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Cardiac arrest

Naloxone linked to better PEA arrest survival

Naloxone administration associated with improved survival in PEA out-of-hospital cardiac arrests
Resuscitation · Added 6 June 2026

Retrospective cohort (n=40,333) testing whether prehospital naloxone improves outcomes stratified by presenting rhythm, and found naloxone was associated with higher survival to discharge in PEA arrests but not in shockable rhythms or asystole.

Study type

Registry

Design

Retrospective cohort with propensity-score matching

Participants

40,333 OHCA cases; 7,567 (18.8%) received naloxone

Main finding

In PEA arrests, naloxone was associated with higher survival to discharge (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.11-1.92) but not ROSC (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.90-1.31); no association in shockable rhythms or asystole

Caveat

Retrospective design; selection bias and resuscitation time bias not fully addressed, causality unproven

Bottom line

Hypothesis-generating

Learning goal

Weigh the role of naloxone in PEA cardiac arrest management alongside my current resuscitation practice.

More

• Topic: Cardiac arrest
• Daily scan: 6 June 2026

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