Increase in Sudden Out of Hospital Deaths in COVID-19 Hard Hit Areas

Studies have found that as the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the number of sudden deaths out-of-hospitals also increased in New York City.

Lead investigator, Stavros E. Mountantonakis, explained that previous studies have also showed an association between out-of-hospital sudden deaths and geographic distribution of SARS-CoV-2 and that their study further supports those results.

Results of all antibody tests reported to the New York City Department of Health between March 3 and August 20, 2020 were collected by investigators for the study. Along with this data during the height of the pandemic, from March 20 to April 22, 2020, on the number of patients pronounced dead at the scene from sudden cardiac arrest, was also obtained from the Fire Department of New York City. Data from the same time period in 2019 was obtained for comparison. Possible influence of factors including age, race, access to medical insurance, education, and immigration status, was examined with the help of Census Data.

The investigators found a moderate positive association between the rate of sudden death in a neighborhood and the percentage of positive antibody tests to SARS-CoV-2 in the same neighborhood. It is to be noted that its unclear if this association is causative or if there are other factors that could contribute to the results.

"The epidemiological data is a direct surrogate of viral burden and indirectly associated with people dying suddenly at home. It remains to be seen whether this is due to cardiac complications related to the virus or poor access to healthcare in neighborhoods that suffered the most during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic," observes Dr. Mountantonakis.

The importance of sustaining access to healthcare in areas that were hit the hardest with COVID-19 is accentuated in the results. It is all the more important for individuals to practice safety and preventive measures.

"It appears increasingly likely that most areas will have to endure one or more additional surges before the benefits of vaccination efforts take hold," comments John R. Giudicessi, MD. "There is hope that maintaining safe access to routine and emergency health services, avoidance of ineffective treatment strategies, and improvements in how COVID-19 patients are monitored and treated in the outpatient setting may help reduce the incidence of out of hospital cardiac arrest and death."

Source-Eurekalert