Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest in an acute rehabilitation hospital was generally unsuccessful, with only 5.9% of patients surviving to discharge.
Observational (n=17)
No
Does CPR improve survival to discharge in elderly inpatient rehabilitation patients suffering cardiac arrest?
CPR is generally unsuccessful in the elderly inpatient rehabilitation population, emphasizing the need for proactive advance care planning.
This retrospective study examines cases of cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an acute rehabilitation hospital. All admissions to the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University, a 56-bed facility, are reviewed. Seventeen cases of true cardiac arrest are identified for analysis of ultimate disposition over a 10-yr period. Only one patient (5.9%) survived CPR to discharge from the rehabilitation hospital, but he died subsequent to his transfer to the acute hospital. Though the sample size is small, it reflects the total population of patients eligible for CPR who suffered a cardiac arrest. We conclude that CPR is generally not successful in the elderly inpatient rehabilitation population. The growing clinical complexity of the rehabilitation patient demands that health-care providers and their patients more regularly address decision-making issues pertinent to CPR.
Bilsky et al. (Sat,) conducted a observational in Cardiac arrest (n=17). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was evaluated on Survival to discharge from the rehabilitation hospital. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest in an acute rehabilitation hospital was generally unsuccessful, with only 5.9% of patients surviving to discharge.