16th October 2026

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have launched a new report examining five years of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data across Northern Ireland.

Funded by Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, the study analysed 14,255 cardiac arrests attended by NIAS between 2018 and 2022, focusing on 6,415 cases where ambulance crews attempted resuscitation.

The findings highlight an improvement in bystander CPR, with the proportion of people receiving CPR before an ambulance arrived increasing from 70% in 2018 to 79% in 2022. When a bystander witnessed the cardiac arrest, an average of 87% of people received CPR before the ambulance arrived, demonstrating a strong willingness among members of the public to intervene.

However, only 5% of patients received a shock from an automatic external defibrillator (AED) before an ambulance arrived.

The research also highlights differences in the causes of cardiac arrest across age groups, with preventable causes such as drug overdose and hangings more common amo

ng younger people.

Between 2018 and 2022, 1,483 people (23%) had their heart restarted before reaching hospital through the combined efforts of bystanders, emergency services and healthcare staff.

The findings provide valuable insight into OHCA across Northern Ireland and will help inform ongoing efforts to strengthen the chain of survival and improve outcomes for people experiencing cardiac arrest.

Read the full report: https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/710433640/Out_of_hospital_cardiac_arrest_in_Northern_Ireland._A_5_year_review_2026.pdf