COVID-19 Testing Among Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients: Implications for Public Health.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare COVID-19 test positivity among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients whose resuscitative efforts were terminated in the field with the surrounding community.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients for whom unsuccessful resuscitative efforts were terminated in the field. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel obtained postmortem COVID-19 nasal swab specimens from these patients between July 1, 2020 and February 28, 2022 to facilitate patient contact tracing and awareness of potential occupational exposure.

Decreases in out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcome metrics persist when known COVID patients are excluded from analysis.

Objective: A decline in OHCA performance metrics during the pandemic has been reported in the literature but the cause is still not known. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) observed a decline in both the rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the proportion of resuscitations that resulted in cerebral performance category (CPC) 1 or 2 discharge of the patient beginning in March of 2020. This study examines whether the decline in these performance metrics persists when known COVID positive patients are excluded from the analysis.