Evaluation of in-hospital cardiac arrest patients

Abstract

Objective: Cardiac arrest is a suddenly developed unexpected clinical condition characterized with cessation of cardiac functions or inability to palpate pulsations in major arteries; loss of respiratory functions and consciousness. The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively inhospital cardiac arrest cases. Method: We aimed to evaluate the patients diagnosed with cardiac arrest developed in the hospital using cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure (CPR). Demographic variables as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), disease groups, reversible causes of cardiac arrest, dosages of drugs used, time to return to spontaneous circulation, heart rhythm during cardiac arrest, and blood pressure values were recorded. All data were evaluated in SPSS 15.0 statistical program using appropriate tests and p<0.05 is accepted as the level of statistical significance. Results: We included 189 patients in the study with a mean age of 58.49±16.78 years. Seventyone patients were women (37.5%), 118 patients were men (62.5%). Mean BMIs of female (n=71), and male patients (n=118) were 27.04±5.78 kgm-2 and 23.60±4.37 kgm-2, respectively (p<0.05). Respective percentages of patients had experienced HT (n=66: 34.9%), DM (n=54: 28.5%), CAD (n=46: 24.3%), COPD (n=24: 12.6%), CRF (12.1%), SVD (n=27: 14.2%), CHF (n=27: 14.2%) and MI (n=13: %6.8). DM was seen in significantly higher number of women (p<0.05). NEA (18.5%), and asystole (77.2%) were arrest rhythms. The most frequently seen reversible causes that induced arrest were hypoxia (n=20: 10.6%) and hypo-hyperkalemi (n=16: 8.5%). Mean duration of CPR was 38.47±14.71 min. (n=189). In the 46 of the patients (24.3%), spontaneous circulations returned, and 143 of them (75.5%) exited. Mean duration of resuscitation applied for patients (n=46) whose spontaneous respiration was recovered was 14.80±9.07 min. SBP, and DBP were recorded as 74.35±32.63 mmHg, and 45.00±18.34 mmHg, respectively. Conclusion: In cardiac arrests of in-patiens most frequently non-shockable rhythms such as pulseless electrical activity and asystole are seen. The short duration of cardiac arrest is in favor for survival. Reversible causes of cardiac arrest should be pre-determined and in the evaluation of critical evaluation of patients emergency intervention team should be notified.before development of cardiac arrest.