OBJECTIVE: To present the results of the first year of the functioning of a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Hospital Plan and to describe the characteristics of the patients with cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in hospital units with no monitoring facilities (HU). DESIGN: An observational, prospective study in a cohort of patients who presented CPA during a one-year period. SETTING: HU of a general hospital and as province reference. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients admitted to an HU from May 2007 to May 2008 with CPA and treated according to a specific hospital CPA Program, organized in order to: (a) decentralize the CPR through the training of the nurse as the first responder capable of performing immediate CPR and early defibrillation (DF) (less than 4 min), (b) a specific phone number as hospital alarm of CPR and (c) maintenance of the CPR maneuvers by an early intervention Resuscitation Team (RT) (less than 8 min). MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Characteristics of patients, CPA episode and results according to the <<Utstein style>>. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients were included with activation of the CPA alarm, 8 of which were false alarms, with an average age of 70 years and 60% men. A total of 65% occurred in the medical area in patients with heart or respiratory failure, sepsis or septic shock. Initial heart rhythm of the patients attended was asystolic in 74% of the patients, ventricular fibrillation in 18% and electromechanical dissociation in 8%. The first attending person was the nurse in 79% of cases, CPR was always initiated in less than 1 min, DF in less than 2 min (92%) and RT in less than 8 min (96%). Fifty-five percent survived and 35% of the reanimated patients were discharged live from the hospital, 78% with good neurological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The CPR "Juan Ramón Jiménez" Hospital Program is an applicable and effective initiative in our setting. Copyright 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE: To present the results of the first year of the functioning of a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Hospital Plan and to describe the characteristics of the patients with cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in hospital units with no monitoring facilities (HU). DESIGN: An observational, prospective study in a cohort of patients who presented CPA during a one-year period. SETTING: HU of a general hospital and as province reference. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients admitted to an HU from May 2007 to May 2008 with CPA and treated according to a specific hospital CPA Program, organized in order to: (a) decentralize the CPR through the training of the nurse as the first responder capable of performing immediate CPR and early defibrillation (DF) (less than 4 min), (b) a specific phone number as hospital alarm of CPR and (c) maintenance of the CPR maneuvers by an early intervention Resuscitation Team (RT) (less than 8 min). MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Characteristics of patients, CPA episode and results according to the <<Utstein style>>. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients were included with activation of the CPA alarm, 8 of which were false alarms, with an average age of 70 years and 60% men. A total of 65% occurred in the medical area in patients with heart or respiratory failure, sepsis or septic shock. Initial heart rhythm of the patients attended was asystolic in 74% of the patients, ventricular fibrillation in 18% and electromechanical dissociation in 8%. The first attending person was the nurse in 79% of cases, CPR was always initiated in less than 1 min, DF in less than 2 min (92%) and RT in less than 8 min (96%). Fifty-five percent survived and 35% of the reanimated patients were discharged live from the hospital, 78% with good neurological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The CPR "Juan Ramón Jiménez" Hospital Program is an applicable and effective initiative in our setting. Copyright 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.