CARDIAC-ARREST - AN ANALYSIS OF 2000 INCIDENT REPORTS

Eighty-seven cases of cardiac arrest from the first 2000 incidents rep orted to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study were reviewed. ''Car diac arrest'' was taken to include patients who were either pulseless or had electrocardiographic asystole or ventricular fibrillation. Case s were grouped by primary cause-drug administration (19), vagal stimul ation (16), hypoventilation (15), bleeding (13), anaphylaxis (6), dire ct cardiac stimulation (4) and miscellaneous (14). Overall, 20 patient s died (23% of the 87 cases), all of these were in the hypoventilation , bleeding, or miscellaneous groups (4, 9 and 7 patients, respectively ). Cardiac compression was performed in 66% of patients; 20% were defi brillated; adrenaline was given to 42% and bicarbonate to 3%. There wa s a clear anaesthetic cause for 46% of this series of arrests, and wit h hindsight, a preventable factor was present in over half (58%) of th ese. Preventative strategies regarding staffing, equipment, policy and procedures are suggested.