The reality of rurality: Understanding the impact of remoteness on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Western Australia - A retrospective cohort study.

Abstract

Introduction: Western Australia (WA) spans a large, sparsely-populated area of Australia, presenting a challenge for the provision of Emergency Medical Service (EMS), particularly for time-critical emergencies such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Objective: To assess the impact of rurality on the epidemiology, incidence and survival of OHCA in WA.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of EMS-attended OHCA in WA from 2015 to 2022. Incidence was calculated on all OHCAs, but the study cohort for the multivariable regression analysis of rurality on survival outcomes consisted of OHCAs of medical aetiology with EMS resuscitation attempted. Rurality was categorised into four categories, derived from the Australian Standard Geographic Classification - Remoteness Areas.

Results: The age-standardised incidence of EMS-attended OHCA per 100 000 population increased with increasing remoteness: Major Cities = 104.9, Inner Regional = 123.3, Outer Regional = 138.0 and Remote = 103.9. Compared to Major Cities, the adjusted odds for return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at hospital were lower in Inner Regional (aOR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.53-0.95), Outer Regional (aOR = 0.62, 95%CI 0.45-0.86) and Remote areas (aOR = 0.52, 95%CI 0.35-0.77) but there was no statistically significant difference for 30-day survival. Relative to Major Cities, Regional and Remote areas had longer response times, shorter transport-to-hospital times, and higher rates of bystander CPR and automated external defibrillator use.

Conclusions: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in rural areas had lower odds of ROSC at hospital compared to metropolitan areas, despite adjustment for known prognostic covariates. Despite WA's highly sparse regional population, these differences in ROSC are consistent with those reported in other international studies.