Outcomes of patients hospitalized after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in relation to sex

Objective To describe characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in relation to sex. Patients All patients in the community of Goteborg who between 1980 and 199 6 suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were hospitalized alive. Methods We calculated age-adjusted P values. Results In ail 1038 patients were hospitalized alive of whom 29% were women . Women differed from men by being older and there being lower prevalences of previous acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and smoking and a higher prev alence of bronchial asthma among them. They had less commonly received card io-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders (16 versus 25% of cases; P = 0.002) and were less commonly found to be in ventricular fibrillation wh en the ambulance crew arrived (55 versus 73% of cases; P<0.0001). They were less commonly judged to have a cardiac etiology behind the arrest (87 vers us 92% of cases; P=0.016). Of women 31.3% could be discharged alive from ho spital, compared with 41.8% of men (P = 0.001). While they were in hospital , women were less commonly subjected to exercise tests, coronary angiograph y, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Conclusion Among patients who suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and w ere hospitalized alive, women had less commonly received CPR from bystander s, were less commonly found in ventricular fibrillation, less commonly unde rwent coronary angiography and coronary artery bypass grafting and had a lo wer survival rate than did men, Coronary Artery Dis 10:509-514 (C) Lippinco tt Williams & Wilkins.