Original contribution
Nontraumatic prehospital cardiac arrest ages 1 to 39 years

https://doi.org/10.1016/0735-6757(90)90190-BGet rights and content

Abstract

Clinical and autopsy records were retrospectively reviewed for 105 patients between the ages of 1 and 39 years who came in to the emergency department with nontraumatic cardiac arrest. There were 65 male (62%) and 40 female patients (38%). Forty-eight percent of the patients were resuscitated. Long-term survival rate was 23%. The most common presenting rhythm was ventricular fibrillation (45%). Cardiac diseases constituted the most common cause of arrest (38%). Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease represented 50% of all cardiac causes. The second most common etiology was overdose or toxic exposure (21%). Witnessed arrest and an etiology of primary cardiac dysrhythmia for arrest were statistically significant factors related to favorable outcome. Asystole as the initial cardiac rhythm was a negative prognostic indicator. Age, sex, race, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and paramedic response time were not significant prognostic factors for long-term survival.

References (62)

  • M Eisenberg et al.

    Epidemiology of cardiac arrest and resuscitation in children

    Ann Emerg Med

    (1983)
  • DW Benson et al.

    Cardiac arrest in young, ostensibly healthy patients: clinical, hemodynamic and electrophysiologic findings

    Am J Cardiol

    (1983)
  • RJ Siegel et al.

    Prolonged QT interval-ventricular tachycardia syndrome from massive rapid weight loss utilizing the liquid-protein-modified-fast diet: Sudden death with sinus node ganglionitis and neuritis

    Am Heart J

    (1981)
  • G Rockswold et al.

    Follow-up of 514 consecutive patients with cardiopulmonary arrest outside the hospital

    JACEP

    (1979)
  • RJ Myerburg et al.

    Clinical, electrophysiological and hemodynamic profile of patients resuscitated from prehospital cardiac arrest

    Am J Med

    (1980)
  • DD Tresch et al.

    Comparison of outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in persons younger and older than 70 years of age

    Am J Cardiol

    (1988)
  • JK Lewis et al.

    Outcome of pediatric resuscitation

    Ann Emerg Med

    (1983)
  • WD Johnson et al.

    Sudden death from coronary heart disease in young men: Pathologic findings

    Arch Pathol Lab Med

    (1981)
  • JL Luke et al.

    Sudden unexpected death from natural causes in young adults

    Arch Pathol Lab Med

    (1968)
  • L Kuller et al.

    Sudden and unexpected deaths in young adults

    JAMA

    (1966)
  • M Phillips et al.

    Sudden cardiac death in Air Force recruits. A 20-year review

    JAMA

    (1986)
  • AR Moritz et al.

    Sudden and unexpected natural deaths of young soldiers: Diseases responsible for such deaths during World War II

    Arch Pathol

    (1946)
  • RJ Northcote et al.

    Sudden death and vigorous exercise: A study of 60 deaths associated with squash

    Br Heart J

    (1986)
  • BF Waller

    Exercise-related sudden death in young (age less than or equal to 30 years) and old (age greater than 30 years) conditioned subjects

    Cardiovasc Clin

    (1985)
  • R Virmani et al.

    Nontraumatic death in joggers: A series of 30 patients at autopsy

    Am J Med

    (1982)
  • SH Tsung et al.

    Sudden death in young athletes

    Arch Pathol Lab Med

    (1982)
  • BJ Maron et al.

    Sudden death in young athletes

    Circulation

    (1980)
  • VL Vetter

    Sudden death in infants, children, and adolescents

    Cardiovasc Clin

    (1985)
  • Standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiac care

    JAMA

    (1986)
  • M Okuni et al.

    Sudden death of school children in Japan

    Jpn Circ J

    (1987)
  • DR Neuspiel et al.

    Sudden and unexpected natural death in childhood and adolescence

    JAMA

    (1985)
  • Cited by (17)

    • The epidemiology of cardiac arrest in young adults

      1992, Annals of Emergency Medicine
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text