Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: impact on hospital mortality--a ten-year study.

The effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a vital aspect of health care delivery in hospital was the basis for a ten-year study. All instances of cardiac arrest occurring outside the operating room and nursery were included. Variations in degrees of success of cardiopulmonary resuscitation as related to the duration of the program, differences among varying subsets such as patients' type of illness and hospital location (emergency room, coronary care unit, intensive care unit or nursing floor) at the time of cardiopulmonary arrest, are presented. The relationship between cardiopulmonary resuscitation frequency and success with increasing instrumentation is reviewed. A simple technique for expressing effect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on hospital mortality is presented. The study shows the ability of a community hospital to establish, maintain and document a high level cardiopulmonary resuscitation program.