Document Detail


Anticipating events of in-hospital cardiac arrest.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15167189     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine whether in-hospital cardiac arrests occurring in regular wards are preceded by some event(s), and the diagnostic and therapeutic measures adopted. METHODS: From 1 May 1999 to 31 December 2001, events occurring in the 6 h preceding cardiac arrest were reviewed by checking the medical and nurse records and interviewing the attending staff. Exclusion criteria were (a) location in the Coronary Care Unit, the Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Department and the operating rooms; (b) the presence of rapidly fatal disease; (c) the lack of adequate documentation. RESULTS: Overall, 263 cardiac arrests occurred in the period under consideration. A total of 148 patients (61 women, 87 men, aged 74.3+/-1.2 years) fulfilled the entry criteria. Anticipating events were reported in 128 patients (86.4%). These included alterations in consciousness, cardiac arrhythmias, dyspnoea and chest pain. The restoration of cardiac rhythm was obtained in 23 patients (15.5%). Eight (5.4%) survived without major neurological sequelae. Survivors were significantly younger than non-survivors (survivors 44.3+/-6.8 years; non-survivors 76.7+/-2.1 years; P<0.005). In a substantial number of cases, ranging from 23 to 81%, according to the anticipating event, no diagnostic investigations were performed. CONCLUSION: Most in-hospital cardiac arrests are preceded by events that often go overlooked and whose correct interpretation could be associated with a reduced mortality rate.
Authors:
Giorgio Berlot; Annamaria Pangher; Lara Petrucci; Rossana Bussani; Umberto Lucangelo
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine     Volume:  11     ISSN:  0969-9546     ISO Abbreviation:  Eur J Emerg Med     Publication Date:  2004 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-05-28     Completed Date:  2004-08-05     Revised Date:  2004-11-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9442482     Medline TA:  Eur J Emerg Med     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  24-8     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. berlot@inwind.it
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cause of Death*
Female
Heart Arrest / epidemiology*,  therapy
Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Intensive Care Units / statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Resuscitation / statistics & numerical data
Risk Factors
Survival Analysis

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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