Highlights
- Among patients who experience cardiac arrest while in the hospital, those on dialysis were less likely to have a shockable rhythm and more likely to be outside of the intensive care unit at the time of arrest compared with patients not on dialysis.
- Patients on dialysis had lower scores for resuscitation quality, and they were less likely to have defibrillation within 2 minutes.
- Patients on dialysis had a similar likelihood of surviving to hospital discharge, and they had better neurological function at the time of discharge.
Washington, DC (January 7, 2020) -- A new study indicates that there are opportunities to improve the quality of care for patients on dialysis who experience cardiac arrest while in the hospital, but survival rates are similar for these patients compared with patients not on dialysis. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death for patients on dialysis, and previous studies have suggested that for patients who experience cardiac arrest while in the hospital, those who are on dialysis tend to fare worse than those who are not on dialysis. Using a more comprehensive clinical registry of patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest, a team led by Patrick H. Pun, MD, MHS and Monique Anderson Starks, MD, MHS (Duke Clinical Research Institute) re-examined survival outcomes in dialysis patients, and also assessed whether the intensity and quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation had any relationship to why dialysis patients tend to have worse outcomes. The analysis included information on 31,144 patients (27% on dialysis) who experienced cardiac arrest in 372 hospitals across the United States.
Among the major findings:
- Patients on dialysis were less likely to have a shockable rhythm (19.8% vs. 20.7%) and more likely to be outside of the intensive care unit at the time of arrest (47.1% vs. 45.8%) compared with patients not on dialysis.
- Patients on dialysis had lower overall scores for resuscitation quality, and they were less likely to have defibrillation within 2 minutes (53.9% vs. 58.2%).
- After adjustments, patients on dialysis had a similar likelihood of surviving to hospital discharge, and they had a 33% higher likelihood of surviving at the time of the arrest. They also had better neurological function at the time of hospital discharge compared with patients not on dialysis.
"While we found that there were some resuscitation parameters that were lower quality for dialysis patients compared to non-dialysis patients, after accounting for differences in clinical comorbidities, demographics and cardiac arrest characteristics, we found that dialysis patients had similar to better survival outcomes compared with non-dialysis patients," said Dr. Pun. "In light of previous data, while overall cardiac arrest survival rates are still low at 23%, this suggests that cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not necessarily futile for dialysis patients, and it may be as effective in improving in-hospital survival for dialysis patients as it is for other patients."
An accompanying editorial stresses the importance of having conversations with patients about their wishes regarding resuscitation.
###
Study co-authors include Jingjing Wu, MS, Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, Judith A. Stafford, MS, Roland A. Matsouaka, L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, Laura P. Svetkey, and Paul S Chan, MD, MSc.
Disclosures: Eric Peterson reports research grants from Amgen, Abiomed, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Bayer AG, Genentech, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, LP, Merck and Co, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Sonofi-Aventis, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Paul Chan reports research funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and he is a consultant for the American Heart Association. The other authors report no conflict of interest disclosures.
The article, entitled "In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Practices and Outcomes in Maintenance Dialysis Patients," will appear online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/ on January 7, 2020, doi: 10.2215/CJN.05070419.
The editorial, entitled "Reconciling Short and Long-Term Outcomes of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Dialysis," will appear online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/ on January 7, 2020, doi: 10.2215/CJN.14121119.
The content of this article does not reflect the views or opinions of The American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s). ASN does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.
Since 1966, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) has been leading the fight to prevent, treat, and cure kidney diseases throughout the world by educating health professionals and scientists, advancing research and innovation, communicating new knowledge, and advocating for the highest quality care for patients. ASN has more than 21,000 members representing 131 countries. For more information, visit http://www.asn-online.org.
Journal
Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology