Cardiac Arrest and COVID-19

The risk factors and potential consequences associated with COVID-19 are still being discovered and understood. The illness has been linked to a number of potentially related health issues, while numerous risk factors are known to intensify the possibility of severe COVID-19 cases.

Cardiovascular problems, including cardiac arrest, have been observed in critically ill COVID-19 patients. To determine the extent to which cardiovascular health impacts COVID-19 patients, researchers developed a study to evaluate incidence, risk, and outcomes associated with both in-hospital cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The Study

Critically ill adults from across the United States were included in this multicenter cohort study. In all, intensive care unit patients from 68 hospitals were included, all of which had confirmed cases of COVID-19. This totaled 5,019 patients.

Researchers were measuring two main outcomes—cardiac arrest occurring in the hospital within 14 days of admission to intensive care and in-hospital mortality.

Findings

In-hospital cardiac arrest was not uncommon among COVID-19 patients, with 14% experiencing this outcome within 14 days of intensive care unit admission. Of the patients who suffered cardiac arrest, 57.1% received cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

There were numerous characteristics associated with patients who experienced cardiac arrest. They tended to be older than other patients (mean age of 63) and have more comorbidities. Hospitals with fewer intensive care unit beds were more likely to have patients experience in-hospital cardiac arrest, as well.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered more frequently to younger patients. Among patients who received this intervention, only 12% survived to hospital discharge. Further, only 7% did so with a neurological status of normal or mildly impaired.

Survival to discharge rates varied by age. Patients younger than 45 years of age saw a 21.2% rate of discharge, while only 2.9% of patients 80 years or older survived to discharge.

What it Means

Critically ill patients with COVID-19 commonly experience cardiac arrest. Those who do face negative outcomes, including poor survival rates. This is especially true among older patients.

While this information is dire, it provides the data necessary to improve diagnoses and treatments in the future, especially among patients identified as having a higher risk of in-hospital cardiac arrest and the accompanying outcomes.

It also creates a foundation from which to work toward much-needed answers regarding COVID-19 and its effects on the human body.