Medicine (Baltimore). 2026 Jun 12;105(24):e49211. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000049211.
ABSTRACT
The transition from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic to the endemic phase was accompanied by strict infection control measures and changes in hospital resource allocation, which may have influenced the characteristics and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). This study investigated changes in patient demographics, arrest location, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcomes following the transition to the post-pandemic era. We retrospectively analyzed adult patients with IHCA at a tertiary hospital during the pandemic period (January-December 2023) and the post-pandemic (endemic) period (January-November 2024). We compared baseline characteristics, including age, sex, and cardiac arrest location, as well as outcomes such as return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge, and neurological status assessed by the Cerebral Performance Category. A total of 460 patients were included (pandemic period: n = 279; endemic period: n = 181). The mean age of patients significantly decreased from 61.7 ± 23.6 years in the pandemic period to 56.0 ± 28.9 years in the endemic period (P = .025). A significant shift in arrest location was observed (P = .003), with a reduction in the number of ward-based cardiac arrests (48.0% vs 32.6%) and a corresponding increase in the number of intensive care unit (ICU) arrests (35.8% vs 48.1%). The return of spontaneous circulation rate increased from 53.2% to 64.1% (P = .093), which was not statistically significant. Survival to discharge rates remained comparable between the 2 periods (40.2% vs 34.9%, P = .488). The post-pandemic period was characterized by a younger IHCA population and a redistribution of arrest locations from general wards to ICUs. Although initial resuscitation success showed an improving trend, potentially associated with better resource availability and location, overall survival remained unchanged. These findings highlight the need to prioritize the optimization of post-resuscitation care and resource utilization strategies, particularly within ICU settings, to improve long-term survival outcomes following IHCA in the post-pandemic era.
PMID:42299557 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000049211