Adult in-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe patient characteristics, event characteristics, and outcomes for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark.

Methods: Data was obtained from DANARREST. DANARREST is a nationwide registry that covers all in-hospital cardiac arrests in Denmark with a clinical indication for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (i.e. without a prior "do-not-resuscitate" order).

Results: A total of 4069 adult in-hospital cardiac arrests were registered between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018. The median age was 74 years (quartiles: 65, 81) and 37% were female. 71% had a non-shockable rhythm and the presumed etiology was primarily non-cardiac (57%). A total of 2180 patients (53.8%) achieved ROSC, with an additional 36 patients (0.9%) receiving extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At 30-days 1124 patients (27.8%) were alive. Of cardiac arrests from 2017, 404 patients (20.0%) survived to 1 year after the cardiac arrest. The incidence of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark was estimated at 1.8 per 1000 admissions or 0.6 per 1000 in-patient days.

Conclusion: In-hospital cardiac arrest occurs in at least 2000 patients each year in Denmark with a 30-day survival of approximately 28%. The establishment of a national registry for in-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark will allow for quality improvement and research projects.

Keywords: Denmark; In-hospital cardiac arrest; Incidence; Outcomes; Registry.