Epidemiology and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Qatar : A nationwide observational study

Background Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) studies from the Middle East and Asian region are limited. This study describes the epidemiology, emergency health services, and outcomes of OHCA in Qatar. Methods This was a prospective nationwide population-based observational study on OHCA patients in Qatar according to Utstein style guidelines, from June 2012 to May 2013. Data was collected from various sources; the national emergency medical service, 4 emergency departments, and 8 public hospitals. Results The annual crude incidence of presumed cardiac OHCA attended by EMS was 23.5 per 100,000. The age-sex standardized incidence was 87.8 per 100,000 population. Of the 447 OHCA patients included in the final analysis, most were male (n = 360, 80.5%) with median age of 51 years (IQR = 39–66). Frequently observed nationalities were Qatari (n = 89, 19.9%), Indian (n = 74, 16.6%) and Nepalese (n = 52, 11.6%). Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was carried out in 92 (20.6%) OHCA patients. Survival rate was 8.1% (n = 36) and multivariable logistic regression indicated that initial shockable rhythm (OR 13.4, 95% CI 5.4–33.3, p = 0.001) was associated with higher odds of survival while male gender (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.1–0.8, p = 0.01) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.04–0.5, p = 0.02) were associated with lower odds of survival. Conclusions Standardized incidence and survival rates were comparable to Western countries. Although expatriates comprise more than 80% of the population, Qataris contributed 20% of the total cardiac arrests observed. There are significant opportunities to improve outcomes, including community-based CPR and defibrillation training.