Survival from cardiac arrest in the Accident and Emergency Department

One hundred consecutive patients who were treated in an Accident and Emergency Department for 'cardiac arrest' were studied prospectively. Of these 30% had arrested within the community, 21% in transit and 49% in hospital. The immediate outcome was that 40 left the A&E Department alive; of these, 13 left hospital alive. The 'survivors' included 3 cases of documented asystole. Patients who were over the age of 65, who arrested out of hospital and at night, were found to have a poor prognosis. The time between arrest and arrival of the ambulance was found to affect outcome. Patients with ventricular fibrillation had the best prognosis and those with electromechanical dissociation the worst.