HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kenward, G. Articles by Steeds, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kenward, G. Articles by Steeds, R.

False cardiac arrests: the right time to turn away?

¹ Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, UK
² University Hospital (Queen Elizabeth), Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Richard Steeds
University Hospital (Queen Elizabeth), Metchley Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TH, UK; rick.steeds{at}uhb.nhs.uk

Aim: Cardiac arrest teams may be activated only to find that the patient does not require cardiac or respiratory resuscitation. Members of the cardiac arrest team are drawn from medical personnel with other responsibilities who may disperse quickly, leaving ongoing care of the patient to existing ward staff. The outcome for such false cardiac arrests, however, is rarely reported. The objective of this study was to determine the causes of false cardiac arrest team alerts (FCAs) and to assess the outcome of these patients relative to the general hospital population.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital.

Participants: Patients subject to a cardiac arrest call who were found not to require basic or advanced cardiac life support on arrival.

Results: In 512 events over a 1-year period, patients suffering FCAs were more likely to survive compared to patients suffering cardiac arrest (15% vs 73%, odds ratio (OR) 14.95; ² p0.0001), but significantly less likely to survive than the general hospitalised population (73% vs 97%, OR 14.15; ² p0.0001). The cause of the FCA was often minimised as collapse or vasovagal syncope; in 58% (87/150) of cases no further action was taken by the attending medical team. Patients suffering FCAs tended to be long-stay patients with a worse outcome at weekends.

Conclusion: In areas lacking a medical alert, outreach or patient at risk system, particular attention should be paid to optimising care of those suffering FCAs.

Abbreviations: DNAR, do not attempt to resuscitate; FCAs, false cardiac arrest team alerts; VF, ventricular fibrillation