We investigated retrospectively the prognosis of 40 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Tottori University Hospital after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the wards from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 1999. Of the patients, twenty patients were discharged alive from ICU and 14 of the twenty patients were discharged from the hospital without sequelae. Percentage of social recovery of the patients was 35%. Survival rates were 100%, 86% and 57%, respectively, at one, two and four years after the discharge from hospital. The following five factors determined their favorable outcome; 1) less than 70 years old of age, 2) shorter duration until spontaneous heart beating was resumed, 3) less dosage of epinephrine during CPR, 4) better Glasgow Coma Scale at admission to ICU, and 5) the lower incidence of complications during the ICU stay. Particularly, age and the faster return of spontaneous circulation were likely to be the key factors to determine the prognosis of the patients undergoing CPR in the University Hospital.