Air temperature and humidity impact out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests in Germany: A 10-year cohort study from the German Resuscitation Registry.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study examines the impact of temperature variations on out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests in Germany over a decade (2010-2019). Out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests affects 164 per 100,000 inhabitants annually in Germany, 11% survive to hospital discharge. The following study investigates days with the following characteristics summer days, frost days, and high humidity days. Furthermore, the study explores incidence, causes, demographics, and outcomes of out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests. Methods: Data from the German Resuscitation Registry and Meteorological Service were combined for analysis. The theory posits that temperature and humidity play a significant role in the occurrence and outcomes of out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests, potentially triggering pre-existing health issues. Results: Findings reveal increased out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests during frost days (6.39 up to 7.00, p < 0.001) monthly per 100,000 inhabitants), notably due to cardiac-related causes. Conversely, out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests incidence decreases on summer days (6.61-5.79, p < 0.001 monthly per 100,000 inhabitants). High-humidity days exhibit a statistically significant increase in out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests incidence (6.43-6.89, p < 0.001 monthly per 100,000 inhabitants). Conclusion: In conclusion, there's a notable rise in out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests incidence and worse outcomes during cold days, and a significant increase in out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests during high-humidity days. Moreover, extreme temperature events in unaccustomed regions also elevate out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests rates. However, the dataset lacks sufficient hot days for conclusive findings, hinting that very hot days might also affect out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests incidence. Further research, particularly on hotter days, is essential.No third-party funding was received for this study.