Table 3.
Characteristic of cardiac arrest in full cohort of patients with cardiac arrest in hospital according to timing of administration of epinephrine. Figures are numbers (percentage) of patients
| All patients (n=2974) | Epinephrine ≤2 min (n=1510) | No epinephrine ≤2 min (n=1464) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of cardiac arrest: | ||||
| 2006 | 595 (20) | 275 (18) | 320 (22) | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 574 (19) | 283 (19) | 291 (20) | |
| 2008 | 496 (17) | 253 (17) | 243 (17) | |
| 2009 | 459 (15) | 246 (16) | 213 (15) | |
| 2010 | 320 (11) | 157 (10) | 163 (11) | |
| 2011 | 333 (11) | 178 (12) | 155 (11) | |
| 2012 | 197 (7) | 118 (8) | 79 (5) | |
| Interventions in place at time of arrest: | ||||
| Mechanical ventilation | 1065 (36) | 584 (39) | 481 (33) | <0.001 |
| ECG monitor | 2737 (92) | 1388 (92) | 1349 (92) | 0.8 |
| Pulse oximeter | 2322 (78) | 1195 (79) | 1127 (77) | 0.2 |
| Vasoactive agents* | 962 (32) | 503 (33) | 459 (31) | 0.3 |
| Antiarrhythmic drugs | 421 (14) | 190 (13) | 222 (15) | 0.04 |
| Arrest characteristics: | ||||
| Location: | ||||
| Emergency department | 430 (14) | 156 (10) | 274 (18) | <0.001 |
| Floor with telemetry | 376 (13) | 210 (14) | 166 (11) | |
| Floor without telemetry | 213 (7) | 118 (8) | 95 (6) | |
| Intensive care unit | 1529 (51) | 830 (55) | 699 (48) | |
| OR, PACU, or interventional area | 376 (13) | 171 (11) | 205 (14) | |
| Other | 50 (2) | 25 (2) | 25 (2) | |
| Time of day (night 11 pm to 6 59 am) | 820 (28) | 426 (28) | 394 (27) | 0.4 |
| Weekend (Friday 11 pm to Monday 7 am) | 899 (30) | 462 (31) | 437 (30) | 0.7 |
| Hospital-wide cardiac arrest response activated | 1943 (65) | 1035 (68) | 908 (62) | <0.001 |
| Witnessed | 2663 (90) | 1352 (90) | 1311 (90) | 0.9 |
| Initial rhythm: | ||||
| Pulseless VT | 1045 (35) | 513 (34) | 532 (36) | 0.12 |
| VF | 1929 (65) | 997 (66) | 932 (64) | |
| Time to defibrillation from loss of pulse (minutes): | ||||
| 0-1 | 2051 (69) | 984 (65) | 1067 (73) | <0.001 |
| 1-2 | 526 (18) | 297 (20) | 229 (16) | |
| 2-3 | 397 (13) | 229 (15) | 168 (11) | |
| Post-defibrillation rhythm: | ||||
| Pulseless VT | 940 (32) | 450 (30) | 490 (33) | 0.03 |
| VF | 2034 (68) | 1060 (70) | 974 (67) | |
| Intubation 0-1 min after loss of pulse | 141 (5) | 92 (6) | 49 (3) | <0.001 |
ECG=electrocardiogram, OR=operating room, PACU=post-anesthesia care unit, VT=ventricular tachycardia, VF=ventricular fibrillation.
*Includes dobutamine, dopamine (>3 μg/kg/min), epinephrine, nitroglycerin, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, vasopressin, and/or “other vasoactive agent(s).”