Unexpected cardiac arrests occurring inside the ICU: outcomes of a French prospective multicenter study

Cardiac arrest may occur unexpectedly in intensive care units (ICU). We hypothesize that certain patient characteristics and treatments are associated with survival and long-term functional outcome following in-ICU cardiac arrest.

Over a 12-month period, cardiac arrests with resuscitation attempts were prospectively investigated in 45 French ICUs. Survivors were followed for 6 months.

In total, 677 (2.16%) of 31,399 admitted patients had at least one in-ICU cardiac arrest with resuscitation attempt, 42% of which occurred on the day of admission. In 79% cases, one or more condition(s) likely to promote the occurrence of cardiac arrest was/were identified, including hypoxia (179 patients), metabolic disorders (122), hypovolemia (94), and adverse events linked to the life-sustaining devices in place (98). Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 478 patients, of whom 163 were discharged alive from ICU and 146 from hospital. Six-month survival with no or moderate functional sequel (118 of 125 patients alive) correlated with a number of organ failures ≤ 2 when cardiac arrest occurred (OR 4.17 [1.92–9.09]), resuscitation time ≤ 5 min (3.32 [2.01–5.47]), shockable rhythm cardiac arrests (2.13 [1.26–3.45]) or related to the life-sustaining devices in place (2.11 [1.22–3.65]), absence of preexisting disability (1.98 [1.09–3.60]) or disease deemed fatal within 5 years (1.70 [1.05–2.77]), and sedation (1.71 [1.06–2.75]).

Only one in six patients with in-ICU cardiac arrest and resuscitation attempt was alive at 6 months with good functional status. Certain characteristics specific to cardiac arrests, resuscitation maneuvers, and the pathological context in which they happen may help clarify prognosis and inform relatives.