Resuscitation Outcomes and Clinical Characteristics of Non-traumatic Out-of-Hospital Geriatric Cardiac Arrest

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the resuscitation outcomes and the clinical characteristics of geriatric nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by analyzing data from a single institution's registry. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 804 patients who came to the emergency department with nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the period 1991-2002. Only patients over 18 years of age were included. Clinical characteristics, variables associated with cardiac arrest, and data during resuscitation were obtained from our cardiac arrest database. Patients were divided into two age groups less than 65 years of age (non-geriatric group, n=530), and over 65 years of age (geriatric group, n=274). RESULTS: The proportion of cardiac etiology was higher with the geriatric group than with the non-geriatric group (48% vs 39%, chi-square=0.013). A lower incidence of ventricular arrhythmia was observed in the geriatric group (8% vs 13%, chi-square= 0.037). The arrest time, the CPR time, the witnessed arrest, the epinephrine doses, and total defibrillation energy were not different between two groups. Spontaneous circulation was restored in 127 (46%) patients in the geriatric group and in 255 (48%) patients in the non-geriatric group (chi-square=0.382). The patients discharged alive numbered were 33 (6%) in the non-geriatric group and 10 (4%) in the geriatric group (chi-square=0.138). CONCLUSION: Cardiac etiology was predominant in geriatric cardiac arrest and a lower incidence of ventricular arrhythmia was observed. An older age (over 65 years) did not affect the resuscitation outcome.