1-year functional outcomes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation for older adults with pre-existing long-term care...

To investigate the 1-year functional outcomes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in adults aged ≥65 years with pre-existing long-term care needs.

This population-based cohort study was conducted in Tochigi Prefecture, one of 47 prefectures in Japan. We used medical and long-term care administrative databases, which included data on functional and cognitive impairment that were assessed with the nationally standardised care-needs certification system. Among individuals aged ≥65 years registered between June 2014 and February 2018, patients who underwent CPR were identified. The primary outcome was mortality and care needs at 1 year after CPR. The outcome was stratified by pre-existing care needs before CPR based on the total daily estimated care minutes: no care needs, support levels 1 and 2 and care-needs level 1 (estimated care time 25-49 min), care-needs levels 2 and 3 (50-89 min) and care-needs levels 4 and 5 (≥90 min).

Among 594,092 eligible individuals, 5,086 (0.9%) underwent CPR. The 1-year mortalities after CPR in patients with no care needs, support levels 1 and 2 and care-needs level 1, care-needs levels 2 and 3 and care-needs levels 4 and 5 were 94.6% (n = 2,207/2,332), 96.1% (n = 736/766), 94.5% (n = 930/984) and 95.9% (n = 963/1,004), respectively. Among survivors, most patients had no change in care needs before and at 1 year after CPR. There was no significant association between pre-existing functional and cognitive impairment and 1-year mortality and care needs after adjusting for potential confounders.

Healthcare providers need to discuss poor survival outcomes after CPR with all older adults and their families in shared decision making.