Assessment of futility in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest

Background Our aim was to evaluate the impact of futile resuscitation attempts to the outcome calculations of attempted resuscitation in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Defined as partial resuscitations, we focused on a subgroup of patients in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated, but further efforts were soon abandoned due to evidence of futility. Methods We conducted this study using the Utstein template during a 12‐month study period. We compared the event characteristics between full and partial resuscitation attempts and determined the incidence, survival and neurological outcome. Results Emergency Medical Services (EMS) attended a total of 314 OHCA cases. In 34 cases, resuscitation was not attempted due to futility. Seventy‐four cases were partial resuscitation attempts where resuscitation was soon discontinued due to dismal prognostic factors. Partial attempts were associated with an unwitnessed OHCA, prolonged downtime, end‐stage malignant disease, multiple trauma, asystole or pulseless electrical activity as the initial rhythm, and a first responding unit being the first unit on the scene (P