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Figure 5 further highlights the relationship between arrest etiology and patient age. Presumed cardiac 
cause was the most predominant etiology across all age groups, with the proportion of arrests 
attributable to this cause increasing with patient age. However, pediatric patients were much more likely 
than adults to experience an arrest due to respiratory cause. Drug overdose accounted for 26.8% of 
arrests in the 19-34 age group and 14.8% of arrests in the 35-49 age group, highlighting the continued 
impact of the opioid epidemic in the United States.
The most common location for an OHCA to occur 
is in a residential setting, with 71.4% of events 
occurring in a home. Other common arrest 
locations included nursing home (11.1%), public 
or commercial building (7.2%), street or highway 
(4.9%), and healthcare facility (3.1%) (Figure 6).
The location of an OHCA is highly correlated with 
bystander intervention and patient outcome. 
Compared to residential arrests, incidents in a 
public setting are more likely to be witnessed by 
a bystander and receive bystander CPR prior to 
EMS arrival (Figure 7). Patient outcomes also vary 
significantly by location, with public arrests having 
an approximately 2.4-fold higher rate of survival to 
hospital discharge compared to residential arrests 
(21.2% vs 8.9%, respectively; p< .0001).
Location of Arrest
Figure 5. Etiology of arrest by age group.
Figure 6. Location of arrest.

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