• M B Skrifvars, V Pettilä, P H Rosenberg, and M Castrén.
• Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, P.O. Box 340, FIN-00029 HUS Helsinki, Finland. markus.skrifvars@kolumbus.fi
• Resuscitation. 2003 Dec 1; 59 (3): 319-28.

IntroductionThe impact of the immediate in-hospital post-resuscitation care after out-hospital cardiac arrest is not well known. Based on treatment variables and laboratory findings a multiple logistic regression model was created for the prediction of survival at 6 months from the event.Materials And MethodsA retrospective study of the hospital charts of patients successfully resuscitated and treated in one of three community hospitals from 1998 to 2000. In addition to several pre-hospital variables, the mean 72 h values of clinical features such as blood pressure, blood glucose concentration and initiated treatment used, were included in a forward multiple logistic regression model predicting survival at 6 months from the event.ResultsThe charts of 98 out of a total of 102 patients were sufficiently complete and included in the analysis. Variables independently associated with survival were age, delay before a return of spontaneous circulation, mean blood glucose and serum potassium, and the use of beta-blocking agents during post-resuscitation care. When those patients who were assigned a 'do not attempt to resuscitate' (DNAR) order during the first 72 h of treatment were excluded from the analysis blood glucose, blood potassium and the use beta-blocking agents remained independently associated with survival.ConclusionThis study suggests that in-hospital factors are associated with survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The mean blood glucose and serum potassium during the first 72 h of treatment and the use of beta-blocking agents were significantly and independently associated with survival.

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