Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia
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Arq. Bras. Cardiol. · Nov 1996
[When should we stop cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients brought to the emergency room in cardiac arrest without pre-hospital care?].
The decision of stopping cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients brought to emergency room in arrest remains a challenge. Such decision is even more difficult when someone is brought by bystanders, after an acute loss of consciousness without any out-of-hospital care. To evaluate the probability of survival of these patients we reviewed retrospectively charts in our institution, during a period of five years. ⋯ Delayed arrival to the emergency room (> 15 min) associated with asystole were predictors of unsuccessful CPR, and both data are helpful in deciding when to stop CPR in subjects arriving at the emergency department with no out-of-hospital care.