Morning peak and high prevalence of pulmonary embolism and psychiatric disorders in women with sudden cardiac arrest: results from the ReCaPTa study.

Of 639 sudden cardiac arrest cases, 191 (29.9%) were women.

Compared with men, women were older (74 vs 66 years, p < 0.001), had more morning sudden cardiac arrest and had a higher prevalence of previous psychiatric disorders (15.6% vs 9.0%, p = 0.03) and alcohol abuse (25.4% vs 16.1%, p = 0.01).

Toxicological analysis showed significantly higher antidepressant positivity in women (11.3% vs 1.8%, p = 0.004).

Women had fewer shockable rhythms (21% vs 36%, p = 0.01), fewer resuscitation attempts, and lower survival rates (4.2% vs 9.9%, p = 0.01).