title: APACHE II scores as predictors of cardio pulmonary resuscitation outcome: Evidence from a tertiary care institute in a low-income country.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to demonstrate that APACHE II scores can be used as a predictor of the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcome in hospitalized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of patients admitted, from 2002 to 2007, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, was done for this study. Information was collected on 738 patients, constituting all adults admitted in general ward, ICU, CICU and SCU during this time, and who had under-went cardiac arrest and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation during their stay at the hospital. Patient characteristics, intra-arrest variables such as event-witnessed, initial cardiac rhythm, pre arrest need for intubation and vasoactive drugs, duration of CPR and survival details were extracted from patient records. The APACHE II score was calculated for each patient and a descriptive analysis was done for demographic and clinical features. The primary outcome of successful CPR was categorized as survival >24 h after CPR versus survival <24 h after CPR. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between the explanatory variables and successful CPR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with APACHE II scores less than 20 had 4.6 times higher odds of survival compared to patients with a score of >35 (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 2.4-9.0). Also, shorter duration of CPR (AOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9-4.4), evening shift (AOR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.5) and Male patients (AOR: 0.6, 95% CI: (0.4-0.9) compared to females were other significant predictors of CPR outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  APACHE II score, along with other patient characteristics, should be considered in clinical decisions related to CPR administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Junaid
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Nadeem Ullah
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furqan
authors.forename: Safia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awan
authors.forename: Muhammad Shoaib
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Waqar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kashif
authors.forename: Ayesha L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sorathia
authors.forename: Syed Ather
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Mohammed Umer
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Mir