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Toxicology
Poisoning OHCA rising in young Japanese adults
Age-specific trends in poisoning-related out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan: a retrospective nationwide registry study
Resuscitation Plus · 2026-11 · Added 7 October 2026
In 1.4 million Japanese EMS-treated OHCAs, poisoning-related arrest was rare (0.27%) but its share rose in adults aged 18–29 (adjusted OR 1.027/year) while falling in older groups, with no improvement in neurological outcomes over the decade.
- Study type
- Registry
- Design
- Retrospective nationwide registry study
- Participants
- 1,400,951 adults with OHCA; 3,723 poisoning-related
- Main finding
- Poisoning-related OHCA proportion increased in 18–29-year-olds (OR per year 1.027, 95% CI 1.001–1.054) but declined at ages 50–64 and ≥65; favourable neurological outcome showed no improvement (aOR 0.998/year)
- Caveat
- Registry-coded aetiology without toxicological confirmation, and the incidence rise in young adults was not statistically significant
- Bottom line
- Hypothesis-generating
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). A national trend in who is arresting from poisoning — young adults — is directly relevant to Australian crews, though Japan's registry and drug landscape differ, and no intervention is tested.
Learning goal
Recognise poisoning as an underappreciated cause of cardiac arrest in young adult patients.
More
- Topic: Toxicology
- Daily scan: 7 October 2026
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