as an er physician a pt found by ems in cardiac arrest have extremely poor outcomes. If your critical care than your seeing the 1% that make into the unit who spike a fever and die 3 days later. what is your survival rate, not counting the ones who coded in the unit and have everone right there
Thanks, Doc... but your typing must be as bad as your handwriting.
Of those who coded in public, as opposed to at home, or unwitnessed, about 40% leave the hospital. That’s less than Seattle-King county because my city has fewer people walking around who know CPR.
My most recent was a 47yo triathlete who arrested at the end of a bike ride, received bystander CPR and was field defibrillated after 12 minutes. I thought he would end up an organ donor, but he got a full neurological recovery, and after a CABG went home asking when he could start riding his bike again.
If a unit patient has a cardiac arrest, not due to a respiratory issue like a dislodged ET tube or mucous plug, you’re right- survival is poor since they usually already have multiorgan failure. Witnessed VF in a post-op or post MI patient has a high survival rate, OTOH.
Your situation is significantly different since you see all comers, many of whom had unwitnessed arrests and may have already been down without CPR for 10-15 minutes by the time EMS arrives.