Delayed time to defibrillation after in-hospital cardiac arrest
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Delayed defibrillation after in-hospital cardiac arrest is common, affecting 30% of patients. This delay significantly reduces survival rates, highlighting a critical gap in timely emergency care.
Area Of Science
- Cardiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background
- Expert guidelines recommend defibrillation within 2 minutes for in-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmia.
- Limited data exist on the prevalence and survival impact of delayed defibrillation in the U.S.
Purpose Of The Study
- To determine the prevalence of delayed defibrillation ( > 2 minutes) in U.S. hospitals.
- To identify factors associated with delayed defibrillation.
- To examine the association between delayed defibrillation and survival to hospital discharge.
Main Methods
- Analysis of 6789 patients with cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia from the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
- Multivariable logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with delayed defibrillation.
- Examination of the association between delayed defibrillation and survival to discharge, adjusting for patient and hospital factors.
Main Results
- Delayed defibrillation occurred in 30.1% of patients (2045/6789).
- Factors associated with delay included Black race, noncardiac diagnosis, smaller hospitals, unmonitored units, and after-hours events.
- Delayed defibrillation was linked to significantly lower survival to discharge (22.2% vs. 39.3%) and a graded decrease in survival with increasing delay (P<0.001).
Conclusions
- Delayed defibrillation is a prevalent issue in U.S. hospitals following cardiac arrest.
- Delayed defibrillation is significantly associated with reduced survival rates to hospital discharge.
- The findings underscore the need to address systemic factors contributing to defibrillation delays.