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Cardiac arrest

CPR injuries common after long arrests

Incidence of Traumatic Injuries Sustained Following Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study
Resuscitation Plus · 2026-10 · Added 9 October 2026

A single-centre retrospective cohort of 136 OHCA patients found CPR-related injuries in 43% (16.9% clinically significant), with CPR duration over 20 minutes — not ECPR or mechanical CPR — independently associated with injury (OR 2.45).

Study type

Cohort

Design

Retrospective single-centre cohort

Participants

136 OHCA patients (of 313 screened)

Main finding

58/136 (43%) sustained injuries, 23 (16.9%) clinically significant; CPR >20 minutes associated with injury (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.15–5.23); mortality higher in injured patients (70% vs 43%)

Caveat

Small single-centre retrospective sample with confounding by arrest duration and selection toward ECPR-eligible patients

Bottom line

Hypothesis-generating

Learning goal

Recognise how prolonged resuscitation duration influences the likelihood of clinically significant CPR-related injuries in my practice.

More

• Topic: Cardiac arrest
• Daily scan: 9 October 2026
• Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 9 October 2026

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