Key Takeaways
- Approximately 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur annually in the US
- In Europe, there are about 400,000 to 700,000 cases of OHCA each year
- SCA accounts for 15-20% of all deaths in Western countries
- Coronary artery disease causes 70-80% of SCA
- Hypertension increases SCA risk by 2-fold
- Smoking doubles SCA risk
- Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival to hospital discharge is about 10%
- Bystander CPR increases survival by 2-3 times
- Public AED use triples survival chances
- SCA occurs more in men (2:1 ratio)
- Mean age at SCA is 65 years
- 70% of SCA victims are men
- CPR training reduces SCA incidence in communities
- ICD implantation reduces SCA mortality by 30%
- Public AED programs increase survival 3-fold
Sudden cardiac arrest is surprisingly common and often deadly but survival chances improve dramatically with fast action.
Demographics
Demographics Interpretation
Incidence and Prevalence
Incidence and Prevalence Interpretation
Prevention and Treatment
Prevention and Treatment Interpretation
Risk Factors
Risk Factors Interpretation
Survival Rates and Outcomes
Survival Rates and Outcomes Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sudden-cardiac-arrest-statistics
Lars Eriksen. "Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sudden-cardiac-arrest-statistics.
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sudden-cardiac-arrest-statistics.
Sources & References
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heart.org
- Reference 2ESCARDIOescardio.org
escardio.org
- Reference 3NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.gov
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 4PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 5AHAJOURNALSahajournals.org
ahajournals.org
- Reference 6RESUSCITATIONJOURNALresuscitationjournal.com
resuscitationjournal.com
- Reference 7SUDDEN CARDIACARRESTFOUNDATIONsudden cardiacarrestfoundation.org
sudden cardiacarrestfoundation.org
- Reference 8NHLBInhlbi.nih.gov
nhlbi.nih.gov
- Reference 9BJSMbjsm.bmj.com
bjsm.bmj.com
- Reference 10CDCcdc.gov
cdc.gov
- Reference 11CPRcpr.heart.org
cpr.heart.org
- Reference 12PEDIATRICSpediatrics.aappublications.org
pediatrics.aappublications.org
- Reference 13JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.com
jamanetwork.com
- Reference 14EURJMEDRESeurjmedres.biomedcentral.com
eurjmedres.biomedcentral.com
- Reference 15RESUSresus.org.uk
resus.org.uk
- Reference 16MJAmja.com.au
mja.com.au
- Reference 17ACCacc.org
acc.org
- Reference 18MAYOCLINICmayoclinic.org
mayoclinic.org
- Reference 19EURHEARTJeurheartj.oxfordjournals.org
eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org
- Reference 20THORAXthorax.bmj.com
thorax.bmj.com
- Reference 21NEJMnejm.org
nejm.org






