Single-center In-hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Cardiology
• Hospital Medicine

Background:

• In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains a critical concern in healthcare settings.
• Understanding patient characteristics and outcomes is vital for improving IHCA management.
• Previous research highlights the need for detailed analysis of IHCA events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient characteristics associated with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).
• To determine factors influencing survival from IHCA and survival to hospital discharge.
• To identify the impact of length of stay (LOS) and primary medical service on IHCA outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review of 500 IHCA cases over five years at a single center.
• Analysis included patient demographics (age, gender, BMI), LOS, initial IHCA survival, survival to discharge, and cardiac arrest etiology.
• Logistic regression was used to identify significant predictors of survival.

Main Results:

• The mean LOS prior to IHCA was 8.5 days, with 79.5% surviving the initial event and 32.4% surviving to discharge.
• Increased LOS correlated with a higher proportion of pulmonary and metabolic etiologies for IHCA.
• Survival to discharge was significantly higher for patients on a surgical service (p=0.0007), and survival of IHCA was associated with LOS <9 days (p=0.018).

Conclusions:

• Length of stay (LOS) is a critical factor in predicting IHCA survival, with shorter stays associated with better outcomes.
• Pulmonary and metabolic causes of IHCA increase with longer hospital stays.
• Patients managed under a primary surgical service demonstrated improved survival to hospital discharge.