TABLE 2.
Patient characteristics stratified by year
| Variable | Years 2016 to 2019 N = 316,309 | Year 2020 N = 124,129 | p value | Standardized difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean, SD) | 63.8 (16.9) | 63.6 (17.0) | <0.001 | 0.01 |
| % female | 119,720 (37.85%) | 46,918 (37.80%) | 0.752 | <0.01 |
| Race or ethnicity | ||||
| White | 158,675 (50.156%) | 63,809 (51.41%) | ||
| Black | 71,113 (22.48%) | 28,514 (22.97%) | ||
| Hispanic | 18,625 (5.89%) | 9826 (7.92%) | <0.001 | 0.13 |
| Asian | 9252 (2.92%) | 3888 (3.13%) | ||
| Other/unknown | 58,644 (18.53%) | 18,092 (14.57%) | ||
| Location category | ||||
| Home/residence | 219,832 (69.50%) | 91,815 (73.97%) | ||
| Nursing home/health care facility | 47,628 (15.06%) | 17,745 (14.30%) | <0.001 | 0.12 |
| Public | 48,849 (15.44%) | 14,569 (11.74%) | ||
| Arrest witnessed status | ||||
| Unwitnessed | 157,295 (49.73%) | 61,679 (49.69%) | ||
| Witnessed by 911 responder | 39,933 (12.62%) | 16,119 (12.99%) | 0.007 | 0.01 |
| Witnessed by bystander | 119,070 (37.64%) | 46,325 (37.32%) | ||
| Missing | 11 (0.00%) | 6 (0.00%) | ||
| Presumed cardiac arrest etiology | ||||
| Cardiac (presumed) | 262,743 (83.07%) | 101,210 (81.54%) | ||
| Respiratory/asphyxia | 28,458 (9.00%) | 11,492 (9.26%) | ||
| Drug overdose | 15,336 (4.85%) | 7991 (6.44%) | <0.001 | 0.08 |
| Exsanguination or hemorrhage | 1911 (0.60%) | 996 (0.80%) | ||
| Drowning/submersion | 1619 (0.51%) | 560 (0.45%) | ||
| Electrocution | 202 (0.06%) | 101 (0.08%) | ||
| Other | 6040 (1.91%) | 1779 (1.43%) | ||
| Who first performed CPR* | ||||
| Bystander | 91,981 (39.45%) | 36,691 (39.98%) | ||
| EMS | 62,084 (26.63%) | 24,009 (26.16%) | 0.002 | <0.01 |
| First responder | 79,059 (33.91%) | 31,047 (33.83%) | ||
| Unknown | 43 (0.02%) | 29 (0.03%) | ||
| Bystander CPR (*Bystander witnessed OHCA events only also excluding EMS‐witnessed and nursing home/health care facility events) | ||||
| All locations | 49,431 (47.96%); N = 103,058 | 19,482 (47.89%); N = 40,682 | 0.153 | <0.01 |
| Public location only | 13,964 (55.97%); N = 24,948 | 3702 (53.85%); N = 6875 | 0.007 | 0.04 |
| Home location only | 35,467 (45.41%); N = 78,110 | 15,780 (46.68%); N = 33,807 | <0.001 | 0.03 |
| Was an AED applied before EMS? | ||||
| No | 224,138 (70.86%) | 90,886 (73.22%) | ||
| Yes, with defibrillation | 23,103 (7.30%) | 7458 (6.01%) | <0.001 | 0.05 |
| Yes, without defibrillation | 69,056 (21.83%) | 25,783 (20.77%) | ||
| Was bystander AED applied before EMS in a public location? | ||||
| No | 38,048 (88.11%) | 11,700 (91.02%) | ||
| Yes | 5134 (11.89%) | 1154 (8.98%) | <0.001 | 0.10 |
| First documented rhythm category | ||||
| Asystole | 155,848 (49.27%) | 65,608(52.85%) | ||
| Idioventricular/PEA | 69,664 (22.02%) | 27,677 (22.30%) | ||
| Unknown unshockable | 30,449 (9.63%) | 10,126 (8.16%) | ||
| Ventricular fibrillation | 43,024 (13.60%) | 14,871 (11.98%) | <0.001 | 0.09 |
| Ventricular tachycardia | 4073 (1.29%) | 1562 (1.26%) | ||
| Unknown shockable | 13,215 (4.18%) | 4273 (3.44%) | ||
| Missing | 36 (0.01%) | 12 (0.01%) | ||
| Survived to hospital admission | ||||
| No | 226,800 (71.70%) | 94,340 (76.00%) | <0.001 | 0.10 |
| Yes | 89,509 (28.30%) | 29,789 (24.00%) | ||
| Died in the field (Yes) | 113,986 (36.04%) | 53,496 (43.10%) | <0.001 | 0.14 |
| Final outcome | ||||
| CPC = 1 | 21,064 (6.66%) | 7131 (5.74%) | ||
| CPC = 2 | 5861 (1.85%) | 1643 (1.32%) | ||
| CPC = 3 | 3467 (1.10%) | 1203 (0.97%) | <0.001 | 0.06 |
| CPC = 4 | 2776 (0.88%) | 1096 (0.88%) | ||
| Died | 283,141 (89.51%) | 113,056 (91.08%) | ||
| Discharge location | ||||
| Home/residence | 20,887 (6.60%) | 7215 (5.81%) | ||
| Rehabilitation facility | 5387 (1.70%) | 1563 (1.26%) | <0.001 | 0.06 |
| Skilled nursing facility | 6894 (2.18%) | 2295 (1.85%) | ||
Abbreviations: AED, automated external defibrillator; CPC, cerebral performance category; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; EMS, emergency medical services; OHCA; out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest; PEA, pulseless electrical activity.