Published online Aug 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i22.7738
Peer-review started: January 29, 2022
First decision: May 11, 2022
Revised: May 21, 2022
Accepted: June 17, 2022
Article in press: June 17, 2022
Published online: August 6, 2022
The characteristics of early warning symptoms need further research. Especially the point of time, frequency and severity of warning symptoms before cardiac arrest occur.
Most patients had warning symptoms before cardiac arrest. Dyspnea, chest pain, and unconsciousness were the most common symptoms. The characteristics of the warning symptoms may be helpful in identifying the etiology and allowing the initiation of targeted treatment during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
A total of 65.9% of patients had symptoms before arrest. Dyspnea, chest pain, and unconsciousness were the most common symptoms. The patients with symptoms had a higher rate of initial shockable rhythm, restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival than patients without symptoms. The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest symptoms subgroup had a higher rate of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a shorter no flow time, and a higher ROSC rate. The in-hospital cardiac arrest symptoms subgroup had higher ROSC and survival rates.
This was a retrospective study. We included all adult patients with all-cause cardiac arrest who visited Peking University Third Hospital or Beijing Friendship Hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. Data on population, symptoms, resuscitation parameters, and outcomes were analysed and compared between cardiac arrest patients with warning symptoms and those without warning symptoms.
We sought to investigate the characteristics of the warning symptoms of cardiac arrest, and to determine the correlation between cardiac arrest symptoms and patient prognosis.
We found that different etiologies of sudden cardiac arrest correlate with certain symptoms and that the immediate and correct recognition of symptoms and etiology can improve patient survival.
In the future, we should carry out more research on the characteristics of symptoms, such as the point of time, frequency and severity of warning symptoms.