Prognosis among survivors of prehospital cardiac arrest.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To describe the prognosis in consecutive patients discharged from hospital after prehospital cardiac arrest.

PATIENTS

All patients in the community of Göteborg who were discharged from hospital after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 1981 and 1991.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-three patients were discharged from hospital during the observation period, of whom 80% initially experienced ventricular fibrillation. Among patients discharged, 21% died during the first year; after 10 years, 82% had died. Age, sex, previous history of cardiovascular disease, circumstances at the time of cardiac arrest, complications during hospitalization, and discharge medications were assessed as predictors of 1-year mortality. Independent predictors of death during follow-up were history of myocardial infarction (P < .001), no prescription of beta-blockers at discharge (P < .01), age (P < .05), and cerebral performance category (CPC) at discharge (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Among patients who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, one of five died during the first year and one of five survived 10 years after discharge. Prognosis was associated with a history of myocardial infarction, prescription of beta-blockers at discharge, age, and CPC at discharge.