Infectious Complications in the Survivors of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest.
10.4266/kjccm.2009.24.1.22
- Author:
Seon Hee WOO
1
;
Woon Jeong LEE
;
Se Min CHOI
;
Seung Pill CHOI
;
Kyu Nam PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. emsky@catholic.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
cardiac arrest;
infection;
pathogen
- MeSH:
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation;
Consciousness;
Demography;
Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous;
Epinephrine;
Heart Arrest;
Humans;
Hypothermia;
Incidence;
Intensive Care Units;
Length of Stay;
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest;
Pneumonia;
Pseudomonas aeruginosa;
Respiration, Artificial;
Retrospective Studies;
Rivers;
Staphylococcus;
Staphylococcus aureus;
Survivors;
Urinary Tract Infections;
Vascular Access Devices;
Wound Infection
- From:The Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine
2009;24(1):22-27
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Infectious complications commonly occur in the survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The aim of our study was to describe the incidence, associated factors and outcome of infectious complications of the survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 75 patients who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We collected the data on the demographics, the modes of cardiac arrest, the duration of CPR, the dose of epinephrine, the use of hypothermia, new infections, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), recovery of consciousness and the mortality. RESULTS: New infections developed in 46.7% of the patients. Asystole was the most common rhythm (70.7%). The most common infectious complication was pneumonia (40.0%) urinary tract infection developed in 10 cases, vascular catheter local infection developed in 6 cases, primary blood stream infection developed in 3 cases, wound infection developed in 2 cases and pseudomembranous colitis developed in 1 case. The most common pathogens of pneumonia were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Blood cultures were obtained in 36 patients during the first 24 hr and the pathogen was isolated in three. The patients with infection had a longer duration of mechanical ventilation and a longer stay in the ICU (p < 0.001, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infectious complications are common in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and these infections are associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation and a longer stay in the ICU. The most common infectious complication was pneumonia and the pathogens of pneumonia were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
