Characteristics of cardiac arrest and resuscitation by age group: an analysis from the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry

Herlitz, Johan; Svensson, Leif; Engdahl, Johan; Gelberg, Jan; Silfverstolpe, Johan; Wisten, Aase; Ängquist, Karl-Axel; Holmberg, Stig

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2007.03.008

« Previous Next »American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 25, Issue 9 , Pages 1025-1031, November 2007

Characteristics of cardiac arrest and resuscitation by age group: an analysis from the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry☆

Johan Herlitz, MD, PhD
- Department of Metabolism and Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +46 31 342 1000; fax: +46 31 827375.
Leif Svensson, MD, PhD
- Division of Cardiology, South Hospital, 118 83 Stockholm, Sweden
Johan Engdahl, MD, PhD
- Department of Metabolism and Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Jan Gelberg, MD
- Division of Anesthesiology, Lund University Hospital, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
Johan Silfverstolpe, MD
- Emergency Medical Services, KAMBER, Regionhuset 222 40 Lund, Sweden
Aase Wisten, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sunderby Hospital, 971 80 Luleå, Sweden
Karl-Axel Ängquist, MD, PhD
- Surgical Department, Norrland's University Hospital, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
Stig Holmberg, MD, PhD
- Department of Metabolism and Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden

Received 13 February 2007; received in revised form 5 March 2007; accepted 5 March 2007.

Abstract

Aim

The objective of this study was to describe patients who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by age group.

Methods

All patients who suffered from an OHCA between 1990 and 2005 and are included in the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry (n = 40,503) were classified into the following age groups: neonates, younger than 1 year; young children, between 1 and 4 years; older children, between 5 and 12 years; adolescents, between 13 and 17 years; young adults, between 18 and 35 years; adults not retired, between 36 and 64 years; adults retired, between 65 and 79 years; and older adults, 80 years or older.

Results

Ventricular fibrillation was lowest in young children (3%) and highest in adults (35%). Survival to 1 month was lowest in neonates (2.6%) and highest in older children (7.8%). Children (<18 years), young adults (18-35 years), and adults (>35 years) survived to 1 month 24.5%, 21.2%, and 13.6% of cases, respectively (P = .0003 for trend) when found in a shockable rhythm. The corresponding figures for nonshockable rhythms were 3.8%, 3.2%, and 1.6%, respectively (P < .0001 for trend).

Conclusions

There is a large variability in characteristics and outcome among patients in various age groups who experienced an OHCA. Among the large age groups, there was a successive decline in survival with increasing age in shockable and nonshockable rhythms.