In a recent report from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Register, which is part of the Regions’ Clinical Quality Development Program (RRKP), it is revealed that 91 percent of those who survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2022 were still alive one year later. This is the first time that survival one year after cardiac arrest has been examined, and the results are surprisingly positive. In 2022, 699 people survived the first 30 days after a cardiac arrest outside the hospital, and of these, 633 were still alive one year later. These numbers indicate a significant success rate and underscore the importance of fast and effective first aid for cardiac arrest cases.
Mathias Hindborg, a doctor and researcher at the Cardiology Department at Nordsjællands Hospital and a member of the steering committee of the Danish Cardiac Arrest Register, expressed surprise at the high survival rates. “When you consider that it is typically not young people who suffer from cardiac arrest, there are many other things one can die from within that year. So the rate is above expectations,” he says. The report also highlights the importance of the on-site response to cardiac arrests as well as the subsequent treatment at the hospital.
Hindborg points out that defibrillators, which assist in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and retrieve AEDs (automated external defibrillators), play a critical role in saving lives. Similarly, the professional treatment that follows is crucial for the patient’s survival and quality of life. Furthermore, the report reveals that in 2023, there were slightly above 4500 sudden cardiac arrests outside the hospital in Denmark, of which 14.4 percent were alive after 30 days. This number is in line with the international standard for survival after cardiac arrest.
These encouraging results are not only a testament to the effectiveness of emergency interventions for cardiac arrests but also to the long-term quality of life that many survivors experience. Studies in Denmark have shown that individuals who have survived a cardiac arrest often have a quality of life comparable to the rest of the population, even many years after the incident.