.5 (95%CI, −9 to 2) | 0.17 |
| Resuscitation attempted by EMS, n (%) | 161 (63.4) | 219 (67.8) | −4.4 (95%CI, −12 to 3) | 0.27 |
| Bystander CPR, n (%)b | 81 (55.1) | 115 (61.2) | −6.1 (95%CI, −17 to 5) | 0.26 |
| AED used by bystander, n (%)b | 13 (8.8) | 14 (7.4) | 1.4 (95%CI, −5 to 7) | 0.64 |
| Presence of first responder, n (%)b | 54 (36.7) | 45 (23.9) | 12.8 (95%CI, 3 to 23) | 0.01 |
| Minutes to FR arrival, min [IQR]b | 4 [1–7] | 2.5 [1–6] | 1.5 (95%CI, −0.66 to 2.66) | 0.24 |
| CPR initiated by FR, n (%)b | 44 (29.9) | 38 (20.2) | 9.7 (95%CI, 0.3 to 19) | 0.04 |
| AED used by FR, n (%)b | 25 (17) | 19 (10.1) | 6.9 (95%CI, −1 to 14) | 0.07 |
| Shockable presenting rhythm, n (%)c | 45 (27.9) | 59 (26.9) | 1 (95%CI, −8 to 10) | 0.83 |
| Minutes to ROSC, min [IQR]c | 26.5 [16–35] | 25 [19–40] | 1.5 (95%CI, −4.4 to 8.4) | 0.54 |
| Outcome, n (%)c | ||||
| Death in the field | 113 (70.2) | 139 (64.1) | 6.1 (95%CI, −3 to 16) | 0.21 |
| Transported with ongoing CPR | 13 (8.1) | 17 (7.8) | 0.3 (95%CI, −5 to 6) | 0.93 |
| Transported with ROSC | 35 (21.7) | 61 (28.1) | −6.4 (95%CI, −15 to 2) | 0.15 |
EMS: emergency medical service; OHCA: out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; CPR: cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; FR: first responder; AED: automatic external defibrillator; ROSC: return of spontaneous circulation.
a
Differences are expressed as rate difference or median difference and 95% confidence interval.
b
Among those in whom resuscitation was attempted by EMS and excluding those witnessed by EMS.
c
Among those in whom resuscitation was attempted by EMS.