Recognizing the fastest growing cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Deaths due to opioid overdose have increased steadily in the past two decades with an incidence of 25 per 100,000 population in 2021. [1] Opioid toxicity, particularly from synthetic opioids other than methadone, accounts for over 75% of these deaths, with a peak incidence between 35-44 years of age.[1] Death due to opioid toxicity therefore approximates one third the incidence of emergency medical service (EMS) treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) based on the 2019 Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) data.
Source: Resuscitation - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research