title: Follow-up of 514 consecutive patients with cardiopulmonary arrest outside the hospital.
abstract: During the years 1974 of 1976, 514 patients with prehospital cardiopulmonary arrest were brought to the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) Emergency Department. Of these, 344 patients (67%) were either dead on arrival or died in the emergency department despite efforts at resuscitation. The remaining 170 patients were admitted to the coronary care unit. Eighty-seven patients (51%) died in the coronary care unit, primarily from uncontrolled rhythm disturbances and/or cardiogenic shock. The remaining 83 patients (16% of the total group, 49% of those admitted to the hospital) were discharged alive from HCMC. In this group, 49 patients of the 83 long-term survivors were ambulatory with full mental function when discharged. The remaining 34 patients were trnasferred to chronic care facilities for medical treatment of on-going problems. Of the 49 ambulatory patients, satisfactory data for follow-up was obtained on 47. Their mortality rate was 15% in the first year and 50% in the second, primarily from sudden death syndrome.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000552:Ambulances; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012151:Resuscitation