More Lives Saved After Cardiac Arrest Thanks to Faster Help and Better Hospital Care
More Lives Saved After Cardiac Arrest Thanks to Faster Help and Better Hospital Care
Published in JAMA Cardiology – July 16, 2025
Main Points:
1. Survival Rates Improved:
From 2001 to 2020, more people survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
• Survival increased from 14.7% to 18.9%.
2. Same Number of Cases, Better Results:
The number of cases stayed the same (about 81 out of every 100,000 people), but more people survived thanks to better care.
3. More People Helping Early:
• Bystander CPR increased from 55.5% to 73.9%.
• Use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) before EMS arrived increased from 2.2% to 10.9%.
4. Better Survival in All Cases:
• People with shockable rhythms had survival rise from 35% to 47.5%.
• Even in harder-to-treat cases (nonshockable rhythms), survival improved from 6.4% to 10.1%.
5. Why This Happened:
• More people are trained to do CPR.
• AEDs are used earlier.
• Hospitals are using better treatments like cooling therapy and heart procedures.
6. What Doctors Say:
Survival improved because both the community and hospitals are doing better.
• The study shows how important early help and good hospital care are.
