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Cardiac arrest

Wearables could double unwitnessed OHCA survival

Estimated survival gains from pulselessness-detection technologies in unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Western Australia: a simulation study
Resuscitation · Added 23 August 2026

WA simulation modelling across 11,450 OHCA cases estimated wearable pulselessness-detection could double 30-day survival among unwitnessed arrests (0.5% to 1.1%) with 10% device uptake and 80% sensitivity.

Study type

Modelling

Design

Counterfactual simulation modelling using WA registry data

Participants

11,450 EMS-attended non-traumatic OHCA cases aged ≥16

Main finding

With 100% device uptake and 100% sensitivity, 693 additional survivors over 5 years (survival 0.5% to 8.3%); with 10% uptake and 80% sensitivity, 52 additional survivors (survival 0.5% to 1.1%).

Caveat

Simulation based on modelled assumptions; no real-world device performance data

Bottom line

Hypothesis-generating

Learning goal

Weigh how wearable cardiac arrest detection technologies could reshape early bystander response in unwitnessed arrest.

More

• Topic: Cardiac arrest
• Daily scan: 23 August 2026

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