In a new report from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Register, which is part of the Regions’ Clinical Quality Development Program (RKKP), it appears that the survival rate for individuals who have had a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital is remarkably high one year after the incident. In 2022, 699 people survived the first 30 days after a cardiac arrest, and of these, 633 were still alive one year later, which corresponds to 91 percent. This is the first time that survival one year after a cardiac arrest has been examined, and the results have surprised many, including Mathias Hindborg, a physician and researcher at the Cardiology Department at Nordsjællands Hospital and a member of the steering committee for the Danish Cardiac Arrest Register.
“When you consider that it is not typically young people who have a cardiac arrest, there are many other things one could die from during that year. So the percentage is above expectations,” says Hindborg. The results underscore the importance of the efforts made on-site for cardiac arrest, as well as the subsequent treatment in the hospitals. Hindborg especially emphasizes the significance of lay rescuers and professional healthcare workers who ensure rapid and effective first aid, which increases the chances of surviving both immediately after the cardiac arrest and in the long term.
The report also shows that in 2023, there were just over 4500 sudden cardiac arrests outside of hospitals in Denmark, and 14.4 percent of these were alive 30 days later, which aligns with the international standard for survival after cardiac arrest. These encouraging figures are not only a testament to the progress in cardiac treatment and emergency medical response but also a sign that survivors of cardiac arrest can have a quality of life comparable to the rest of the population many years after the incident.