title: Outcomes following cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an acute rehabilitation hospital. Clinical and ethical implications.
abstract: This retrospective study examines cases of cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an acute rehabilitation hospital. All admissions to the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University, a 56-bed facility, are reviewed. Seventeen cases of true cardiac arrest are identified for analysis of ultimate disposition over a 10-yr period. Only one patient (5.9%) survived CPR to discharge from the rehabilitation hospital, but he died subsequent to his transfer to the acute hospital. Though the sample size is small, it reflects the total population of patients eligible for CPR who suffered a cardiac arrest. We conclude that CPR is generally not successful in the elderly inpatient rehabilitation population. The growing clinical complexity of the rehabilitation patient demands that health-care providers and their patients more regularly address decision-making issues pertinent to CPR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University, School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Bilsky
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Banja
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000592:standards*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome