Ward characteristics associated with delayed defibrillator and doctor presence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation simulated survey.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To survey the times to critical actions (defibrillator and doctor presence, initiation of chest compression) of in-hospital simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods: A 1-year retrospective simulated audit 2009 in a 2,400-bed university hospital in Thailand. Results: A total of 57 adult wards (around a third of all wards in the hospital), including intensive care units, critical wards, procedural units, general wards and out-patient units were audited. Overall, the median time of initiation of chest compression and defibrillator presence among CPR teams were 1.27 (0.35-7.19) and 1.16 (0.00-26.00) minutes, respectively. The median time of the first doctor presence was 3.45 (0.00-15.15) minutes. However, there were significant differences in time to defibrillator and doctor presence among wards. The longer time of these critical managements were recorded in non-monitored areas (general wards and out-patient units) (p = 0.004 and 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: In our CPR simulated survey, delayed initiation of critical managements commonly occurred in non-monitored areas. Better management should be concerned for favorable outcomes.