Frequency and Clinical Characteristics of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Poland in 2023
Background and Objective
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major public health concern and, according to the 2021 European Resuscitation Council guidelines, sudden cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in Europe cprguidelines.eu
. Despite its significance, Poland lacks a comprehensive national registry for OHCA, and complete nationwide data have not been available. This study is designed to fill that gap by determining the incidence of OHCA in Poland during 2023 and describing the clinical characteristics of these cases.
Methods
Study Design: This is a retrospective observational study analyzing all OHCA events that occurred in Poland in the year 2023. The study will use de-identified patient data drawn from official emergency medical service records. Data Sources: OHCA cases will be identified from the Emergency Medical Procedure Records (Karty Medycznych Czynności Ratunkowych, KMCR) for 2023. These records will be obtained through the National Emergency Medical Services Monitoring Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Polish Medical Air Rescue. All records will be anonymized by the data providers before being released to the research team to ensure patient confidentiality. In addition, publicly available demographic statistics from Statistics Poland (GUS) will be incorporated to provide context regarding population and regional distribution. Data Analysis: The collected data will be analyzed following the standardized Utstein-style template for reporting cardiac arrest, using the latest 2024 update for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registries (as recommended by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation). This framework will ensure consistent definitions and allow benchmarking against international data. Key variables to be examined include the frequency (incidence) of OHCA, patient demographics (such as age and sex), circumstances of the arrest (e.g. location, whether it was witnessed, initial ECG rhythm), the interventions performed by bystanders and emergency medical services (such as CPR and defibrillation), and patient outcomes (including return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital admission). By adhering to the Utstein reporting guidelines, the study's findings will be comparable with other regional and international OHCA data, thereby enhancing their utility for epidemiological insight.
Significance
This study will provide the first comprehensive overview of OHCA occurrences across Poland for an entire year. The results are expected to furnish critical epidemiological data on how often cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals and what clinical factors characterize these events. Such information is essential for public health authorities and medical professionals to understand current gaps in the chain of survival, to plan targeted interventions, and to improve resuscitation outcomes. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from this nationwide analysis can guide policy and training initiatives aimed at reducing mortality from sudden cardiac arrest.
