Urban-rural disparities in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes: a nationwide Hungarian study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes often differ between urban and rural settings, but comprehensive nationwide data from Central-Eastern Europe using uniform data collection and modern confounding control remain limited. We investigated urban-rural disparities in OHCA outcomes in Hungary.

Methods

We analysed 130,258 OHCA cases (2018-2023) from the Hungarian National Ambulance Service registry, classified as urban (70.1 %) or rural (29.9 %) using national administrative categories. The primary outcome was on-scene return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We performed univariable and multivariable logistic regression, propensity score matching (PSM) and continuous response-time modeling using natural cubic splines.

Results

The overall ROSC rate w

SUBMITTER: Pal-Jakab A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12546963 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature