Plj. Dautzenberg et al., PATIENT-RELATED PREDICTORS OF CARDIOPULMONARY-RESUSCITATION OF HOSPITALIZED-PATIENTS, Age and ageing, 22(6), 1993, pp. 464-475
We reviewed 32 studies to determine whether patient-related factors pr
edict the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of hosp
italized patients. Limitations of individual studies are described. Si
ngle factors and multiple factors, as used in the Pre-arrest Morbidity
(PAM) Index, were examined for their ability to predict CPR outcome.
Although certain clinical conditions appear to predict CPR survival be
st, other individual patient-related factors influence the effectivene
ss of CPR. The PAM Index is superior to single factors in predicting s
urvival after CPR in hospitalized patients, possibly because it is mul
tifactorial. As some studies reveal efficacy of only some of the varia
bles of the PAM Index, a modification of the PAM Index is proposed as
an effective tool for predicting CPR outcome. Such a modification may
offer geriatricians a practical basis on which some difficult 'do not
resuscitate' decisions can be based.