HeartRunner trial finds community responders do not improve cardiac arrest survival

Results from the HeartRunner randomized trial, presented at the ESC Congress 2026, indicate that community first responders did not improve 30-day survival rates for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

The study, led by Professor Fredrik Folke of Copenhagen University Hospital, analyzed 2,060 suspected cardiac arrest cases in Denmark’s Capital Region. Participants were randomized to receive either a standard emergency response or a response supplemented by the activation of volunteer community responders via smartphone-based systems.

Researchers categorized the data into two groups based on responder arrival time. For responders arriving in less than three minutes, the 30-day survival rate was 15% with community activation compared to 17% without. For responders arriving between three and nine minutes, the survival rate was 13% with community activation versus 14% without. The study concludes that the primary endpoint of 30-day survival remained consistent regardless of whether community responders were present.