Abstract 128: Gender Differences in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence, Characteristics, and Prehospital Outcome in Qatar

Abstract

Introduction: Research on gender differences in OHCA incidence, characteristics, and outcomes is lacking in the Middle East. We evaluated gender differences in adult non-traumatic OHCA by incidence, characteristics, and achieving prehospital ROSC in Qatar. Methods: We analyzed data obtained from Hamad Medical Corporation on adult, non-traumatic, EMS-attended OHCA in Qatar (2017-2022). We calculated the annual incidence of OHCA and ran descriptive statistics for OHCA characteristics for the full cohort and by gender. This was followed by multivariable logistic regression to examine association between gender and ROSC, adjusting for variables known to be associated with ROSC. Results: We included 4306 OHCA patients, 79.8% were males. The annual incidence of OHCA was 27.4 per 100,000 population. The annual incidence was higher in males than females (30.1 per 100,000 population vs. 20.4 per 100,000 population). Males had higher proportions of OHCA cases in public locations, receiving bystander CPR, and having an initial shockable rhythm. No significant difference was detected in crude ROSC. The adjusted analysis, however, demonstrated that male gender was associated with greater odds of ROSC (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.15 - 1.66). This advantage of ROSC in males was observed in the full cohort and in subgroups with shockable and unshockable rhythms. Conclusion: Approximately 717 adult patients suffer non-traumatic OHCA in Qatar annually, with a higher occurrence in males. OHCA characteristics were disadvantageous for females. Male gender was associated with greater odds of achieving ROSC, highlighting the need for additional gender-specific research in pre-OHCA care in Qatar.