Warning symptoms associated with imminent sudden cardiac arrest: a population-based case-control study with external...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a critical global health issue with over 90% mortality.
• Prearrest warning symptoms present an opportunity for digital technology-based interventions to improve survival.
• Understanding the association between symptoms and imminent SCA is crucial for developing predictive tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the strength of association between specific symptoms and imminent sudden cardiac arrest.
• To investigate potential sex-specific differences in warning symptoms preceding SCA.
• To explore the utility of prearrest symptoms for predicting SCA events.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study utilizing data from two US community-based studies (PRESTO and SUDS).
• Inclusion of individuals aged 18-85 with witnessed sudden cardiac arrest and a control group with similar symptoms.
• Logistic regression models were employed to evaluate symptom associations in discovery and replication populations.

Main Results:

• Patients with SCA were more likely to report dyspnea, chest pain, diaphoresis, and seizure-like activity compared to controls.
• Sex-specific analysis revealed chest pain, dyspnea, and diaphoresis associated with SCA in men, while only dyspnea was significant in women.
• Findings were largely consistent in the replication population, with some variations in symptom associations by sex.

Conclusions:

• The prevalence and pattern of warning symptoms preceding SCA are sex-specific.
• Warning symptoms show promise for predicting imminent SCA but may require additional features for maximized predictive power.
• Further research is needed to refine predictive models for SCA using symptom data and potentially other digital biomarkers.