Objective To study the Hainan Utstein templates used for cardiac arrest and resuscitation registries to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of the patients with CPR by multi-center study. Methodsccording to the Utstein templates for cardiac arrest and CPR set by International Liaison Committee on resuscitation in 2004, a Hainan Utstein CPR registry chart was designed and a prospective descriptive study was carried out to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, impact factors and outcomes of the patients with resuscitation attempt in emergency departments of thirteen hospitals in Hainan Island between January 2007 and December 2010.Results Of 1125 patients with cardiac arrest, male accounted for 73. 8％ and female was 26. 2％. The mean ( ± S. D) age of the cardiac arrest patients was 53.9 ± 13. 1 years old.Coronary heart diseases and hypertension were the most common preexisting chronic diseases in the studied patients. The ROSC rate and discharge rates after survival in 1125 patients with CPR were 23. 8％ and 7.4％ respectively. The ROSC rate and discharge rates after survival were 36. 3％ and 11.6％ in the in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) group, respectively whereas 11.5％ and 3. 3％ in out-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) group. Of 188 patients with ventricular fibrillation/Pulseless ventricular tachycardia, the ROSC rate and discharge rate after survival were 58.0％and 21.8％,respectively. Of them, 448 (39. 8％ ) of the cardiac arrest patients had underlying cardiac causes, and the ROSC rate and discharge rate after survival were 36. 3％ and 11.5％ respectively in IHCA group whereas 11.6％ and 3. 3％ in OHCA group. The ROSC rate and discharge rate after survival were 69. 8％ and 7. 4％respectively in the tertiary hospitals whereas 30. 2％ and 7. 3％ in the secondary hospitals. Conclusions Patients experienced cardiac arrest were predominantly male. Coronary heart disease and hypertension were the two most common preexisting chronic diseases. The ROSC rate and discharge rate of patients with IHCA were higher than those with OHCA. ROSC rate and discharge rate after survival were higher in the ventriculat fibrillation/Pulseless ventricular tachycardia group than the other cardiac rhythms first witnessed groups. The time delayed of starting CPR after onset of cardiac arrest had a critical impact on survival and discharge rate in both IHCA and OHCA groups.