Abstract 2018: Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Department: A Report from the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Abstract

Background: Little is known about cardiac arrests (CA) in the Emergency Department (ED). The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of ED CA’s. Methods: Included were 60,852 adult, in-patient CA index events in the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Multiple regression analysis compared ED CA with those occurring in the ICU, telemetry, or general floors. Subgroup analysis examined traumatic vs. non-traumatic ED CA and ED CA occurring after a successful pre-hospital resuscitation (recurrent) vs. primary ED CA. Results: In multivariate analysis, ED location significantly predicted improved survival to discharge (OR 0.74, 95% CI[0.67–0.82], p<0.0001). Patients with CA occurring in the ED had better Cerebral Performance Category scores (ED 1.59, ICU 1.73, Tele 1.96, Floor 1.69, p<0.0001), shorter mean post-event length of stays (ED 8.6, ICU 17.5, Tele 16.5, Floor 14.2 days, p<0.0001) and were less likely to be declared DNR (ED 23.0%, ICU 31.7%, Tele 28.8%, Floor 31.8%, p<0.0001) than CA in other locations. Secondary analysis showed that ED patients with recurrent CA were less likely to survive to discharge (10.1% vs. 24.6%, p<0.0001) and were more likely to be declared DNR (27.9% vs. 22.2%, p<0.0006.) than primary ED CA. Mean length of stay for survivors in both groups was similar (8.85 vs. 8.54 days, p=ns). Major traumatic injury preceded 6.3% of all ED CA. Patients whose ED CA was related to traumatic injury were younger (46.2 vs. 65.0 years, p<0.001), more likely to be male (78.2% vs. 58.1, p<0.0001), less likely to have the CA caused by an arrythmia (23.6% vs. 32.5%, p<0.0008), and more likely to have the CA preceded by hypotension or shock (41.6% vs. 29.0%, p<0.0001) than ED patients whose CA was not due to traumatic injury. ED trauma CA patients had a significantly lower survival to discharge rate than ED patients whose CA was not due to trauma (7.5% vs. 23.8%, p<0.0001). Conclusions: ED CA patients are a unique population and have better survival and neurologic outcomes compared to patients in other hospital locations. Primary ED CA patients have a better chance of survival to discharge than those who re-arrest following a successful pre-hospital resuscitation. Traumatic ED CA patients have worse outcomes than non-traumatic CA.