No abstract

Cardiopulmonary resuscilalion is often done in hospital patients with rather poor survival rates and outcome. This is a prospective description on results of the procedure in 34 patients from general pediotric wards -emergency room and intensive care unit excluded-who developed Cardiopulmonary arrest. Resuscitation was done by previously organized teams, whose personel was trained in accordance with the standards of the American Heart Association and Ihe American Academy of Pediatrics. The mean age of palients at Cardiopulmonary arrest was 8 months (range 1 day to 1 4 years), 27/34 (79%) had some chronic disease ana the mean duration cf their hospital slay was nine days. Resuscitation maneuvers were slarted within five minutes in 82% (28/34) cases, all weie mask ventilated. In 71% (24/34) patients inlubation was necesary and it was successfully achieved in 92% |21 /24). More than one epinephrine dose was used in 68% (23/34) cases. All drugs were delivered via peripheral veins in 79% [27/34) patients. In six children in which vascular access was not available at arrest it took more lhan 5 minutes lo start drug delivery, in five the endotraqueal roule was used and an osteoclisis was employed in the remainder. The duration of arrest was 5 min or less in six palienls and longer than 30 min in 12 cases (38%). Althrough initial success rate was 53% (18/34) only 6 patients were discharged from the hospital. No patient survived when cardiopulrnonary arrest lasted more than 10 minules. Outcome of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is poor in pediatric inpatients with chronic diseases and probably "do not resuscitate" orders may be justified in many of them.