Outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation following open heart surgery

The outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) following cardiac surgery is not known to date. A retrospective analysis of all patients subjected to CPR during their hospital stay following heart surgery was conducted; 1.4% of patients required CPR 0.5-192 h following surgery. The mean duration of CPR was 42 +/- 29 min. Twenty-nine patients were subjected to emergency rethoracotomy and 14 patients received coronary artery bypass grafting. The hospital mortality was 46%. There was a significant correlation of duration of CPR and death (r = 0.44, p = 0.004). The commonest cause of death was consecutive multiorgan failure in 12 patients. Twenty-one patients were long-term survivors without neurological sequelae. Twenty patients were in NYHA class I or II. Ventricular fibrillation and myocardial ischaemia are the commonest conditions leading to CPR in an average population of patients immediately after cardiac surgery. Aggressive treatment and emergency rethoracotomy in most cases results in long-term survival in 50%.