The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac functions following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors.
Twelve of 151 patients who received CPR from October 1990 to February 1994 were assessed by a twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECG), two-dimensional echocardiograms and hemodynamics measured with a Swan-Ganz catheter.
ECG on admission showed ventricular fibrillation in 5 patients and cardiac standstill in 6. Counter-shock was successfully performed in 7 patients. Post-CPR ECGs showed elevations of the ST-segments in eight patients and abnormal Q waves in one. One week later, the number of patients with the former phenomenon decreased, whereas those with the latter and negative T waves increased.
Post-CPR echocardiograms showed segmental left ventricular (LV) wall motion abnormalities in eight patients and global hypokinesis in one. One week later, LV wall motion normalized in two of these nine patients.
Decreased cardiac output and/or increased pulmonary artery wedge pressure were common when CPR exceeded 30 minutes.
In conclusion, the majority of cardiac arrest survivors showed significant left ventricular dysfunction indicating the need to evaluate cardiac function in post-CPR patients.