Emergency coronary artery surgery after refractory cardiac arrest: a single centre experience

To determine the incidence and outcome of refractory cardiac arrest necessitating emergency coronary artery bypass grafting.

Retrospective survey of cardiac catheterisation and surgical records.

The London Chest Hospital.

All patients requiring emergency coronary artery bypass grafting after cardiovascular collapse in the catheterisation suite between January 1984 and December 1989.

Incidence of refractory cardiac arrest in the study group and perioperative mortality.

Thirteen of 8675 patients undergoing coronary arteriography or angioplasty had refractory cardiac arrests. Five patients died, but the remainder survived to be discharged from hospital without serious morbidity.

Without immediate surgical intervention the mortality for these 13 patients would have been 100%.