Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest during the Covid-19 Outbreak in Italy

Abstract

Despite the risk of rapid respiratory failure¹ and cardiac complications² due to Covid-19, it is unclear whether there is an association between Covid-19 and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The Lombardy region of Italy was among the first areas to have an outbreak of Covid-19 outside China,³ and the first case there was diagnosed on February 20, 2020, in Lodi Province.⁴