@article{2989436, title = "Efficacy of CPR in a general, adult ICU", author = "Myrianthefs, P. and Kalafati, M. and Lemonidou, C. and Minasidou, E. and Evagelopoulou, P. and Karatzas, S. and Baltopoulos, G.", journal = "Resuscitation", year = "2003", volume = "57", number = "1", pages = "43-48", publisher = "Elsevier Ireland Ltd", issn = "0300-9572", doi = "10.1016/S0300-9572(02)00432-X", keywords = "adult; article; clinical study; female; general hospital; Greece; heart arrest; heart function; heart ventricle fibrillation; heart ventricle tachycardia; human; intensive care; lung disease; major clinical study; male; priority journal; pupil reflex; resuscitation; survival rate", abstract = "Aim: To investigate the initial cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) success rate and long term survival in an Intensive care unit (ICU) population. Patients: All patients with cardiac arrest over a 2-year-period (1999-2000) in a general, adult ICU of a general hospital of Athens. Methods: Retrospective collection of clinical data concerning patients, CPR characteristics and survival rates. Results: We examined 111 ICU patients, aged 56.4±1.9 years (72 males). SAPS II score was 43.9±3.8. CPR was performed in 98.2% of the patients within 30 s. Initial restoration of cardiac function (RCF) and successful CPR rate was 100% while 24 h survival was 9.2%. Survivors at 24 h were younger, mainly males, with lower SAPS II score, mainly with pulmonary disease, ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (8/10) and initial pupil reactivity (5/10). Four patients required more than one cycle of CPR. Survival to discharge was zero. Conclusion: Although the initial successful CPR rate in ICU patients may be high, long term survival and hospital discharge is disappointing. Although ICU patients are better monitored and treated in a timely fashion, they are disadvantaged by chronic underlying diseases, severe current medical illnesses and multi organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) leads to worst outcome after CPR compared with in-ward patients. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved." }