Cardiac arrest among geriatric patients.

Overview

In a review of 292 hospital patients who had cardiac arrests over a period of two and a half years patients aged 60 and over were contrasted with those under 60, based on a 50-item clinical questionary completed at the time of the episode. Survival rates were identical (23%) in these two groups. On contrasting patients who survived with those who did not it was again found that age did not influence outcome. Patients with multiple arrests or without cardiographic evidence of ventricular standstill were much more likely to recover. Whether or not a doctor initiated therapy did not affect survival.