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Stayin’ Alive: Examining Gender-Based Differences in Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2025

Abagayle E. Bierowski Open the ORCID record for Abagayle E. Bierowski [Opens in a new window] ,
Julie A. Calabrese ,
Patrice J. Baptista ,
Paul C. Comber ,
Alexander Kuc ,
Aman Shah  and
Gerard Carroll
Abagayle E. Bierowski*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
Julie A. Calabrese
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA
Patrice J. Baptista
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
Paul C. Comber
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
Alexander Kuc
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
Aman Shah
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
Gerard Carroll
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey USA Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey USA
*
Correspondence: Abagayle E. Bierowski, MD, MEHP Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College Department of Emergency Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-5083 USA Emails: abby.bierowski@gmail.com; abagayle.bierowski@jefferson.edu
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Abstract

Introduction:

Many factors influence the likelihood of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but gender disparities in prehospital care remain under-examined, particularly in relation to the bystander’s connection to the patient.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between gender and the likelihood of receiving BCPR in OHCA. The primary outcome of the study was to examine differences in BCPR rates among men and women who experienced OHCA. The secondary outcome was to investigate whether bystanders were more likely to provide CPR based on their relationship to the victim, comparing “true” layperson CPR to CPR administered by family members or friends and how these rates differed between men and women.

Methods:

This retrospective prehospital chart review included all encounters from a single urban Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency with a cardiac arrest prior to EMS arrival from January 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022 (n = 701). For each encounter, the presence or absence of BCPR was recorded, along with the relation of the bystander to the patient. “True” BCPR was defined as CPR performed by a layperson unknown to the patient. Patients were excluded if they exhibited signs of obvious death, were physically inaccessible to bystanders, had CPR initiated by trained facility staff or police, had a do not resuscitate (DNR) order present on EMS arrival, received CPR but were not in cardiac arrest, or were younger than 18 years old (n = 174). Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate data, with statistical significance defined at P < .05.

Results:

The study examined 701 cardiac arrest encounters: 250 female (35.7%) and 451 male (64.3%). Overall, men (n = 123; 27.3%) were more likely to receive BCPR than women (n = 48; 19.2%); OR = 1.58; 95%CI, 1.08-2.30; P = .02. Among those who received BCPR, women were significantly more likely to have received it from someone they knew (83.3% versus 65.9%; OR = 2.59; 95%CI, 1.11-6.04; P = .03) while men were more likely to receive “true” layperson BCPR.

Conclusions:

This study identifies significant gender disparities in prehospital BCPR and highlights an association between the bystander’s relationship to the patient and the likelihood of intervention.

Keywords

CPRgender differencesgender disparityOHCAtrue bystander CPR

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , August 2025 , pp. 199 - 203
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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Footnotes

Article updated 23 September 2025.

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