Outcomes of cardiopulmonary arrest in an acute rehabilitation setting

Objective: Fifty consecutive cases of cardiopulmonary arrest with administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during a 6-yr period at a freestanding academic acute rehabilitation hospital were identified. Design: Medical records of 49 patients were available for review. Outcomes of survival of arrest, survival to 24 hr postarrest, survival to discharge from the hospital were determined, and X² or Fisher's exact tests were performed to investigate relationships between survival and admission functional status, age, gender, and medical comorbidities. Results: Forty-three percent of patients survived the initial arrest, 37% survived to 24 hr post-CPR, and 18% survived to hospital discharge. We were unable to identify any statistically significant predictors of survival post-CPR. Six of the nine survivors returned to the acute rehabilitation setting after cardiopulmonary arrest, and five of these patients made significant functional gains. Conclusions: Outcomes after CPR in patients undergoing acute rehabilitation in one setting were not significantly different from those reported for patients in other healthcare settings. These data may be used by healthcare professionals to enhance discussions concerning advance healthcare planning (including resuscitation plans) with patients and families. Larger studies are needed to clarify the prognostic role of prior functional status in predicting CPR outcomes, particularly in the context of various diagnostic categories and age groups.