Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of defibrillators (including automated external defibrillators) and timely treatment by emergency medical services are known to increase the chances of survival for a patient experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); however, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this is unclear from examining previous literature. This commentary critically appraises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis which assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pre-hospital care for OHCA.
Keywords: Automated external defibrillators; COVID-19; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Resuscitation; Systematic review.