Cardiac Arrests of Non-Cardiac Origin in Slovenia: What Has Changed in 2022/2023 as Compared to 2010/2011?

Background: Cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of natural death in Europe and thus presents a growing burden on both our society and healthcare system. There has been very little research done on cardiac arrests of non-cardiac origin despite their increasing incidence, as they represent a heterogenous group of patients in which the type and outcome of treatment vary depending on the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest. Aim: The aim of our study is to research how the Slovenian healthcare system has worked and currently works in the field of cardiac arrests of non-cardiac origin. Methods: Our study was descriptive and retrospective. We compared 2 time periods, 2010/2011 and 2022/2023. Our sample included all patients admitted to Centre for Intensive Internal Medicine (CIIM) during these periods after either out-of-hospital or in-hospital cardiac arrest of non-cardiac origin. Results: The incidence of all cardiac arrests of non-cardiac origin was higher in 2022/2023 (Hi-squared test, p=0.021), while the incidence of those that occured in-hospital was lower in 2022/2023 (Hi-squared test, p=0.007). The number of male patients was higher in the second period (Hi-squared test, p=0.013). The age of the patients did not differ significantly between the two periods (Student's t-test, p>0.05). ICU stay was longer in the second period (Mann Whitney U test, p=0.027). The number of tests performed was higher and treatment was more aggressive in the second period than in the first period. Patient survival was higher in the second period in the in-hospital cardiac arrest of non-cardiac origin group (Student's t-test, p=0.048). Conclusion: The incidence of cardiac arrest of non-cardiac origin in Slovenia has been increasing through the years. Better hospital treatment results in better overall survival and a lower incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrests. More patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are nowadays being resuscitated by lay bystanders in the field, so patients' survival to hospital admission is higher. The proportion of male patients is increasing, age is not changing significantly. Despite better diagnosis processes, new treatments and improved knowledge, the survival and neurological outcome of patients have not improved significantly.