Automated external defibrillators and survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, but data on their effectiveness in hospitalized patients are limited.

Objective

To evaluate the association between AED use and survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Design, setting, and patients

Cohort study of 11,695 hospitalized patients with cardiac arrests between January 1, 2000, and August 26, 2008, at 204 US hospitals following the introduction of AEDs on general hospital wards.

Main outcome measure

Survival to hospital discharge by AED use, using multivariable hierarchical regression analyses to adjust for patient factors and hospital site.

Results

Of 11,695 patients, 9616 (82.2%) had nonshockable rhythms (asystole and pulseless electrical

SUBMITTER: Chan PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3587791 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature