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. 2017 Jul 12;6(7):e005239.
doi: 10.1161/JAHA.116.005239.

National Institutes of Health-Funded Cardiac Arrest Research: A 10-Year Trend Analysis

Ryan A Coute  1   2 , Ashish R Panchal  3 , Timothy J Mader  4 , Robert W Neumar  5   6
Affiliations

National Institutes of Health-Funded Cardiac Arrest Research: A 10-Year Trend Analysis

Ryan A Coute et al. J Am Heart Assoc. .

Abstract

Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming over 450 000 lives annually. Improving survival depends on the ability to conduct CA research and on the translation and implementation of research findings into practice. Our objective was to provide a descriptive analysis of annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for CA research over the past decade.

Method and results: A search within NIH RePORTER for the years 2007 to 2016 was performed using the terms: "cardiac arrest" or "cardiopulmonary resuscitation" or "heart arrest" or "circulatory arrest" or "pulseless electrical activity" or "ventricular fibrillation" or "resuscitation." Grants were reviewed and categorized as CA research (yes/no) using predefined criteria. The annual NIH funding for CA research, number of individual grants, and principal investigators were tabulated. The total NIH investment in CA research for 2015 was calculated and compared to those for other leading causes of death within the United States. Interrater reliability among 3 independent reviewers for fiscal year 2015 was assessed using Fleiss κ. The search yielded 2763 NIH-funded grants, of which 745 (27.0%) were classified as CA research (κ=0.86 [95%CI 0.80-0.93]). Total inflation-adjusted NIH funding for CA research was $35.4 million in 2007, peaked at $76.7 million in 2010, and has decreased to $28.5 million in 2016. Per annual death, NIH invests ≈$2200 for stroke, ≈$2100 for heart disease, and ≈$91 for CA.

Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates that the annual NIH investment in CA research is low relative to other leading causes of death in the United States and has declined over the past decade.

Keywords: National Institutes of Health; cardiac arrest; research funding.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of grants extracted from the National Institutes of Health RePORTER database.
Figure 2
Figure 2
National Institutes of Health annual funding of cardiac arrest research. ♦ $42.9 million ROC Data Coordinating Center, which supported both trauma and cardiac arrest studies. Proportion that specifically supported cardiac arrest studies is not reported in the RePORTER database. ♦♦ $21.9 million ROC data coordinating center, which supported both trauma and cardiac arrest studies. Proportion that specifically supported cardiac arrest studies is not reported in the RePORTER database. ♦♦♦ Cessation of ROC funding accounts for ≈80% of the decrease in 2016 funding. Individual training grants defined as K awards (K01, K08, K22, K23, and K99), F awards (F30, F31, and F32) and R awards (R00). Data for funding years 2007 through 2015 are adjusted for inflation. ROC indicates Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium.
Figure 3
Figure 3
National Institutes of Health investment in 2015 for leading causes of death. Data for leading causes of death obtained from National Center for Health Statistics 2015 Health Report, Table 19.9 Data for National Institutes of Health research funding obtained from the NIH portfolio on Research, Condition, and Disease Category for 2015.10
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Comment in

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