由于突发和经常不易识别,很难精确确定流行病学特征,但可以进行估算。1998年美国有456,078例有记录的突发心脏骤停,其中52%为女性,83%的患者>gt;65岁。[2]Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Giles WH, et al. Sudden cardiac death in the United States, 1989 to 1998. Circulation. 2001;104:2158-2163.http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/104/18/2158http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11684624?tool=bestpractice.com突发心脏骤停经年龄校正后的死亡率在黑种人中最高,其次为白种人、美国印第安人/阿拉斯加人、亚洲人/太平洋岛民。[2]Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Giles WH, et al. Sudden cardiac death in the United States, 1989 to 1998. Circulation. 2001;104:2158-2163.http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/104/18/2158http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11684624?tool=bestpractice.com在欧洲,英国报道的院外心脏停搏发生率最高,每年每 100,000 人中有 123 个病例;之后是德国,每年每 100,000 人中有 115 个病例。[3]Wollard M. Public access defibrillation: a shocking idea? J Public Health Med. 2001;23:98-102.http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/23/2/98http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11450941?tool=bestpractice.com[4]Böttiger BW, Grabner C, Bauer H, et al. Long term outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with physician staffed emergency medical services: the Utstein style applied to a midsized urban/sub-urban area. Heart. 1999;82:674-679.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1729199/pdf/v082p00674.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10573491?tool=bestpractice.com在挪威和芬兰,心脏骤停的发生率明显较低,分别为51和80例/10万人/年;但是令人惊讶的是,这两国发生心室颤动的患者较多,与德国报道的31%相比发生率分别为51%和65%。[5]Skogvoll E, Sangolt GK, Isern E, et al. Out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a population based Norwegian study of incidence and survival. Eur J Emerg Med. 1999;6:323-330.[6]Kuisma M, Määttä T. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Helsinki: Utstein style reporting. Heart. 1996;76:18-23.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC484418/pdf/heart00021-0028.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8774321?tool=bestpractice.com
预计患者院外发生VF的存活率<20%,院外发生心脏骤停的的存活率<10%。[7]Rea TD, Eisenberg MS, Sinibaldi G, et al. Incidence of EMS-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States. Resuscitation. 2004;63:17-24.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15451582?tool=bestpractice.com相反,院内发生的36%的VF/室性心动过速(VT)患者和11%无脉性电活动/心跳停搏患者可以存活出院。[8]Nadkarni VM, Larkin GL, Peberdy MA, et al; for the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Investigators. First documented rhythm and clinical outcome from in-hospital cardiac arrest among children and adults. JAMA. 2006;295:50-57.http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/295/1/50http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16391216?tool=bestpractice.com这些预估并没有考虑到突发心脏骤停存活患者面临的显著并发症。2005欧洲复苏委员会制定的复苏指南的实施已经证明和院外发生心脏骤停30天后的存活率增加有关,相较之前报道的8.3%增加至16%。[9]Steinmetz J, Barnung S, Nielsen SL, et al. Improved survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using new guidelines. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2008;52:908-913.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18477076?tool=bestpractice.com