Cardiac Arrest in the Young Is More Frequent than Expected

To determine the incidence, causes, and outcomes of cardiovascular-related sudden cardiac arrest in young people, researchers reviewed prehospital records, defibrillator recordings, hospital records, autopsy reports, and death certificates for patients aged zero to 35 years treated by the King County, Washington, emergency medical services (EMS) system from 1980 through 2009. Patients with trauma, respiratory failure, drowning, and sudden infant death syndrome were excluded.

Of 2660 cardiac arrests in patients in this age group, 361 met the study criteria. Average overall incidence was 2.28 per 100,000 person-years; incidence was lowest in the 3- to 13-year age group and highest in the 25- to 35-year group. Congenital heart disease was the p…