Table 1:
Clinical characteristics of the study cohort, stratified by arrest location
| Variable | OHCA(n=l,709) | ED arrest (n=372) | IHCA (n=642) | Overall (n=2,723) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 58 (16.9) | 61 (16.4) | 62 (15.5) | 60 (17) |
| Female sex | 693 (41) | 173 (47) | 244 (38) | 1,110 (41) |
| Initial arrest rhythm | ||||
| VT/VF | 543 (32) | 125 (34) | 149 (23) | 817 (30) |
| PEA | 471 (28) | 166 (45) | 336 (53) | 973 (36) |
| Asystole | 541 (32) | 54 (14) | 120 (19) | 715 (26) |
| Unknown | 144 (8) | 27 (7) | 34 (5) | 205 (8) |
| Epinephrine intra-arrest | 3 [1–5] | 2 [1–3] | 2 [1–3] | 2 [1–4] |
| Bicarbonate intra-arrest | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–1] |
| Shocks | 0 [0–2] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–2] |
| Duration of arrest, minutes | 21 [12–33] | 9 [4–16] | 10 [4–16] | 16 [7–27] |
| Most advanced airway intra-arrest | ||||
| None | 190 (11) | 31 (8) | 20 (3) | 241 (9) |
| Bag valve mask | 198 (12) | 35 (9) | 91 (14) | 324 (12) |
| New supraglottic | 312 (18) | 0 (0) | 9 (2) | 321 (12) |
| New ET | 898 (53) | 189 (51) | 320 (50) | 1,407 (52) |
| Pre-existing airway | 39 (2) | 77 (21) | 159 (25) | 275 (10) |
| Rearrests | 0 [0–0] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–1] | 0 [0–0] |
| PCAC | ||||
| I | 225 (13) | 149 (40) | 240 (37) | 614 (23) |
| II | 291 (17) | 53 (14) | 72 (11) | 416 (15) |
| III | 114 (7) | 31 (8) | 63 (10) | 208 (8) |
| IV | 947 (55) | 98 (26) | 152 (24) | 1,197 (44) |
| Survival to hospital discharge | 518 (30) | 195 (52) | 280 (44) | 993 (37) |
Data are presented using means with standard deviations (SD) for normally distributed continuous variables, median [interquartile range] for non-normal continuous variables, and raw number with corresponding percentages for categorical variables
Abbreviations:OHCA- out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; IHCA- in-hospital cardiac arrest; ED- emergency department; VT/VF- ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation; PEA- pulseless electrical activity; ET- endotracheal tube; PCAC: Pittsburgh Cardiac Arrest Category