[Epidemiology, prognostic data of cardiac arrest in 2014]

Epidemiological data on the incidence, the survival and the prognostic factors of cardiac arrest (CA) are often heterogeneous. However, recent advances in methodology and research have improved the knowledge on that topic. The prognosis of victims CA depends on the initial patient's characteristics, the circumstances of the CA and the quality of the management. As a result, the subsequent outcome of these patients relies on the efficiency of the chain of survival: prompt alert, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and early defibrillation, the advanced care life support provided by the emergency medical services and the integration of in-hospital care. Other parameters are also likely to influence the prognosis (such as the system of care or the environment) though their assessment remains incomplete. More important, factors potentially affecting the long-term outcome are currently very less investigated. Finally, despite the potential improvements in the management of these patients for some years now, the temporal trends of the overall survival appear fairly stable. The transition in the profile of patients could partly explain the absence of clear effect on survival.