title: Prognosis among survivors of prehospital cardiac arrest.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prognosis in consecutive patients discharged from hospital after prehospital cardiac arrest.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients in the community of Göteborg who were discharged from hospital after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 1981 and 1991.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred forty-three patients were discharged from hospital during the observation period, of whom 80% initially experienced ventricular fibrillation. Among patients discharged, 21% died during the first year; after 10 years, 82% had died. Age, sex, previous history of cardiovascular disease, circumstances at the time of cardiac arrest, complications during hospitalization, and discharge medications were assessed as predictors of 1-year mortality. Independent predictors of death during follow-up were history of myocardial infarction (P < .001), no prescription of beta-blockers at discharge (P < .01), age (P < .05), and cerebral performance category (CPC) at discharge (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, one of five died during the first year and one of five survived 10 years after discharge. Prognosis was associated with a history of myocardial infarction, prescription of beta-blockers at discharge, age, and CPC at discharge.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital Göteborg, Sweden.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Herlitz
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Ekström
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Wennerblom
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Axelsson
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bång
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Holmberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012151:Resuscitation; D017741:Survivors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors