A multirecurrent cardiac arrest: when to terminate cardiopulmonary resuscitation?

A 52-year-old man developed an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest complicating a myocardial infarction. After prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he was admitted to an intensive care unit, where 25 episodes of cardiac arrest s occurred within a few hours. Finally the outcome was favourable. This cas e raises the question of the duration a cardiopulmonary resuscitation in ca se of out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest. The question is to de termine how long resuscitation efforts must be prolonged after recurrent ca rdiac arrests. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.