Outcome of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Tsuchiura and its Surrounding Rural Areas / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

To determine survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Tsuchiura and its surrounding rural areas, we conducted observational study. Consecutive 555 out-ofhospital cardiac arrests (206 cardiac etiology and 349 noncardiac etiology) occurring between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1998 were participated.<BR>In all, 422 (76%) patients were pronounced dead in the emergency room, and other 125 (22.5%) were admitted to the hospital but subsequently died. There were 8 survivors the overall survival rate was 1.4%.<BR>Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated by a bystander in 14 (11.2%) of 125 witnessed cardiac arrest with cardiac etiology. Among patients in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation had been initiated by a bystander, 29% were discharged alive versus 0.9% of the remaining patients (p<0.01). The survival rate of patients with an initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation was significantly greater than that of those with an initial rhythm of asystole or pulseless idioventricular rhythm (p<0.05).<BR>These results indicated that critical factors in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology were bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation and initial arrhythmia.